Versions of films - "Clean" and "Dirty" What's your view?

What's your preference?

  • "Dirty" I want to watch as the director intended. This is sacrilege.

    Votes: 47 88.7%
  • "Clean" I want to enjoy the film with my family. This means my children can watch more.

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • I'm happy with either. A film is a film and I like to have the choice.

    Votes: 4 7.5%
  • Don't Know

    Votes: 2 3.8%

  • Total voters
    53

Sonic67

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Sony sanitising films row - the story so far - BBC News

If you've been on a long-haul flight recently, you might have noticed the films being shown were a bit different from their cinematic release.

They're usually a bit shorter as they've been made family-friendly for any young eyes who can see your screen.

Earlier this month Sony decided to make these sanitised versions available to download at home, choosing 24 titles including Ghostbusters and Easy A.

But now they've had to backtrack after filmmakers complained about the move.

And personally I remember watching Ghostbusters at the cinema and laughing at the "dickless person" comment. It was ditched when shown on the TV.

I am reminded of this.



Leave the films as they are. I'd hate to watch a film, think I've watched it and not realise I watched the cut version.
 
I'm against the alteration of films that go against the way they are intended. However, I would make an exception if it meant a young child could watch it and not be subjected to unnecessary swearing or violence. For example, Guardians of The Galaxy is essentially a family film, but there are a few swear words and rude gestures (IRRC) in the film which made me a tiny bit uncomfortable allowing my then 5 year to watch it. In that instance, I don't mind a family friendly version. Either that, or I just wait till they're a bit older. :)
 
Leave 'em alone.

There's plenty of family films out there to enjoy for that purpose, so there's no need to sanitise adult entertainment.

I'll never forget the 'family' version of Ghostbusters minus the 'dickless' joke among other things; and the butchered version of Lethal Weapon with its 'firing gun'.
 
On a flight on Tuesday I chose to watch Fist Fight (I know !!), and it came up as rated "R" on the screen. After 5 minutes I was starting to wonder what was going on as the dialogue contained works like "forget this" and "mother humpers"......I switched it off as I didn't want a toned down version.

Parents can easily supervise what their kids watch on a plane and most IFEs have a "Kid Zone" anyway, with kid friendly films.

I don't agree with cleaning up films....its like what ITV used to do when they showed Die Hard or Smokey and The Bandit.
 
One of the biggest disappointments early on in my VHS collecting was bringing home a copy of 48 Hours only to discover that it was the "clean" version.

Motherfunsters :(
 
I'm kind of split. Part of me would sit here banging my fist on the desk shouting "No! Films are art, they should only ever be seen the way the director intended", but the other half just sort of shrugs because I'm a grown up and I'm only ever going to watch the full-fat grown up version I want to watch anyway.
I grew up watching sanitized TV versions of films with my family, often unintentionally hilariously altered by the editors and dubbers, and this Sony thing just seems like another thing like that. It hasn't really had any noticeable effect on my film watching since I was a kid that didn't have access to anything else so it's hard for me to think much more than "meh" about it.
I don't think the studios should just go at it willy nilly though, if the director doesn't want them to do it I think they should respect that and leave the film alone
 
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I thought this was going to be about film grain vs digital cleanliness. Silly me.

Does anyone really still view sex in terms of 'dirtyness' in this day and age?
 
The worst was the TV cut of Robocop



 
The worst I've seen was Eraser.
I saw it in the cinema and couldn't believe what I was watching when I bought it on VHS, the cuts weren't even subtle and very standout even to someone who may of been watching for the first time.
 
The youngsters today won't ever know the joys of watching a film on ITV after 9pm, yet it still being butchered to shit and the joys of yippee kayee kemosabe.

It would have been better to just mute the word entirely, less noticeable than dubbing in something ridiculous.
 
I can remember seeing Beverly Hills Cop being sanitised on TV with Eddie Murphy's catch phrase..
"Get the **** outta here"
The f*** was removed and hell crowbarred into its place really badly.
 
I remember seeing the proper version of Beverly Hills Cop on DVD after years of watching it on TV and was amazed at how different the film was.

If a film is made for a certain audience it shouldn't be butchered so that it can be seen by a different audience.
 
I can remember seeing Beverly Hills Cop being sanitised on TV with Eddie Murphy's catch phrase..
"Get the **** outta here"
The f*** was removed and hell crowbarred into its place really badly.
Trading Places was also heavily butchered for TV.
 
I'm usually one for "how it was originally intended", specially since I don't have kids so edits for language or content generally don't bother me. However, one that does is Planes, Trains, and Automobiles. I loved this as a kid, and had it on VHS recorded from the TV. I must have watched it half a dozen, or more, times as a kid. Many years later, I got the Bluray version and was slightly horrified at the "rental car scene" involving Steve Martin's character and a rather chubby rental car desk clerk. Anyone that's seen it will know what I'm referring to, but for those who haven't I won't post details of the scene other than to say the language in it, multiple "f-bombs", that were not in the TV recorded version I had on VHS as a kid. If anything, I prefer it without that scene; probably because that's how I'm used to seeing it, but also I think it adds nothing to the movie and if anything detracts from it.

Another example is in music, radio edited songs for language. I fully understand why they're edited and have no problem with that, and sometimes I prefer the edited version. Example of that is "The Fear" by Lily Allen. There's two instances where she uses the f-word; the first verse and the fourth verse. In the first first, I find it completely unnecessary and detracts from the song, yet the swearing in the fourth verse works perfectly and actually makes that sentence better.
 
One of the biggest disappointments early on in my VHS collecting was bringing home a copy of 48 Hours only to discover that it was the "clean" version.

Motherfunsters :(

I remember seeing the "clean version" of 48 hours on the TV. They had the film poster showing either side of the ads, the one with Eddie Murphy's middle finger up. Only they had painted over the middle finger so he was just making a fist...... such innocent times.
 
Leave 'em alone.

It's like putting a bra on Venus de Milo in case anyone is offended by boobies.
 
Isn't this all just a bit terrestrial tv in the 90's
 
Getting a little off thread, I find it amusing when unedited rap is played in upmarket clothes shops. Theresa May lookalikes sorting through their tweed skirts and twin sets to the poetry of a gentleman wishing to split his bitch's next Tuesday open wide before gunning down the neighbourhood. On the other hand, blaring through my gym's PA at 8am in the morning when I'm mentally preparing my aged limbs for a session, I could do without it.
 
Censorship is the worst. There's enough bloodless dross out there to please the most vanilla of tastes. The worst thing about drives like this one is they end up ruining the work for posterity - colorised classics, retrofitted 3D and endless versions so basically someone in marketing can suck the last drop of cash out of the consumer.

Having said that, the director is not always right. The director's cut of Cinema Paradiso is a chore, Ridley should stop messing with Blade Runner and the myriad of filmmakers recoloring, re-editing and inserting new CGI should be stopped for their own good. Yet corporations, distributors and producers do far worse - do you need a copy of the Godfather for your infant? Isn't that just so you can just stick them in front of a TV whilst you do something else? Don't they just want your dosh and your obedience, and your children's?
 
I recall a Dirty Harry film on ITV, The line "opinions are like assholes, everybody has one" was changed to "opinions are like airheads, everybody has one" :confused:
 
Trading Places was also heavily butchered for TV.
When it comes to tv, that's what the 9pm watershed is for. Unaltered after 9pm, family version before that.

Although removing *that* Jamie Lee Curtis scene from Trading Places would have prevented a momentous event in my teenage years.
 

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