Film censor cuts in Australia

Gladiator II is a 2024 US/UK/Morocco/Canada action adventure drama by Ridley Scott
Starring Paul Mescal, Denzel Washington and Pedro Pascal

There are no censorship issues with this release in the US and UK. The film was pre-cut in Australia for a distributor applied M rated cinema release. The Classification Board later overruled this, and the cut version was uprated to MA15+.

Summary Notes

After his home is conquered by the tyrannical emperors who now lead Rome, Lucius is forced to enter the Colosseum and must look to his past to find strength to return the glory of Rome to its people.

Versions

uncut run: 147:43s pal: 141:48s		UK: Uncut and BBFC 15 rated for strong bloody violence, injury detail: 2024 Paramount Pictures UK cinema release (rated 09/10/2024) Ireland: Uncut and IFCO 15A rated for strong action violence throughout with gory scenes and graphic injury detail, scenes of severed bodies and body parts: 2024 Paramount cinema release (2024 rated 27/09/2024) titled Gladiator 2 US: Uncut and MPA R rated for for strong bloody violence.: 2024 release (rated 28/08/2024) titled Gladiator Ii
cut run: 148m pal: 142m		Australia: Pre-cut and ACB MA15+ (15A) rated for strong themes and violence: 2024 Paramount Pictures cinema release (rated 22/11/2024) titled Gladiator II Australia: Pre-cut and distributor M (PG-15) rated for animal cruelty, blood and gore, injury detail and violence: 2024 Paramount Pictures Australia cinema release (rated 16/10/2024) titled Gladiator II See article from refused-classification.com : On 16 October 2024, a 148-minute version of GLADIATOR II received an M (Animal cruelty, blood and gore, injury detail and violence). Paramount Pictures Australia rated the film themselves as an Accredited Classifier Decision. It was identified as precut, to avoid an MA15+, after opening on 14 November. What was censored in the M-rated version? Tom S. reports the cuts he spotted. There may be other, less obvious trims: Cut No. 1 203 Lucius (Paul Mescal) beheads his opponent at the first Roman games. The beginning is trimmed to remove the swords connecting with the head. It cuts into the shot midway to show the stump and a bit of blood spray. Cut No. 2 203 Macrinus (Denzel Washington) slashing at the neck of Emperor Geta (Joseph Quinn). The initial long shot of the neck cutting and blood spray is missing. The following close-up is zoomed to the left to remove the continued neck slashing and blood spray on the right. Cut No. 3 203 Macrinus puts a spike into the ear of Emperor Caracalla (Fred Hechinger). The red blood flowing from his ear is now green/yellow. M to MA15+ after one week On 22 November, cinemas were informed that the Classification Board had increased it to MA15+ (Strong themes and violence). Advertising was updated to reflect the new rating. An Accredited Classifier Decision can be reviewed by the Board to ensure the guidelines are followed. It is unclear if this was a random check or triggered by complaints.

 

Ascendant is a 2021 Australia Sci-Fi mystery fantasy by Antaine Furlong (as Anthony Furlong)
Starring Charlotte Best, Jonny Pasvolsky and Susan Prior

A young environmentalist wakes, trapped, kidnapped in the elevator of a super high-rise building at the mercy of her tormentors

The original age rating from the Australian Censorship Board of MA15+ for strong themes and violence was reduced on appeal to M for mature fantasy themes, violence and blood detail. Note that MA 15+ would be likened to a 15A in UK terms whereas M would be likened to a PG-15 in US terms.

Australia's Classification Review Board explained:

In the Classification Review Board's opinion, Ascendant warrants an M classification because the themes and violence can be accommodated within context. The other classifiable elements can be accommodated at lower classifications.

It is the view of the Classification Review Board that the themes and violence within Ascendant were justified within the context of a fantasy narrative, and within this context they were of moderate impact.

It is for the above reasons, that the Classification Review Board has decided Ascendant warrants an M classification as the impact of its classifiable elements is no higher than moderate.

John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum is a 2019 USA action crime thriller by Chad Stahelski.
Starring Keanu Reeves, Halle Berry and Ian McShane.

In this third installment of the adrenaline-fueled action franchise, skilled assassin John Wick (Keanu Reeves) returns with a $14 million price tag on his head and an army of bounty-hunting killers on his trail. After killing a member of the shadowy international assassin's guild, the High Table, John Wick is excommunicado, but the world's most ruthless hit men and women await his every turn.

The film was uncut in the US and UK, with MPAA R and BBFC 15 ratings respectively.

However the film did not fare so well in Australia where it suffered category cuts for am MA15+ cinema release. The reported cuts are:

• After a protracted knife fight John Wick stabs one of his opponents in the eye. But the details of this have been obscure by reframing.
• Edits to a fight with the French guy in the library.
• Edits to a head shot using a shotgun towards the end.

The Australian Censorship Board reveals that the film will be uncut and R18+ for 4K Blu-ray but details for DVD and standard Blu-ray have not yet been published.

Meanwhile IMDb notes that the film has been cut in India for an adults only 'A' rating. The cuts were:

• Cuts to strong violence

• to remove middle finger gestures

• to remove an expletive

• A Smoking kills caption was also included in scenes featuring characters smoking.

Rocketman is a 2019 UK / USA musical music biography by Dexter Fletcher.
Starring Bryce Dallas Howard, Taron Egerton and Richard Madden.

A musical fantasy about the fantastical human story of Elton John's breakthrough years.

Rocketman follows in the footsteps of the similarly gay themed Freddie Mercury biopic Bohemian Rhapsod y. Perhaps with an eye on repeating the successful formula of the earlier sanitised and PG-13 rated biopic, Hollywood producers Paramount seemed to have been pushing for Rocketman to get a PG-13 rating.

Paramount demanded that Rocketman director Dexter Fletcher and producer Matthew Vaughn cut a 40-second scene that depicts Elton John and one-time lover and manager John Reid, writhing on a bed. Fully exposed white derrieres are on display, but the nude escapade is tastefully done.

However it seems that the film makers won the argument as the film ended up with an R rating that confirms the sexual content.

In the UK, the film was passed 15 uncut for drug misuse, sex, very strong language.

Update: Distributors win appeal for an M rating

24th May 2019. See article [pdf] from classification.gov.au

Australia's Review Board has overturned the Classification Board's MA15+ uncut for strong coarse language in favour of M for mature themes, drug use, sex scene and frequent coarse language'.

The Review Board explained that previous confusion about a cut version was down to information being embargoed at the request of the film distributor. Two version were submitted but one of these was an unfinished version rather than a censored versions. The Review Board has now supplied a more complete account of the decision process.

Initially the Classification Board passed the film MA15+ uncut for strong coarse language.

The issues requiring an MA15+ over an M rating were related to strong language rather than the gay themes, and in particular the a single use of the word 'cunt'.

The distributors appealed the MA15+ rating and won their case as the Review Board reduced the rating to M for mature themes, drug use, sex scene and frequent coarse language'. The Review Board explained its decision:

It is the view of the Classification Review Board that the dramatic biographical context does mitigate the impact of the language, and specifically, the one instance of the use of strong coarse language.

Films classified M are considered suitable for mature audiences. It is for the above reasons, that the Review Board has decided that the contextual singular use of a strong coarse word can be accommodated at the M classification on this occasion.

The other frequently used coarse words are routinely accommodated at the M classification level.