5 Films Banned For Ridiculous Reasons
Sony officially scrapped their plans for a theatrical release of The Interview. Believe it or not, it's not the first Seth Rogen film to be banned, nor is it Sony's first run in with North Korea. While it doesn't happen often, theaters internationally do ban films at the requests of protests, threats, or concern for human safety. Some reasons, such as the banning of the infamous film Birth of a Nation for racism, are obvious. The ones on this list...eh, I'll let you be the judge.
THE LIFE OF BRIAN
- Banned in several U.S. cities in 1979 over controversial scenes depicting Christianity.
Okay so I understand Christianity is a touchy subject, especially in the form of parody, but Brian is very clearly not Jesus Christ! THEY SHOW IT IN THE BEGINNING OF THE FILM! Is this movie truly any worse than Mel Brooks: History of the World? With that said, most films depicting religion in any sort are often scrutinized before their release and soon after. Knee jerk reactions often give way and I'm almost positive you can find this film in a Wal-Mart right now.
Zack And Miri Make A Porno
- Banned In Thailand Countrywide for pornographic themes.
That's right, Thailand banned Zack and Miri Make A Porno for the sex in the movie. One of the top sex tourism capitals of the world banned a film because of the sex. The nation that turns a blind eye to underage exploitation, human trafficking, and prostitution was not comfortable with the content of this film. WHY?! The Thailand Ministry of Culture believed that if teens saw this movie they would get the idea to film their own porno. So maybe it wasn't the sex, but amateur cinematography that really got them bent out of shape. They are the ministry of culture after all.
THE GRAPES OF WRATH
- Banned in The Soviet Union By Joseph Stalin in the late 1940s. The ban has since been lifted.
There's a Yakov Smirnoff joke somewhere in this blurb, but I can't find it. Maybe it's because in America we make the joke and in Soviet Russia the joke is you?! OHHHH! Anyway, Stalin banned the American classic from showing in the Soviet Union as it depicted a poor American family. You'd think the way Stalin ran Russia he would be all about depicting poor families making the most they can of life and trying to improve their situation! Stalin's main gripe however, was that even the poorest American family could still afford an automobile, which is more than he could say for his country.
2012
- Banned in North Korea due to the depiction of the year 2012.
The Interview was actually round two in the cinematic censorship fight between North Korea and Sony. 2012 is a big year in the North Korean culture. This is the 100th birthday of Kim Il Sung, grandfather of Kim Jong Un, and the opening of the "Grand Gates." The "Grand Gates" were a metaphor to the beginning of North Korea's rise as a superpower, or maybe they were actual slave built gates that were believed to do that. The important thing was this event was huge, and releasing a disaster movie with the same name as the year this happened was unacceptable! This is the nation that is keeping us from seeing a new movie in our own country folks.
Barney's Great Adventure
- Banned in Malaysia and deemed unsuitable for children. It is still banned and Malaysia has never elaborated on their reasoning.
Picture yourself in a dark and hot room in Malaysia. There's men smoking cigarettes murmuring in hushed voices. A security check is ran along the perimeter of the building to make sure there is no one trying to sneak a peek. Finally the hour is at hand and these men subject themselves to Barney's Great Adventure. Those men decided this film would not see the light of day in their country, but why? To this day no official reason except "unsuitable for children" has been given. I like to think they watched it and thought it was so bad they didn't want to show it to children in fear they would like it. A world without Barney... Malaysia is living the dream.