Cinematical

Considering the kinds of images routinely okayed for the marketing of horror films, it does seem a little silly for the MPAA to make this move. That said, the torture depicted in the film is truly disturbing, and I'm interested in how the board will go about rating it. I'm pretty conservative about these things, but I don't think an NC-17 would be entirely inappropriate.

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The Guardian article on the censorship reports that the rating is an R.

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At the very least, this is another example of the MPAA bullying a small, independent company. To paraphrase Claude Rains in "Casablanca", I am shocked that the MPAA would make a politically influenced decision on a mere movie poster.

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After the posters and trailers for "Saw I & II" and for that horrible torture film (the name of which temporarily escapes me), one can only assume the censorship in this instance is politically motivated. We are routinely exposed to all sorts of grotesque images, so perhaps it's time kids discovered this isn't makeup, special effects, video games or fun after all. Pretty soon they may discover this on their own should the powers that be finally re-institute the draft.

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More proof positive of those who govern us deciding "we can't handle the truth." Heaven forbid that the general public might actually see a piece of ART and start THINKING... Oh! The Horror! If we can see Michael Myers' hockey mask, Freddy Kueger's scarred face and anything with Paris Hilton on it, we as a nation can certainly handle a man in chains with his head covered.

It is not that the image is too visceral, it is that it is too truthful and the MPAA doesn't want to encourage us to look too closely at ourselves.Yet another sanctioned act in the domino effect that is silencing dissent in the USA.

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"After the posters and trailers for "Saw I & II""

Look at them again. The "official" posters for both those movies were also censored by the MPAA that they displayed a leg or two fingers that led somewhere off the page. Only the original versions, unapproved by the MPAA, show that they are actually severed limbs. This isn't politically motivated, it's business as usual.

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Wow! Embarassing naked pictures taken of accused Iraqi thugs and murderers were "horrifying" to you? Count me as one of the many of us who reserves their horror for the pictures of innocent people getting their heads sawn off and children being blown into mince meat by the allies of these "tortured" prisoners.

On the subject of the poster being censored by the MPAA for political reasons - I hope their reasons were more rational than that. Right now western civilization finds itself engaged in a war that is, for the most part, a war of ideas. To give these islamic fascists more fuel to feed their xenophobic and racist fires is highly irresponsible and is infinitely more dangerous to the idea of freedom than the censoring of some lurid and dishonest movie advertisment.

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Whenever I heard stuff like islamofascists, and this point, I hear blah, blah, because I know at this point it will used to take away some right that I have hear, and somehow, justify it. Even a little bit. Or partially somehow- that somehow the only way to protect ourselves it to lie to ourselves is deeply disturbing on so many levels. What has repression ever got anyone- but more pain. When I hear about the MPAA- forgetting all the things about censorship- I am more worried about the damaged psychology.

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I understand the point you make about not wanting to lose your rights and freedoms, but if you think ignoring and even insipiring freedom's most vicious enemies is going not result in the loss of that freedom, then you are out of your mind. Just imagine if another 9-11 - or worse - happens again in the US. You think your freedoms are somehow curtailed now? You ain't seen nothin' yet!

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Pardon, but don't talk to me like I am one of the Republican hordes. As a general rule, most slaves don't care who is putting the chains on them. If you are okay with decreasing your rights- that's your choice. It's not something you are going to scare me into believing I should give up without a damn good reason other than the scare tactic. I live in NYC by the way. I was also scheduled to interview at the WTC a day after the events of 9/11. I won't let anyone use what was a tragedy to then create a bigger one. If the MPAA is trying to use your type of rationale to justify something as offensive as an "idea" which is what films are- ideas (they aren't reality) then that says more about how we have destroyed ourselves much more so than anyone else has done. All empires, including America it seems, eventually destroy themselves long before any outside enemy does it. So if you want to lay down in fear, and give up - that's your thing- but the rest of us shouldn't have our rights limited because you are afraid terrorists are going to kill you over a movie poster.

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Muddying the waters has become quite the debate technique with rightwingers. How we treat others reflects a great deal on who we are as a people and keeping that information concealed or smothered in rhetoric does a disservice to us and to our Constitution. That we fail to abide by treaties designed to protect our troops as much as it does those whom we ostensibly abhor is a political issue. And that the corporate media works hand in glove with a lawless administration to keep people as uninformed and hate filled as possible demonstrates we have more to fear from our homegrown fascists. As Hitler once noted, you can't defeat America, but you can make her defeat herself.

Finally, considering how many innocents have turned up in our concentration camps and torture chambers (with what little data we have been provided thus far), it does not behoove anyone to presume guilt until we have been provided more information. Ben Franklin said those who would sacrifice freedom for security deserve neither and I couldn't agree more heartily. I never thought I would see such craven cowardice. It's shameful, really.

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WL, just to add a measure of context -- the film tells the true story of three British citizens unjustly held - and tortured - at the prison.

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I guess Canadian children are not as easily damaged by poster art as Americans. The posters for Saw here showed severed limbs. I have one with a severed hand, there was also one with a severed foot I believe.

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