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Topic: Theatre edits Center of the World

John Scott
Master Film Handler

Posts: 252
From: Oakdale, MN, USA
Registered: Jul 2000

posted 06-11-2001 10:01 PM

I am not sure if anyone has heard about this but apparently a theatre in Ohio was caught editing Center of the World.

I for the life of me can't understand what would posess them to do this...

http://www.enquirer.com/editions/2001/06/08/loc_esquire_theaters.html

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Jeremy Spracklen
Film Handler

Posts: 39
From: Arlington, TX, USA
Registered: Jun 99

posted 06-11-2001 10:13 PM

It's easy to understand if you forget about it being some big crusade for censorship and realize that it was just some horny projectionist that was adding the clip to his "private collection".

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Jerry Chase
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1068
From: Margate, FL, USA
Registered: Nov 2000

posted 06-11-2001 10:35 PM

Remember all those little munchkin guys in "Wizard of Oz" and the song they sang while dancing as if they had to go to the bathroom?

"We represent... the lollypop guild, the lollypop guild, the lollypop guild."

Guess they knew something we didn't.

Actually, it smells suspiciously like some guerilla cheap marketing to me. Dare I say it??? Ah, what the heck. There's an all day sucker born every minute.

(run, duck and cover)

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Charles Everett
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1470
From: New Jersey
Registered: May 2001

posted 06-12-2001 05:21 PM

What that theater did IS censorship. Cincinnati is a haven for Christian fundamentalist and "family values" interests. Ever see The People vs. Larry Flynt?

In 1998 a Utah theater censored Titanic and As Good as It Gets because the owner (a Mormon) doesn't like nude scenes. Paramount pulled Titanic and billed the theater for the cost of a new print. Sony pulled As Good as It Gets and blacklisted the theater, period.

Artisan did the right thing in pulling The Center of the World. Is Artisan going to blacklist the theater?

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Ky Boyd
Hey I'm #23

Posts: 314
From: Santa Rosa, CA, USA
Registered: Jun 99

posted 06-12-2001 05:25 PM

Anybody remember the name Robert Maplethorpe??? It was at the Contemporary Art Center in Cincinnati where the sheriff tried to ban the exhibition of Maplethorpe's work as obscene. Having lived in Cincinnati at the time of that assault on the 1st amendment, having a business owner decide he can censor artistic work doesn't surprise me. Guess he never read his exhibition license from Artisan (or any other company for that matter). Some theatre in Utah tried something similar with Titanic and also promptly got thier print yanked.

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Greg Anderson
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 766
From: Ogden Valley, Utah
Registered: Nov 1999

posted 06-12-2001 07:25 PM

For once, I thought I'd see a censorship story which didn't give Utah a black eye... and then you guys have to bring up the old news again.

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Adam Martin
I'm not even gonna point out the irony.

Posts: 3686
From: Dallas, TX
Registered: Nov 2000

posted 06-13-2001 01:51 AM

When I lived in Cincinnati, I ran the "other" theater in town with a screen devoted to art product. We always had a good repore with the Esquire and I saw many films there, including The Crying Game and The Bad Lieutenant.

My, how times have changed. Apparently ownership and management has changed. I can't imagine anyone I knew there doing something like this.

I guess I won't be doing any reminiscing there next time I'm in town.

SHAME ON THE ESQUIRE!

It does remind one, though, of the Camden Drive-In Theatre's (the first drive-in, in 1933) grand opening ads ... "abridged features, with all dull or uninteresting parts omitted, will be featured at the theatre". Although the Esquire seems to have removed the lively, interesting parts.

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Charles Everett
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1470
From: New Jersey
Registered: May 2001

posted 06-26-2001 11:41 AM

Update: The theater has banned BOTH the newspaper that broke the story and the paper's movie critic.

Even though the theater's president ordered The Center of the World to be censored Artisan does not plan to sue or blacklist the theater. If Artisan is having money trouble as has been reported that's a sorry response on the part of the company.

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Mitchell Cope
Master Film Handler

Posts: 256
From: Overland Park, KS, United States
Registered: Jun 99

posted 06-27-2001 12:31 PM

Self censorship was fairly common in the late 60s. I remember two examples that were cut, "The Pawnbroker" and "If He Hollers, Let Him Go!". Does anyone know when this common practice "officially" stopped? Back then, theater managers and (and projectionists) did have to contend with spending time in jail if their films did not meet community standards.

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Bob Maar
(Maar stands for Maartini)

Posts: 28608
From: New York City & Newport, RI
Registered: Feb 2001

posted 06-27-2001 03:14 PM

I know that up until 1967 +any films that we wanted to show in Boston had to be approved by a town censor. He would inform us what could or could not be shown. This was standard practice in those days. In other areas of the country including Detroit, Washington D.C., Baltimore, New York City there was a sort of self censorship on films. Attention was paid to what the local churches would say about a film. It the Roman Catholic Church gave it a Condemned rating "C", we many times had pickets show up at the theatres.

Once the Industry came up with the film rating system, Boston did away with the censorship office and the Catholic church lighten up on their criticisms. Julie Rifkin and Gene Picker headed up the NATO comittee that developed the original ratings and I believe they were first used in 1968.

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Jason Burroughs
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 654
From: Allen, TX
Registered: Jun 99

posted 06-27-2001 03:53 PM

Dallas was one of the last major cities to disband its "film rating comission" They occasionally forbid the exhibition of some movies and severly restrected the showing of others, as time went their powers were diminished thankfully and were eventually dismanatled like it should have been a long time ago.

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Adam Martin
I'm not even gonna point out the irony.

Posts: 3686
From: Dallas, TX
Registered: Nov 2000

posted 06-27-2001 03:56 PM

When the Camden Drive-In opened in 1933, Hollingshead advertised that "abridged features, with all dull or uninteresting parts omitted, will be featured at the theatre". This allowed him more showings per night.

I also remember a retired union projectionist telling me that he had "edited" Saturday Night Fever or some such film down to a PG rating for their theater.

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Charles Everett
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1470
From: New Jersey
Registered: May 2001

posted 06-27-2001 05:32 PM

Adam: Paramount edited Saturday Night Fever for a PG re-release. In its original R version it was a smash. In its edited PG version it tanked.

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Adam Martin
I'm not even gonna point out the irony.

Posts: 3686
From: Dallas, TX
Registered: Nov 2000

posted 06-27-2001 06:57 PM

Musta been something else, then.

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Charles Everett
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1470
From: New Jersey
Registered: May 2001

posted 04-18-2002 04:38 PM

Update: CityBeat has reinstated listings for the Esquire Theatre -- the arthouse that censored The Center of the World. The Esquire, however, continues to ban the writer who broke the story.

By sheer coincidence that particular theater is scheduled to run Y Tu Mama Tambien starting tomorrow.

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