MovieChat Forums > My Bloody Valentine (1981) Discussion > what exactly WAS their big fight with th...

what exactly WAS their big fight with the MPAA?

posted 16 years ago by AudreyHamm
21 replies | jump to latest

I know the movie is known for its infamous battle with the MPAA, but what was it about?

their is a message at the beginning of the movie (uncut edition) from the director and it says something about it not being able to be the vision he had in the 80s. So what ws the big deal? did some scenes get cut for being too violent and gory? they're not much worse than friday the 13th!

Does anyone know anything else about the fight?

other random question:
what was T.J.'s accent? it sounded irish, but i heard it took place in canada....

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[–] ty-57 15 years ago

It had to with the assassination of the John Lennon and the public outcry against all forms of violence after his death.

The MPAA was order to crack down on unnecessary violence in film and unfortunately at the time My Bloody Valentine fell into that category.

The director talks about the MPAA in one of the many extras on the special edition DVD.

[–] daw210 15 years ago

MPAA forced major cuts to MBV, later that same year they forced Friday the 13th Part 2 to do the same. I think the uncut footage is probably lost, since Paramount didn't add in when they released the blu ray. Paramount has never been great at supporting horror movies.

[–] Falconeer 15 years ago

This is more violent/graphic than the original "Friday the 13th." and that is saying something, i think the MPAA has it's limits and this one pushed it a bit too far; MBV is not as sick as Joe Spinell's "Maniac" but it is close, and that one recieved the 'X' rating.

[–] saint-21 15 years ago

i wonder if lennon never would have been killed i wonder if MBV would have been released uncut..

[–] The_King_of_Cool 15 years ago

It probably still would have been cut, but maybe not as badly as it was. Like noted the murder of John Lennon did have an impact on horror flicks, but these movies were taking an extra step with the violence and odds are a lot of these films would suffer some cuts, but like I said maybe not as heavy.

The moral crusaders would have gotten invovled and bitched and bitched. The murder of John Lennon just made it happen sooner.

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[–] hughjass1974 15 years ago

this is nothing like maniac,nowhere near the territory that film treads.this is a fun film,as maniac is gut wrenching at times.terrible comparison.

[–] Falconeer 15 years ago

okay, maybe it isnt a good comparison, but you gotta admit this uncut version of "My Bloody Valentine" is nastier and more graphic than the other slashers from the 80's. I'm not saying i don't love it, but that pick axe scene to the head made me a little sick!

[–] hughjass1974 15 years ago

agreed,it had moments.the silvia scene was great,remembered seeing pics of it in fangoria.

[–] bigpappa1--2 15 years ago

The MPAA was much stricter in those days then they are now. Look at a lot of the films that get PG-13 today. Most would get an R back then. I remember the MPAA had one rule if you showed three or more sexual thrusts the film got an automatic NC-17 (or X back then)?!?

Horror movie reviews by me! Check it out. bigdaddyhorrorreviews.blogspot.com

[–] primogen18 15 years ago

It went both ways though, PG-13 just wasn't used much at all. Jaws had quite a bit of blood, some gore, even some side boob, but received just a [PG] rating.

[–] Ken-142 15 years ago

PG-13 didn't exist back then, it wasn't created until the mid-80s.

[–] jobezee1 15 years ago

True. Jaws premiered in 1975. No PG-13 then. That rating was created in 1984 after critics derided the violence in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. Another film criticized for it's PG rating was 1982's Poltergeist.

[–] MTRodaba2468 14 years ago

^^
It was specifically Temple Of Doom and Gremlins, actually, that resulted in the MPAA creating the PG-13 rating...
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[–] chatanuga 14 years ago

From what I heard, Jaws and Jaws 2 were deemed PG since people were unlikely to go out after watching them and eat people swimming.

[–] Dragonladylewis 15 years ago

The fight was all about the nudity in the original cut. It earned a X rating and was banned from the movie theatres till it was toned down and edited. I think there is suppose to be re-released with all the original footage put back in it. I love the original and I really like the new version, 3D or otherwise.

The funky accent is East coast Nova Scotia. There is a huge Irish/Scots population here so its understandable if you think its Irish. It was filmed in Sydney Mines, about an hour from where the Rankin Family (singing group) is from in Mabou, Inverness Nova Scotia.

[–] NowhereToHide 15 years ago

I have the SE DVD and the death scenes are quite different. Pretty cool to have the extra bits.

RE: Friday the 13th in general...

The deleted/cut scenes, etc. for those are not available for the most part because they would cut into the negative and tape together, rather than make another copy of it and cut that, etc.

That said, TCM'74 has about 25 minutes of stuff that looks pretty clean, and all things considered, there's really no excuse.

[–] 15 years ago

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[–] 15 years ago

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[–] Dear_Oderus_Urungus 14 years ago

It wasn't just the MPAA. Paramount Pictures, the distributor, demanded a number of cuts as well.

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[–] loki242 10 years ago

Those were the retarded days when Roger Ebert went on TV and spoiled the "twist" from Friday the 13th part 1 because he didn't want us to watch the movie. F* him and all the morons in society who worry what other adults are watching.

I live in America where primetime TV can show a man get eaten alive by zombies, but they draw the line on showing a random tit. Its really sad.

HELP AGGRAVATE THE STATUS QUO, VOTE AGAINST EVERY INCUMBENT YOU SEE ON A BALLOT.

[–] Hardline_Pro 10 years ago

Those were the retarded days when Roger Ebert went on TV and spoiled the "twist" from Friday the 13th part 1 because he didn't want us to watch the movie. F* him and all the morons in society who worry what other adults are watching.

The fact that it was Jason's mother killing everyone and not Jason? Did he really do that? Link?

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