Posted May 18th 2006 12:31PM by Martha Fischer

 

 

Just a day after we reported on censorship in other parts of the world (assuming, perhaps, that films in the US escape such restrictions) comes the news that American authorities are getting into the act, as well. Fan-freaking-tastic. According to press reports, the MPAA has objected to the poster that Roadside Attractions was planning to use to promote their American release of The Road to Guantanamo. The original poster depicts a prisoner hanging from chained wrists, with a burlap bag over his head -- nothing more, said Roadside president Howard Cohen, than a reflection of "what it is we are doing to people in Guantanamo." While the MPAA, not surprisingly, was unwilling to comment on its decision, Cohen indicated that the board's problem stemmed specifically from the bag on the man's head -- in the board's interpretation, the image was one of torture, which children encountering the poster shouldn't see. The new poster is cropped, and shows only the man's chained arms.

 

What do you guys think of this move by the MPAA? Are they really just protecting the innocence of kids, or is there a political element to the decision? We have, after all, seen countless, horrifying photos of prisoners in Iraq in much worse situations than simply sitting with a bag on their heads -- why should a poster not be allowed to reflect this reality?

 

Edit: FYI, The Guardian reports that the film itself has received an R-rating.

 

http://www.cinematical.com/bloggers/martha-fischer/ (scroll down)

Are you kidding me? That's nowhere near as violent as the SAW or SAW II posters.

 

Damn US government.