Page 1 of How far should censorship be taken?

As those of you who have read todays addition to the Mailbag may notice, we published the info on a rather distasteful DVD as part of yesterdays Region 1 news.

You can read Gareth Williams opinion here which we in many parts agree with:
http://www.dvd.reviewer.co.uk/news/mailbag.asp?Index=1515&Section=163&Columnist=225

I know a lot of people are against any form of censorship on the internet, and to a large degree so are we. Should pages such as ours not print any information on DVDs we regard as not for public consumption? Or is this purely a matter for the authorities to decide? Should we leave such judgement calls entirely in the hands of our readers?

We are interested in all opinions on this.

In this case, I think it was *not* apprioate to post such news.

Firstly, people who buy these kind of movies / enjoy watching them are truely sick. (Yes, I know you buy them Rob).

Secondly, such people who enjoy these movies would know where to look for them anyway.

I would estimate that 100% of your readers never have an intention of buying such movies. Another issue to consider is the posting of information on porn movies. Yes, minors do visit this site, me being one. I find these posts unacceptable.

Well there`s my 2 cents

J

A lot depends on what you personally want from the Internet. Personally I like the Internet as a source of information and as a place to buy things that aren`t available locally. Although I haven`t any children I`d like to think if I had, they would be able to enjoy the web the way I do.

It`s unfortunate that the web has become in the eyes of many of our "leaders" a dustbin full of all the corruption in the world. I see it as a medium that is growing up. It`s been through the spotty, adolescent, sex-obsessed stage and as Business starts to exploit it, it will naturally clean up its act as it will have to to succeed.

News items of pornographic or violent DVD`s are perfectly valid, especially if couched in the terms used by the Reviewer. People who want that kind of thing will seek it out in any manner they can, and are hardly likely to be swayed by a single paragraph on a web site. What would be distasteful would be a graphic review of the disk accompanied by screen captures, and such a display would merit censure. On a legal point, I would venture that the disk in question would almost certainly not be given a certification by the BBFC and would be in contravention of the Video Recordings Act if sold here in the UK. As the content is violent rather than sexual, however, I suspect HM Customs and Excise would let it through happily.

Me, I`d rather buy The Jungle Book.

Customs don`t allow X-rated movies into these shores do they?

I don`t think customs would let this one in if they knew about it tbh. Perhaps someone might take the time to email them on the subject. ;-)

I`m amazed this will be legally on sale in the US however. Do they not have any laws that cover this sort of thing?

Heh, ta smiler, constructive as ever.

What, with the fifth amendment? And I don`t mean that movie with Bruce Willis in a Jean-Paul Gaultier frock ;o)

Ok, my two penneth.....

The fact that this disc is on sale in the USA is *not* surprising. Remember that this is the country where newsteam helicopters follow car chases up freeways, and the news stations broadcast it live - event to the point where someone ends up killing themselves live on tv with a shotgun blast.

Most are probably not aware of a video that was released two or three years back..... it was released in the UK, exempt from certification on the grounds that it was a documentary. If I rem correctly it dealt with how far people will go when inflicting pain on themselves, or something similar.

It featured body piercing and mutilation, weird stuff like that, but drew controversy due to a real execution that was included in it - I think essentially that is the reason why the video was produced, the stuff about piercing and mutilation (sorry, modification is the correct word) was simply added because it is `extreme` viewing for most. Although that stuff is in the fine magazine Bizarre every month.

In light of this, this disc, if released here, may get through with no problems at all.

Should Reviewer report on it`s release? Well, as one of the goals of the site is to be the premier source of DVD related news on the web, then the answer is yes. The site is a news source. The news is reported. I know I`m not going to like most of what I see on News at Ten (or whatever it`s called now) tonight, but I know I`ll still watch it. And I`m glad that it`s beign reported on.

IMHO Reviewer should highlight things like this, for the very least so that we are all aware of what is going on with the format - whether it`s good or bad.

I`ve no interest in seeing this disc at all, but feel no ill toward the distributors for releasing it - if no-one out there did want to but it, it wouldn`t have been out on display.

How many of us looked at Dan`s Gallery of the Grotesque a few years back before it closed? This is going a little stage further, is all.....

Regards,

Mark J.

I think the information should have been made available on your site as some may have been interested. There will always be people who are offended by depictions of any kind of `sensitive` material. Some are more easily offended than others but personally I feel that I wouldn`t be offended by anything that was written simply for information. Perhaps if there were screenshots from the DVD of people actually dying, etc. I don`t see how anyone can take offence to a review of a DVD or video or whatever because you`re not actually being shown what`s on it, merely informed that it exists. I think you should just relax and obviously don`t buy the DVD if you don`t like what`s on it. Actually, by being informed that DVD`s such as the one mentioned exist DVD Reviewer are doing us all a favour. As they say, "Knowledge is power". As for minors being able to view the review....So what! Once again, it`s merely information and any minors able to read a review on this site are also able to gain access to numerous sites on the web containing similar material! Watching the death of an individual on film or not watching it is not going to change the fact that they`re still dead so stop campaigning for some kind of moral revolution and get on with watching a film about `snuff` films such as 8mm if you`re upset by the `real thing`.

I would say at this point that we`d draw the line in placing the disc up for review. :-)