Censorship
Many shots of the film were cut from the film's theatrical release. For example, the shot of the dildo in Samurai Dreams was originally cut. "Censorship is always very personal," replied Cronenberg, "and has very much to do with the sensibility of the one who is being censorious."
"It's interesting to see what people read into images when they are being censorious," added Cronenberg, "I was accused of having a scene where a man was being castrated. What was being done to him was bad enough, electrodes applied to the testicles. But it wasn't a scene of castration, despite what the MPAA thought it was. They made me cut it, or most of it."
Read more about this topic: Videodrome
Famous quotes containing the word censorship:
“... a phallocentric culture is more likely to begin its censorship purges with books on pelvic self-examination for women or books containing lyrical paeans to lesbianism than with See Him Tear and Kill Her or similar Mickey-Spillanesque titles.”
—Robin Morgan (b. 1941)
“Right now I think censorship is necessary; the things they’re doing and saying in films right now just shouldn’t be allowed. There’s no dignity anymore and I think that’s very important.”
—Mae West (1892–1980)
“The censorship method ... is that of handing the job over to some frail and erring mortal man, and making him omnipotent on the assumption that his official status will make him infallible and omniscient.”
—George Bernard Shaw (1856–1950)