I'm sure many of you know this already, but I'll mention it anyway. A new DVD label, Shameless Screen Entertainment, is bringing out some Italian horror and giallo type titles on UK DVD. Their first releases are Fulci's The New York Ripper and The Black Cat, Deodato's Phantom of Death, Martino's Torso and Berutti's Killer Nun.
While more Italian cult releases are always welcome and I wish them all the best, I do wonder about the value of a cut version of The New York Ripper in particular, presumably missing the eyeball and nipple slicing shots. Isn't anybody in the UK interested in the film going to have the full, unexpurgated version(s) on the Anchor Bay and / or Another World Entertainment discs already?
Still, I can see myself upgrading Phantom of Death at long last...
3 comments:
Isn't it possible to release The New York Ripper unrated in the UK (or as an "export-only" version) ?
Or would you face legal prosecution if you were caught getting the Anchor Bay versions ?
Just curious, as I don't know much about your legal system.
As I understand it for a film to be released on home formats on the UK it has to be certificated by the BBFC - there isn't the option of selling / offering an uncut, uncertificated version.
But individuals are free to import uncertificated material from abroad, always with the possibility that customs might object, which seems pretty remote these days unless the material is way out there.
So anyone wanting an uncut New York Ripper is likely to just order it from Amazon.com, Playusa.com or wherever or get it off Ebay.
It's one of those things that must be a real pain for anyone wanting to distribute horror in the UK and a lasting effect of the "video nasties" panic of the early 80s.
To be honest it isn't really that much more of a pain for UK horror fans. I know many who tend to buy foreign releases of uncut movies available here because in general they are better quality prints or have more extra's than the UK releases do.
As for customs they seem to concentrate mainly on the movies that are either unrated or still banned ( think there are about 13 video nasty's still on the ban list ) so the rest tend to pretty much fly under the radar. Thats not to say they don't get seized from time to time though.
It's not such a serious offence now though as it was back in the video nasty era as the majority of hype has died down. In fact offhand I can't think of any instances where i've heard of legal repercussions at all in recent years. Basically you get a slap on the wrists, customs seizes the film and your left out of pocket by a few pounds.
Some interesting reads about the BBFC and censorship over at http://www.melonfarmers.co.uk/bwi.htm
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