New to VUDU - why is content edited?

[Mstiv]

Hi -

I just rented my first 2 movies from VUDU. The first, "Auto Focus" had scenes where R-rated sexual content was censored (in this case pixilated). The second movie I rented, "Bad Lieutenant" had a scene with sexual situations that was literally edited out of the movie!

I'm just wondering why on a streaming service you are providing edited content. If the answer is that these edited versions of the films are the only ones provided by the distribution company, then shouldn't you TELL people that they will be spending their money on an edited or censored movie?

I would just like to know exactly what I'm getting before I spend money.

Thanks

[MaxH]

Re: New to VUDU - why is content edited?

As far as I know, VUDU doesn't do any editing. They may have been given a censored version from the license holder, and if that's not how they labeled it, they should give you a refund and correct their listing in VUDU to indicate that it's censored. Have you contacted VUDU tech support?

[xxxsdesdexxx]

Re: New to VUDU - why is content edited?

I have never noticed anything like this in the hundreds of movies that I have watched, but I haven't watched either of the ones that you have listed. At what point does the censoring/editing occur in Bad Lieutenant -- give me a time-stamp? I have that movie and I will check it out to see if my version has the same anomalies that yours did.

[tbdave]

Re: New to VUDU - why is content edited?

The second movie I rented, "Bad Lieutenant" had a scene with sexual situations that was literally edited out of the movie!

Is it possible that you're confusing the Rated-R version with the Unrated version? Vudu only has the Rated-R version.

http://www.vudu.com/movies/#!content...tenant-R-Rated

The Unrated version is a couple minutes longer and includes some additional sex scenes. Here's a site that details the differences between the two versions:

http://www.movie-censorship.com/report.php?ID=5700924

[tbdave]

Re: New to VUDU - why is content edited?

The first, "Auto Focus" had scenes where R-rated sexual content was censored (in this case pixilated).

I haven't actually seen this movie. But I just did a quick google search. It seems that the censoring is intentional and how it was originally shown in US theaters.

http://www.hometheaterforum.com/topi...-dvd-question/
http://www.chud.com/community/t/1162/autofocus-censored

For all the authentic artifacts of the era onscreen, from Sans-a-belt polyester pants to turquoise-blue kitchen decor, one moment feels jarringly unreal. When Crane and Carpenter study a homemade film on TV, a simulated sex act is obscured by pixelation. Certainly these guys didn't censor themselves?

No, but the Motion Picture Association of America's ratings board had other ideas.

"I thought when I shot it that, it was going to be all right. Well, it wasn't. So I either had to cut it or blot it out. I thought it was important that the viewer knows that Bob wasn't shooting cheesecake. He was shooting hardcore close-ups. Of course, in the European print, we can very cheaply unblur the image."

FULL ARTICLE - http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/life/...to-focus_x.htm

[Alan Smithee]

Re: New to VUDU - why is content edited?

Bad Lieutenant was rated NC-17. A cut version with an R rating was made for Blockbuster, as their policy was not to carry any NC-17 rated movies (which is why I'm glad they're now out of business.) There was also a music rights issue that had a rap 'song' played frequently in the movie replaced with another track, I bought the laserdisc with the original track while it was still out.

I noticed Vudu only has the R-rated version of Bad Lieutenant, but they at least have several other NC-17 rated movies so hopefully they don't have a similar 'policy' against them.

[VectorRoll]

Re: New to VUDU - why is content edited?

Bad Lieutenant was rated NC-17. A cut version with an R rating was made for Blockbuster, as their policy was not to carry any NC-17 rated movies (which is why I'm glad they're now out of business.) There was also a music rights issue that had a rap 'song' played frequently in the movie replaced with another track, I bought the laserdisc with the original track while it was still out.

I noticed Vudu only has the R-rated version of Bad Lieutenant, but they at least have several other NC-17 rated movies so hopefully they don't have a similar 'policy' against them.

Ah good old Laser Disc. I rarely see them brought up in conversations. We have a Laser Disc. Our player does not read disc anymore. Was thinking about getting a working player online just to watch my old Laser Disc movies for a movie night. Of coarse I only have 4 movie and one got cracked in a move by the moving company. The four movies I have are Tron, Poltergeist, Sword and the Sorcerer, and the great old Time Bandits. We used to watch Time Bandits so much that we new ever word in the movie. LOL
Our family sort of went for the technology that was never really a pickup main stream. Laser Disc., Beta, Bally, and so on. Of coarse with the game consoles we got the good ones as well as the bad. LOL Just bad luck I guess.

Anyways as far the subject of the Content and Rating you have to be a bit precise in what you pick as many movies have multiple versions for one reason or another. I have seen some movies with upwards to 5 or more different versions. As far as most censorship goes I usually see it mostly in the releases used for version seen on TV. God forbid that VUDU starts getting those as the main copies in their library. That would be terrible to see happen. But I highly doubt it ever will. Still not beyond the realm of possibilities.