BBFC Cuts by the Year

• 2013 Section 23 R1 DVD

• 2014 MVM [Dubbed] video

• Cut required to remove a scene in which the nudity of a character who is presented as under 16 is presented in a sexualised manner. Cut required in accordance with BBFC Guidelines, policy and the Video Recordings Act 1984.

• 2014 Sony RA Blu-ray at US Amazon
• 2014 Sony R1 DVD at US Amazon

Hopefully uncut bit there have been recent films where the US studios have adopted BBFC advised category cuts for worldwide release including the US.

• 2015 Sony RB Blu-ray
• 2015 Sony R2 DVD

UK: Passed 15 for strong bloody violence, sex references, strong language after BBFC advised pre-cuts for:

• 2014 cinema release

• This work was originally seen for advice. The company was advised that the film was likely to receive an 18 certificate but that their preferred 15 classification could be achieved by making cuts to reduce the violence in two scenes. When the finished version of the film was submitted for formal classification, edits had been made to reduce sequences of violence, including detail of a stabbing with a corkscrew and a garroting. The formal submission was consequently rated 15.

• 2014 Xlrator R1 DVD at US Amazon released=

• 2014 Monster Pictures R2 DVD at UK Amazon

The BBFC commented:

• A cut was required to remove sight of a murderer's erect penis, during a scene of sadistic sexualised violence and threat.

The full 103m version was banned in May 2014. A version was later passed R18+ but had to be cut by around 7 minutes.

See Banned International: Found

• 2014 Paramount [3D + 2D] RA Blu-ray/R1 DVD Combo via UK Amazon and at US Amazon released on 4th November 2014
• 2014 Paramount [2D only] RA Blu-ray/R1 DVD Combo via UK Amazon and at US Amazon released on 4th November 2014

See pictorial version details from movie-censorship.com : The Extended Version adds lots of blood to the fight/battle scenes and makes for a more violent movie that would never have made a PG-13 rating. In addition the Extended Version adds 3:31s of plot which does not make a lot of difference but helps to explain the conflicts with General Sitacles.

• 2014 Paramount [2D + 3D] Blu-ray
• 2014 Paramount DVD
• 2014 cinema release

The BBFC commented:

• This film was originally seen for advice in an incomplete form. The company was informed that it was likely to be classified 15, but that their preferred 12A could be achieved by reducing some bloody detail in three scenes. When the finished version was submitted for formal classification, those moments had been addressed.

US:  The BBFC advised cuts were adopted for the Theatrical Version which was rated MPAA PG-13 for epic battle sequences, violence, suggestive comments, brief strong language and partial nudity.

• 2014 Lions Gate video

The release pattern for UK DVD and Blu-ray is not yet known

• 2014 Lions Gate video
• 2014 cinema release

• This work was originally seen for advice. The company was advised that the film was likely to receive an 18 certificate but that their preferred 15 classification could be achieved by making cuts to reduce a scene of sexual violence and to reduce a very strong gory image. When the film was submitted for formal classification, edits had been made and the film was classified 15.

• 2014 Lighthouse Digital Media video

• Cuts required to remove or reduce scenes of sexual and sexualised violence. Cuts required in line with BBFC Guidelines, policy and the Video Recordings Act 1984.

• 2014 Tla Releasing R2 DVD at UK Amazon released on 29th September 2014

• Company chose to remove a number of shots showing explicit pornography in order to achieve an 18 classification. An uncut R18 classification was available.

• 2014 Channel 4 DVD RB Blu-ray at UK Amazon
• 2014 Channel 4 DVD R2 DVD at UK Amazon
• 2014 cinema release

The BBFC commented:

This film was previously seen for advice. The company was advised the film was likely to be classified 18 but that their preferred 15 could be achieved by making reductions to two scenes involving crude humour.

• 2013 Fremantlemedia R2 DVD at UK Amazon
• 2010 Clear Vision RB Blu-ray at UK Amazon

• 2014 Fremantlemedia/WWW R2 DVD

• Company chose to increase the duration of a bleep over an inadequately disguised use of strong language, in order to obtain a PG classification. Change made in accordance with BBFC Guidelines and policy. An uncut 12 classification was available.

• 2015 Twentieth Century Fox RB Blu-ray
• 2015 Twentieth Century Fox R2 DVD
• 2014 cinema release

This film was originally seen for advice in an unfinished version. The company was informed the film was likely to be classified 18, but that their requested 15 could be achieved by making some reductions in scenes of violence. When the finished version was submitted for formal classification, reductions had been made and the film was passed 15.

• 2015 20th Century Fox (RA) Blu-ray at US Amazon
• 2015 20th Century Fox (R1) DVD at US Amazon

See  interview from  denofgeek.com . Director Matthew Vaughn has denied that changes were made to obtain a 15 rating.

Den of Geek: I should ask you just to clarify the certification of the film in the UK ...

Vaughn: I haven't changed a fucking frame!

Den of Geek: Absolutely nothing? The BBFC posted that certain changes were made prior to submission to get a 15 certificate in the UK ?

Vaughn: Nothing. You've seen it! They're pretty intelligent people, the BBFC. And I think they get it right most of the time. They watched it, and I sat down with them. The violence is fun. You don't see people grimacing. They're laughing with it. It's like Tom & Jerry. It's over the top and colourful and playful.

However an article from movie-censorship.com gives more hope of an uncut version:

The British cut of the movie clocks in at 128:34 minutes while the German release has a duration of 129:25 minutes. The difference of 51 seconds is quite large and isn't due to rounding up. Also, logos can most likely be ignored since the film's sole distributor is 20th Century Fox. Therefore, it's quite possible that the film's UK pre-cuts won't affect other markets.

• 2014 Ketchup R1 DVD at US Amazon

• 2014 Entertainment One UK RB Blu-ray
• 2014 Entertainment One UK R2 DVD
• 2014 cinema release

• Company chose to remove strong language (in this case 'motherfucker') in order to secure a 12A classification. An uncut 15 was available.

The BBFC commented further in the Annual Report covering 2014:

Originally contained a particularly strong term ('motherfucker'), which was redubbed by the company in order to secure a 12A classification. The use was a major focus of the scene and spoken in a comically aggressive manner.

• 2014 Twentieth Century Fox video

US: Uncut and MPAA PG-13 rated for thematic elements and intense sequences of sci-fi violence and action, including some disturbing images for:

• 2014 20th Century Fox (RA) Blu-ray at US Amazon
• 2014 20th Century Fox (R1) DVD at US Amazon

• 2015 Twentieth Century Fox video
• 2014 cinema release

• Distributor chose to remove or reduce moments of threat, violence and injury detail in order to achieve a 12A classification. An uncut 15 was available.

• 2014 (R1) DVD at US Amazon

• 2014 4Digital Media video

• A cut was made to remove a use of the term 'spastic', in order to obtain a U classification. Cuts made in accordance with BBFC Guidelines and policy. A 12 classification without cuts was available.

The BBFC further commented in the 2014 Annual Report:

There is one use of the term spastic , when a young man is talking about his unruly dog. With no condemnation of the use, and in line with what the public tells us about such language, the term was unacceptable at U.

• 2014 cinema release titled Nativity 3: Dude Where's My Donkey?!

The BBFC commented in the 2014 Annual Report:

The distributor sought classification advice from the BBFC in two stages before submitting it formally.

An early version of the film contained a single use of ass , in the context of a donkey shaking its rear and we advised the distributor that this use would be acceptable as 'very mild bad language' at U.

A later version of the film contained repeated uses of shake that ass in song lyrics, and without the contextual justification of the earlier use, we informed the company it was likely to be passed PG.

When the final version of the film was submitted for formal classification, the company had chosen to replace all uses of the word ass in the song lyrics with 'thing'.

Both versions of the film also contained the phrase elf off , said by an elf, during an elf-style ghetto slang scene. Since this word play takes a euphemistic form, rather than a direct replacement for strong language, it was acceptable within the context of the wider film at the U category.

• 2013 Millennium RA Blu-ray via UK Amazon and at US Amazon
• 2013 Millennium R1 DVD via UK Amazon and at US Amazon

• 2014 Lionsgate UK RB Blu-ray
• 2014 Lionsgate UK R2 DVD

• Cuts were required to remove sight of cockfighting, in accordance with BBFC Guidelines and policy.

• 2014 Laughing Stock video

• The distributor chose to remove bad language, sex references, innuendo and drug references in order to obtain a PG classification. Cuts made in accordance with BBFC Guidelines and policy. An uncut 12 was available.

• 2014 Entertainment One [3D + 2D] RB Blu-ray
• 2014 Entertainment One [2D] RB Blu-ray
• 2014 Entertainment One R2 DVD
• 2014 cinema release

The BBFC commented:

This work was originally seen for advice. The company was advised that the film was likely to receive a 15 certificate but that their preferred 12A classification could be achieved by making some changes.

The company was advised:

• to reduce stronger moments of violence where there was a dwelling on particular acts and
• to reduce the emphasis on blood on bladed weapons.

When the film was formally submitted, changes had been made which addressed these concerns. Consequently, the film was passed 12A.

• 2014 Sony Pictures Home Entertainment [3D + 2D] RA Blu-ray
• 2014 Sony Pictures Home Entertainment [2D only] RA Blu-ray
• 2014 Sony Pictures Home Entertainment R1 DVD

• 2014 Universal Music TV video

• Distributor chose to remove stronger sexual content within music videos and to remove a use of strong language for PG. An uncut 12 was available.

• 2014 cinema release

• Company chose to remove a single use of mild bad language ('bugger') in order to obtain a U classification. An uncut PG classification was available.

• 2014 cinema release. Unreleased in favour of a cut U rated version

The film was originally passed PG uncut but the distributor preferred a cut version and so resubmitted the film with view to accepting cuts for a U

• 2009 Pink Eiga R1 DVD via UK Amazon and at US Amazon

• 2014 Salvation Films [Subtitled] video

• Cuts required to scenes of sexual violence. Cuts required in accordance with BBFC Guidelines, policy and the Video Recordings Act 1984.

• 2014 Revolver Entertainment R1 DVD at US Amazon

• 2014 SODA Pictures R2 DVD at UK Amazon

The BBFC cuts were:

• Cuts were required to remove a detailed focus on a particular suicide technique.

See  pictorial cuts details from  movie-censorship.com . The distributors deleted the entire pre-credits scene depicting a suicide. The distributors had in fact 3 options:

• No cuts and the film would be banned
• 16s of cuts to remove just the vertical cutting details of the suicide but leaving the suicide otherwise in place. This would then have been 18 rated. (Suicide in films for under 18s is a very sensitive area these days).
• Deleting the suicide film entirely resulted in a 15 rating.

See article from starburstmagazine.com :

The BBFC demanded 16 seconds be removed from the two and a half minute scene in order to be granted a rating, but the required edits ended up masticating the opening to such an extent Carolyn decided it would be better to just remove it entirely rather than risk it coming across as precisely the kind of watered down, almost romanticised portrayal of suicide she was intentionally trying to avoid. As this was by far the most graphic scene of the whole film, without it the rating ended up downgraded to a 15.

Previously the director wrote that the BBFC had requested cuts. See  article from  uk.movies.yahoo.com : Cuts requested

The BBFC have requested cuts be made to the British-made supernatural romance Soulmate .

The feature debut of writer-director Axelle Carolyn, Soulmate stars Anna Walton as a grieving widow who seeks solace in a remote country cottage - but finds it occupied by a ghost (Tom Wisdom), with whom she gradually builds a friendship.

The source of the trouble, it seems, is the film's opening scene, in which Walton's distraught character attempts suicide by slitting her wrists in the bath; a fairly distressing sight, for sure, but hardly without precedent.

However, the BBFC said that this constitutes imitable behaviour with the potential to cause harm, and has asked for sequence to be re-edited before before granting a certificate.

This issue has cropped up before and presumably the suicide depicts an effective method of suicide that is not widely known. The BBFC cuts are intended to try and keep it that way, albeit that the secret is largely let out of the bag already.

Axelle Carolyn is not best pleased about the BBFC's stance. She voiced her anger on Twitter. 

BBFC has required 4 long sets of cuts for SOULMATE. Otherwise it's banned. Take that, splat pack: I made a video nasty without even trying. -

The BBFC says, Imitable behavior, potential harm. Basically my opening scene could cause a wave of suicides in the UK.

• 2014 88 Films video

• Cut required to a sequence of sadistic and sexualised violence involving a child.

• 2014 Universal [3D + 2D] RB Blu-ray at UK Amazon
• 2014 Universal [2D only] RB Blu-ray at UK Amazon
• 2014 Universal R2 DVD at UK Amazon

US: Uncut and MPAA PG-13 rated for:

• 2014 Lionsgate RA Blu-ray at US Amazon
• 2014 Lionsgate R1 DVD at US Amazon

• 2014 cinema release

• This film was originally seen for advice. The BBFC advised the company that it was likely to be classified 12A, but that their preferred PG could be achieved by removing two uses of strong language. When the film was submitted for formal classification, both uses of strong language had been removed.

Hopefully uncut but there have been a couple of recent examples where BBFC advised category cuts have been adopted for worldwide release.

• 2015 cinema release

• This film was originally seen for advice in an incomplete form. The BBFC advised the company that the film was likely to receive a 15, but that their requested 12A could be achieved by making reductions in scenes of violence. When the finished version was submitted for formal classification, those changes had been made and the film was classified 12A.

• 2014 Epic R1 DVD at US Amazon

• 2014 ICON Entertainment R2 DVD at UK Amazon released on 21st July 2014

• Company chose to remove a use of mild bad language ('crap') in order to obtain a U classification. Cut made in accordance with BBFC Guidelines and policy. An uncut PG classification was available.

• 2014 Nucleus Films R2 DVD at UK Amazon

• 2014 Nucleus Films R2 DVD at UK Amazon released on 14th July 2014

• Compulsory cuts were required to remove sight of real animal cruelty (a live animal being cut open with a knife, during a trailer for 'Last Cannibal World'). Cut required in accordance with BBFC Guidelines and policy.

• 2015 Universal Studios R0 Blu-ray via UK Amazon and at US Amazon
• 2015 Universal Studios R1 DVD at US Amazon

Hopefully the BBFC advised cuts haven't found their way into the US release.

• 2015  Entertainment One RB Blu-ray
• 2015  Entertainment One R2 DVD
• 2014 cinema release

• This work was originally seen for advice. The company was advised that the film was likely to receive an 18 certificate but that their preferred 15 classification could be achieved by making cuts to reduce a scene of sexualised threat and to remove an accompanying aggressive use of very strong language directed at a woman. When the finished version of the film was submitted for formal classification, edits had been made to this scene. The formal submission was consequently rated 15.

• 2014 [2D + 3D] cinema release

• This film was seen for advice, prior to formal submission. The company was informed that the likely classification was 15, but that their preferred 12A could be achieved by removing a single use of the word 'motherfucker'. When the film was submitted for formal classification, this word had been replaced and the film was classified 12A.

Thanks to Pooch:

Towards the end of the film, the titular character does a TV interview, whilst being manipulated by the lady who runs the Smithsonian Institute. In the original film, after the interview spectacularly fails, she calls Spivet You motherfucker , albeit at a distance, and from behind her, so you can't see her face/mouth!

In the UK version, motherfucker has been dubbed quite well by the same actress, or at least someone who sounds very similar, with the immortal You melon-farmer!

If it weren't for this, and two uses of the word fuck , which were all completely unnecessary and totally jarring, this would have been a PG-rated film, ideal for youngsters and families.