Won’t somebody think of the Children? Bruno’s comedy gets 18s rating from UK film censor
UK fans of Sacha Baron Cohen were devasted after the British Board of Film Classifications rated his new movie 18, the highest cert for a comedy in years.
The adult rating will likely cost Cohen millions. Universal, the film’s distributor described the certification as “absurd” and denied claims it had turned its back on the teenage fan base. According to the BBFC though, Sasha Baron Cohen requested that his film receive an adult certification.
“They knew very early on, at an advice viewing, that if they wanted a 15 they would have to cut some scenes. They have had plenty of time to do it and have chosen not to,” BBFC spokeswoman Sue Clark told The Independent.
Scenes Cohen would have had to cut include an extended sex sequence between Bruno and his pygmy boyfriend, as well as another where he mimes oral sex with a ghost of German dance.
David Kosse, president of Universal, said the company was forced to submit the film to be an 18.
“Ultimately you then know what you are going to get and, at the end of the day, we submitted the film to be an 18,” Kosse said. “We clearly wanted it to be a 15. In Ireland it is a 16, in the Netherlands a 12 and in America an R.”
Kosse said the cuts would have been too much of a compromise. “Why take a movie that is very, very funny to the rest of the world but say the population of one country cannot see that version?” he said.
Meanwhile, The Spanish Premiere of Bruno took place last night, and Sacha Baron Cohen had an even greater entrance than the London premiere, showing up dressed in a Bull costume. Pictures below.
Bruno is at Irish cinemas from July 10th – rated 16