Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Bad taste with the PCA, NC-17, and John Travolta in drag

If the film’s main goal was to unmask, the detective work paid off

The Bicycle Thieves: Enzo Staiola pulls up a wall in the shot in question.
The Bicycle Thieves: Enzo Staiola pulls up a wall in the shot in question.

This week we offer up an uncut aggregation of bicycle thieves, censors’ needs, and cleaner Waters.

— Scott Marks

Video:

The Bicycle Thieves trailer

The Bicycle Thieves (1948)

Sponsored
Sponsored

It was the first film to openly challenge the almighty Production Code Administration (PCA). The Code’s guideline concerning “a woman selling her virtue” was quite simple: “Certain places are so closely and thoroughly associated with sexual life or with sexual sin that their use must be carefully limited.” A brothel, no matter how antiseptic its depiction or crucial to the plot, was unthinkable and had to go. The scene of Bruno stopping to relieve himself on a wall was even more problematic. PCA honcho Joseph Breen abhorred bad taste and felt it cost Hollywood a great deal of its propriety. In spite of a Best Foreign Film Oscar® (and the fact that most members had already seen the film), the MPA (Motion Picture Association) went ahead and screened the two objectionable scenes. After Breen read from a six-page prepared statement, the film was denied the Administration’s precious seal of approval. The producer had the last laugh, however. With the picture playing outside the Code in 46 independent theaters, he placed an ad in the trades featuring a photo of Bruno standing before the wall. The caption read: “Please come and see me before they cut me out.” Soon after, several PCA-approved theater chains decided to show the film, marking the first time since 1934 that a movie played without the censors’ blessings.

Video:

This Film Is Not Yet Rated trailer

This Film Is Not Yet Rated (2006)

Did you hear the one about how the Motion Pictures of America Association (MPAA), a lobbying organization for the industry, rates movies? Show a couple making love, and the picture earns an adults-only NC-17 rating. Take a chainsaw and cut out said couple’s eyes, and before you can say “Oh, @$#&!” it’s rated R and children can attend with a parent or guardian. Kirby Dick’s doc is very much interested in tailing and outing MPAA members, and there’s a great story behind how the violence in the first Indiana Jones sequel, coupled with a Gremlin in a microwave, forced the board to dream up the child (and box office)-friendly PG-13 rating. But instead of presenting a concise overview, the film settles for a couple of Super-Size Me-styled sidebars, childish, sub-South Park animation, a score reminiscent of TV’s Charlie’s Angels, and one too many back-seat shots of a giddy Dick. If the film’s main goal was to unmask, the detective work paid off: we now know their identities. But their logic, not unlike the group’s lodgings, remains impenetrable.

Video:

Hairspray trailer

Hairspray (2007)

The 1988 version of Hairspray marked a turning point in director John Waters’ scatalogically attuned career. As a filmmaker, Waters is nothing without shock. Here, his story went from a midnight serving of Divine dog dreck to a PG studio film that played during daylight hours. Don’t expect a rapid-fire, edited-in-a-Mixmaster musical like Moulin Rouge. Director and choreographer Adam Shankman strategically maps out each shot so that plot and musical numbers seamlessly integrate. This is one of those rare instances in contemporary musicals where a choreographer envisions the way his scenes will play on the screen, not the stage. Nikki Blonski is a suitable Ricki Lake clone: a Jell-O mold with a wave machine trapped inside, always poised to wow a crowd. But the second act wilts, due in large part to a well-intentioned civil rights subplot that seems out of place in this satirical environment. (Waters’ tongue was firmly planted in his cheek when he tried to add a bit of social significance to his version.) And with the exception of an overly affected accent, Travolta does fine in drag. He has more lives than a hundred-year-old tabby. There’s even an anachronistic nod to Pulp Fiction, presumably thrown in so the younger demographic, lacking a proper historical perspective, will get at least one of the in-jokes.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Yo-Yo Ma, Wagner, and Tchaikovsky come to San Diego

The Bicycle Thieves: Enzo Staiola pulls up a wall in the shot in question.
The Bicycle Thieves: Enzo Staiola pulls up a wall in the shot in question.

This week we offer up an uncut aggregation of bicycle thieves, censors’ needs, and cleaner Waters.

— Scott Marks

Video:

The Bicycle Thieves trailer

The Bicycle Thieves (1948)

Sponsored
Sponsored

It was the first film to openly challenge the almighty Production Code Administration (PCA). The Code’s guideline concerning “a woman selling her virtue” was quite simple: “Certain places are so closely and thoroughly associated with sexual life or with sexual sin that their use must be carefully limited.” A brothel, no matter how antiseptic its depiction or crucial to the plot, was unthinkable and had to go. The scene of Bruno stopping to relieve himself on a wall was even more problematic. PCA honcho Joseph Breen abhorred bad taste and felt it cost Hollywood a great deal of its propriety. In spite of a Best Foreign Film Oscar® (and the fact that most members had already seen the film), the MPA (Motion Picture Association) went ahead and screened the two objectionable scenes. After Breen read from a six-page prepared statement, the film was denied the Administration’s precious seal of approval. The producer had the last laugh, however. With the picture playing outside the Code in 46 independent theaters, he placed an ad in the trades featuring a photo of Bruno standing before the wall. The caption read: “Please come and see me before they cut me out.” Soon after, several PCA-approved theater chains decided to show the film, marking the first time since 1934 that a movie played without the censors’ blessings.

Video:

This Film Is Not Yet Rated trailer

This Film Is Not Yet Rated (2006)

Did you hear the one about how the Motion Pictures of America Association (MPAA), a lobbying organization for the industry, rates movies? Show a couple making love, and the picture earns an adults-only NC-17 rating. Take a chainsaw and cut out said couple’s eyes, and before you can say “Oh, @$#&!” it’s rated R and children can attend with a parent or guardian. Kirby Dick’s doc is very much interested in tailing and outing MPAA members, and there’s a great story behind how the violence in the first Indiana Jones sequel, coupled with a Gremlin in a microwave, forced the board to dream up the child (and box office)-friendly PG-13 rating. But instead of presenting a concise overview, the film settles for a couple of Super-Size Me-styled sidebars, childish, sub-South Park animation, a score reminiscent of TV’s Charlie’s Angels, and one too many back-seat shots of a giddy Dick. If the film’s main goal was to unmask, the detective work paid off: we now know their identities. But their logic, not unlike the group’s lodgings, remains impenetrable.

Video:

Hairspray trailer

Hairspray (2007)

The 1988 version of Hairspray marked a turning point in director John Waters’ scatalogically attuned career. As a filmmaker, Waters is nothing without shock. Here, his story went from a midnight serving of Divine dog dreck to a PG studio film that played during daylight hours. Don’t expect a rapid-fire, edited-in-a-Mixmaster musical like Moulin Rouge. Director and choreographer Adam Shankman strategically maps out each shot so that plot and musical numbers seamlessly integrate. This is one of those rare instances in contemporary musicals where a choreographer envisions the way his scenes will play on the screen, not the stage. Nikki Blonski is a suitable Ricki Lake clone: a Jell-O mold with a wave machine trapped inside, always poised to wow a crowd. But the second act wilts, due in large part to a well-intentioned civil rights subplot that seems out of place in this satirical environment. (Waters’ tongue was firmly planted in his cheek when he tried to add a bit of social significance to his version.) And with the exception of an overly affected accent, Travolta does fine in drag. He has more lives than a hundred-year-old tabby. There’s even an anachronistic nod to Pulp Fiction, presumably thrown in so the younger demographic, lacking a proper historical perspective, will get at least one of the in-jokes.

Comments
Sponsored
Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

India Hawthorne is common in coastal gardens, Citrus trees are in full bloom

The vernal equinox is on March 19
Next Article

Gilbert Castellanos, Buddha Trixie, Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe, Shane Hall, Brian Jones Rock ‘N’ Roll Revival

Grand Socials, gigs, and record releases in Del Mar, City Heights, Solana Beach, Little Italy, and Ocean Beach
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.