Movies from France that were cut or banned in Australia.
Ténor
Directed by Claude Zidi Jr. / 2022 / France / IMDb
On 3 February 2023, a 101-minute DCP of TÉNOR received an MA15+ (Strong coarse language).
The classification matrix described,
Strong impact: language
Moderate impact: violence, sex
Mild impact: themes, drug use
None: nudity
A second 101-minute DCP dropped it to M (Coarse language, sexual references and violence) on 22 November.
The classification matrix now described,
Moderate impact: violence, language, sex
Mild impact: themes, drug use
None: nudity
In both cases, StudioCanal was the applicant.
The censored M-rated version is due to open on 7 December.
Censored bad language
The ‘More information about the content of this film’ section reveals the likely censorship.
Themes and drug use are the same for both M and MA15+.
The violence in the M describes ‘…crude verbal reference to sexual violence’. The MA15+ adds ‘… that is thematic in nature’ to the end of the sentence.
The sex in the MA15+ describes ‘…crude verbal sexual references in the context of rap lyrics, as well as a reference to semen, as an individual recounts a sexual encounter’. The M modifies it to ‘… verbal sexual references in the context of rap lyrics, using coarse language, as well as verbal references to sexual activity’.
These violence and sex differences may not necessarily be censorship-related.
The MA15+ mentions ‘…a single use of the word “c**t”‘ that is missing from the M description.
According to subtitles, the line is as follows.
16:35 – ‘You insult my family, cunt?’
The Crime Is Mine
aka Mon Crime (Classification Board title)
Directed by François Ozon / 2023 / France / IMDb
On 14 August 2023, a 102-minute DCP of THE CRIME IS MINE received an MA15+ (Strong coarse language).
The classification matrix described,
Strong impact: language
Moderate impact: themes, violence, nudity
Mild impact: sex
None: drug use
It was followed on 29 September by another 102-minute DCP but dropped to M (Mature themes, violence and nudity).
The classification matrix now described,
Moderate impact: themes, violence, nudity
Mild impact: sex
None: language, drug use
In both cases, Vendetta Films was the applicant.
The censored M-rated version opened on 12 October.
What was censored?
A comparison of the ‘More information about the content of this film’ section reveals the likely censorship.
The descriptions of the violence and sex are the same for both. The M-rated version adds, ‘The film also contains references to suicide in a comedic context’. Presumably, this was in the MA15+ version but went unmentioned.
The language at MA15+ says, ‘The film contains use of the word “c**t”.’ Language goes unmentioned in the M-rated version.
The nudity at MA15+ says, ‘The film contains breasts and buttocks nudity’. The M-rated version describes only ‘ breast nudity’.
So, ‘buttock nudity’ and the use of the word ‘cunt’ seem to have been censored in the M-rated version of THE CRIME IS MINE.
Subtitles available online describe two uses.
74:50 – ‘…and we’ll cuntvict you?’
76:52 – ‘Let’s say I cuntvict you of this crime’