One Of The Most Classic Crime Movies Just Got Censored By Film-Loving

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matt72582's Avatar
Please Quote/Tag Or I'll Miss Your Responses
https://www.msn.com/en-us/movies/new...b3e98b8b0&ei=9

A censored version of Gene Hackman’s classic 1971 The French Connection is currently in the Criterion Collection, as reported by Word of Reel. The censored scene in question, which doesn’t appear in the version whatsoever, contains two ethnic slurs in dialogue spoken by Hackman’s Popeye Doyle character. In the scene, Doyle says “You dumb guinea," and “Never trust a [slur]."

Yeah, "Film loving company"



https://www.msn.com/en-us/movies/new...b3e98b8b0&ei=9

A censored version of Gene Hackman’s classic 1971 The French Connection is currently in the Criterion Collection, as reported by Word of Reel. The censored scene in question, which doesn’t appear in the version whatsoever, contains two ethnic slurs in dialogue spoken by Hackman’s Popeye Doyle character. In the scene, Doyle says “You dumb guinea," and “Never trust a [slur]."

Yeah, "Film loving company"





“That of which we cannot speak, we must pass over in silence”



Wrong post.



Because as everyone knows, having a racist character in a film makes the film racist.


Because as everyone knows, removing evidence of racist characters is the past is how we aid in the fight to end racism in the present.


Does it not occur to these people that French Connection was based on a real character who (I presume) used these sorts of slurs. And that by erasing evidence of them is whitewashing his less flattering characteristics. Which, frankly, is probably worse


We live in a society where everybody does everything wrong.



The trick is not minding
This reminds me when I was rewatching Poltergeist many years ago and they censored the “r” word, and I just turned it off.
Popeye Doyle is an obviously flawed person, and those flaws should be shown in its entirety.



This reminds me when I was rewatching Poltergeist many years ago and they censored the “r” word, and I just turned it off.
Popeye Doyle is an obviously flawed person, and those flaws should be shown in its entirety.

No. It's better to push all of these things underneath the surface of society where they can once again fester. You know, so people can go back to pretending we've got racism all solved....because there are no more racists in movies.


The only reason something like this would be vaguely acceptable is if this something that is inviting young people to watch....but.....most parents probably aren't into letting their kids watch movies about the heroin trade, with or without the racism....and....as long as children have parents who they can discuss these thorny issues with, they absolutely should be allowed to watch difficult subject matter if the parent deems them to be up to it. I wasn't shielded from anything and look how well I turned out.



The trick is not minding
No. It's better to push all of these things underneath the surface of society where they can once again fester. You know, so people can go back to pretending we've got racism all solved....because there are no more racists in movies.


The only reason something like this would be vaguely acceptable is if this something that is inviting young people to watch....but.....most parents probably aren't into letting their kids watch movies about the heroin trade, with or without the racism....and....as long as children have parents who they can discuss these thorny issues with, they absolutely should be allowed to watch difficult subject matter if the parent deems them to be up to it. I wasn't shielded from anything and look how well I turned out.
Same.
It’s disappointing that this is Criterion that censored it. Movies should reflect the world, no matter how ugly it is



Same.
It’s disappointing that this is Criterion that censored it. Movies should reflect the world, no matter how ugly it is

I don't quite get why Criterion would do this as they definitely have had many films in their channel with these issues which they didn't touch. They haven't played this particular game before and it doesn't make a lot of sense why this is the movie they would start to do it with.


I wonder if they've made any acknowlement of the movie being altered. Or is it an alternate cut that simply doesn't have that scene for other reasons, I wonder.



mattiasflgrtll6's Avatar
The truth is in here
Not only was this completely normal behavior for cops during that time, but I guarantee racial comments like that are still made by many of them today. Censoring this movie isn't just insulting to anyone who's a film fan, but plain dishonest. We are simply expected to forget about that part, especially with it being one of the movie's most memorable quotes? It lets us know pretty clearly Doyle is not a hero, he's just a regular ass hole who has been put in a position of authority. It's far more interesting than him being a spotless angel of justice.



Sorry if I'm rude but I'm right
Hard to talk about this while trying to circumvent the 'no politics' rule. But the bottom line is this (at the risk of preaching to the choir):

Censoring any art, let alone art of yore is a fool's errand. Not only that, but it also falsifies history. If we pride ourselves in being more enlightened than our forefathers (and many people in the current political climate certainly do), it should be our duty to leave historical works of art intact, further emphasizing the progress we have made since then. The Birth of a Nation would lose tons of its historical significance and render all the rage about its racist message nonsensical had all the controversial parts been cut off. What we'd be left with would be a safe, yes, but mutilated product of today's interference with yesterday's thought. We would be left with a lie. A lie of another, more beautiful world. Let history be judge and teacher, not a holier-than-thou group of ideologues.

It's one thing to censor and mandate changes to contemporary works in the making. But altering the past by removing anything that we deem inappropriate is a surefire way to forget why it was there in the first place. And that's only one step away from repeating the mistakes of those we want to silence.

"Who controls the past controls the future: who controls the present controls the past." - George Orwell, 1984
__________________
Look, I'm not judging you - after all, I'm posting here myself, but maybe, just maybe, if you spent less time here and more time watching films, maybe, and I stress, maybe your taste would be of some value. Just a thought, ya know.



Sorry if I'm rude but I'm right
By the way, I approached the topic from the point of view of believing that one shouldn't have controversial content (like racial slurs) in films and argued that EVEN IF that's what you believe, you still shouldn't censor OLD movies. Now, I strongly believe that you SHOULD be able to have racial slurs in movies, including contemporary movies, especially when portraying a less-than-perfect character. Any redemption arc stops making sense when you remove all sins of the protagonist. Even the most primitive propaganda films understood that before somebody joins the right cause, they can and should sin against the pushed ideology in a rather disgraceful way.



Criterion almost certainly didn't do this. The French Connection isn't part of the collection. According to the internet--which is never wrong about this stuff--Disney now owns the rights and most likely this is an alternate version that they've licensed to stream. Criterion shows all kinds of dubious stuff (e.g., the opening sex scene from Sweet Sweetback's Badasss Song) so I'm very skeptical that they're suddenly sticking at the n word. Ideally they would label this as an alternate version but I can't get too worked up about it.



Can we mention the current movie-related news story where certain groups are seeking to have all copies & airings of Monty Python's The Life of Brian (1979) edited to cut out one specific part AND cut the scene from an upcoming stage play that John Cleese is producing?



The film was controversial when it first came out among the religious set (even sparking publicized debates between the Pythoners and various clergymen). But now there's a whole different group or groups upset with 'Brian'.

(I'd say the statute of limitations for being offended ran out on this movie about 30 years ago).



Can we mention the current movie-related news story where certain groups are seeking to have all copies & airings of Monty Python's The Life of Brian (1979) edited to cut out one specific part AND cut the scene from an upcoming stage play that John Cleese is producing?



The film was controversial when it first came out among the religious set (even sparking publicized debates between the Pythoners and various clergymen). But now there's a whole different group or groups upset with 'Brian'.

(I'd say the statute of limitations for being offended ran out on this movie about 30 years ago).

I am feeling pedantic today so I'll just point out that the term generally used for members of the group is the Pythons the members individually as Python and the show, itself is also known as Python.



I am feeling pedantic today so I'll just point out that the term generally used for members of the group is the Pythons the members individually as Python and the show, itself is also known as Python.



Criterion almost certainly didn't do this. The French Connection isn't part of the collection. According to the internet--which is never wrong about this stuff--Disney now owns the rights and most likely this is an alternate version that they've licensed to stream. Criterion shows all kinds of dubious stuff (e.g., the opening sex scene from Sweet Sweetback's Badasss Song) so I'm very skeptical that they're suddenly sticking at the n word. Ideally they would label this as an alternate version but I can't get too worked up about it.
I don't know the story of who censored it, but it sure sounds like something Disney would do. The French Connection was/is a great picture. It should be left as it was.



Can we mention the current movie-related news story where certain groups are seeking to have all copies & airings of Monty Python's The Life of Brian (1979) edited to cut out one specific part AND cut the scene from an upcoming stage play that John Cleese is producing?



The film was controversial when it first came out among the religious set (even sparking publicized debates between the Pythoners and various clergymen). But now there's a whole different group or groups upset with 'Brian'.

(I'd say the statute of limitations for being offended ran out on this movie about 30 years ago).

I think this bit is probably more important now then it was then, and while it obviously is poking fun at what is essentially a trans character, I think the whole thing is more about the miscommunication between these two groups.


Of course we can't talk about this here, nor do I particularly want to, but I think to reduce this scene to either 'no one should be offended by this' or 'how dare they mention my community in a joke' is to play right into what makes it so potent. Idles character is a target of course, but I also think it is played with a tremendous amount of empathy.


So, as is often the case, it's complicated. And discussion over this (but not here) would be the most fruitful response to how this makes people feel, or how they react. But, as usually is the case, everyone hurries off to their corners of the ring as they've just heard a bell has been rung


I



It's coming folks, it's coming...


“Every record has been destroyed or falsified, every book rewritten, every picture has been repainted, every statue and street building has been renamed, every date has been altered. And the process is continuing day by day and minute by minute. History has stopped. Nothing exists except an endless present in which the Party is always right.”
― George Orwell, 1984



I think this bit is probably more important now then it was then, and while it obviously is poking fun at what is essentially a trans character, I think the whole thing is more about the miscommunication between these two groups.


Of course we can't talk about this here, nor do I particularly want to, but I think to reduce this scene to either 'no one should be offended by this' or 'how dare they mention my community in a joke' is to play right into what makes it so potent. Idles character is a target of course, but I also think it is played with a tremendous amount of empathy.


So, as is often the case, it's complicated. And discussion over this (but not here) would be the most fruitful response to how this makes people feel, or how they react. But, as usually is the case, everyone hurries off to their corners of the ring as they've just heard a bell has been rung


I
I hear that bell, crumbsroom...