THE LAST EMPEROR Censored in Iran
by Andre Soares
Iranian censors, ever afraid that sex, drugs, and tango dancing may give naughty ideas to Iran’s population, have cut an hour from Bernardo Bertolucci’s 1987 Academy Award-winning epic melodrama The Last Emperor.
Starring John Lone as Pu Yi, the last Chinese emperor, Bertolucci’s film meanders endlessly through a series of political and cinematic clichés, and could easily have lost one hour of its running time. But Iranian censors weren’t worried about local moviegoers falling asleep in their seats.
Iranian cultural officials carry sharp scissors, snipping out everything they deem immoral, including nudity, kissing, sexual acts, and a whole array of depictions of everyday life. (Not surprisingly, the censors’ unbridled zeal has led to a booming market for pirated DVDs of non-Iranian films.)
Dubbed into Farsi, The Last Emperor lost 60 out of its 160 minutes for its public screening, according to the head of the dubbing team, Jalal Maqami.
"I felt sorry for the film when I saw the censored version, even the content has to some extent changed," Maqami told the Iranian Students News Agency.
Now, the question is why the Last Emperor creators allowed their film to be butchered by Iran’s religious fanatics.
Source: Deutsche Presse-Agentur / Monster and Critics
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