The British Film Institute decided to accompany the screening of the films of the famous “James Bond” agent with warnings about offensive content (racist and sexist).
The films, which were screened with the relevant warning messages during a British Film Institute tribute to the work of British composer John Barry, who scored many James Bond films, were “Goldfinger” (1964) and the “You Only Live Twice” (1967) starring Sean Connery.
Apart from 'James Bond', other films that have received a warning under the tribute are the The Ipcress File (1965)starring Michael Caine, as well as the Midnight Cowboy (1969), which the BFI notes contain “homophobic language and sexual violence”. Meanwhile, and the “Petulia”the 1968 drama starring Julie Christie and George C. Scott, also has a warning for scenes of “domestic violence.”
It is recalled that a year earlier, as stated by IndependentIan Fleming's Agent 007 was also revised to omit offensive references.
As stated in the relevant message from the British Film Institute the films “contain language, images or other content that reflects views that were popular in their time but would offend today”. “The titles are included here (n.s. in the tribute) for historical, cultural or aesthetic reasons and these views are in no way endorsed by the BFI or its partners.”
Although many described the decisions in question, like others in the past, as somewhat excessive, a spokesman for the British Film Institute told the Guardian: “As a cultural organization with a responsibility to preserve the work of films and present them to the public, we constantly face challenges that history presents for film and television programs and how they reflect prevailing views of their time'.
“While we have a responsibility to keep films as close to their modern accuracy as possible, even when they contain language or imagery that we vehemently disapprove of, we also have a responsibility to how we present them to our audiences. The trigger warnings/content warnings we provide in all our showrooms and online platforms instruct us that a film or work reflects views of the time it was created that may offend today.”
“We are constantly reviewing our processes around the presentation of films and animations to make improvements and support public trust. We listen to customer feedback and also continue to work with the authorities to provide appropriate guidance. This work is by its very nature a work in progress.”
Source: News Beast
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