Cansor's snip at 'Titanic' divides Singapore<\/p>\n
By Jasmina Kuzmanovic<\/p>\n
SINGAPORE (AP): Elsewhere in Southeast Asia, economies are
\nmelting down, forest fires in Indonesia threaten the region, and
\nplanes crash too often for comfort.<\/p>\n
But in small and affluent Singapore, the latest frenzy is over
\ncensors' deletion of a nude scene from the U.S.-made, global
\nmega-hit Titanic.<\/p>\n
An ongoing public debate in the leading Straits Times daily
\nhas been raging around the following issue: does the deletion of
\n14 seconds of film showing Kate Winslet's bare breasts spoil the
\nexperience of watching the movie?<\/p>\n
Well known for its strict laws on littering, smoking and
\njaywalking, this rich city-state of three million also takes a
\nserious attitude on the influence of the art and entertainment
\nindustry.<\/p>\n
All movies coming into Singapore are screened and licensed by
\nthe Board of Film Censors (BFC), whether they are intended for
\npublic distribution or imported for individual use. In teams of
\ntwo, censors decide whether to approve, cut, or altogether ban a
\nmovie.<\/p>\n
Exempted are educational, training, sport, and children's
\nfilms, as well as U.S. and British movies made prior to 1966.<\/p>\n
Known for their respect of law, Singaporeans usually don't
\nmake much fuss about daily interventions by the government into
\nwhat they may see, read and hear.<\/p>\n
But the BFC's intervention in Titanic has stirred a rare
\ncommotion in this otherwise tranquil society.<\/p>\n
Moviegoers did not question the need for the existence of
\ncensorship. Instead, they defended the nude scene as "necessary"
\nfor the portrayal of a young woman who betrays her class for
\nfreedom and love.<\/p>\n
"Her nude scene was crucial and conveyed a real sense of the
\ncharacter being able for the first time to let go, do what she
\nwanted and not what was expected of her," said local entertainer
\nHamish Brown, in a letter that sparkled the debate.<\/p>\n
Other letters followed, some struggling to second-guess the
\ncensors by discovering an Ibsenian streak in the character played
\nby Winslet.<\/p>\n
"Her act of taking off her clothes shows that she is throwing
\noff the shackles society had imposed on her," said another
\nmoviegoer in a letter. "That is a definitive moment in her
\ncharacter's development and it should not have been cut."<\/p>\n
The BFC said that the cutting allowed the movie to be rated
\nPG, and thus be seen by more people.<\/p>\n
The Straits Times earlier this week ran a story on the
\ncontroversy and interviewed several Singaporeans who support the
\ncensors' stand.<\/p>\n
One of them, a 32-year-old engineer, Wang Tse Chuan, saw the
\nuncensored version of the movie in London, but thinks his
\ncountrymen have not been deprived by the censors' scissors.<\/p>\n
"The fact that the film shows Leonardo DiCaprio sketching a
\nnude figure on his canvas tells you that his model wasn't wearing
\nanything. So why kick up all the fuss about something that is so
\nclear?"<\/p>\n
Meanwhile late Monday night, at a theater somewhere in the
\nworld, Titanic became the biggest moneymaker in movie history,
\nbreaking the global box-office record set by Jurassic Park. 20th
\nCentury Fox said Tuesday the disaster epic has grossed more than
\nUS$919.8 million worldwide, vs. $913.1 million for Jurassic Park.
\nAnd Titanic did it in just 10 weeks.<\/p>",
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