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Elton John 'rejects' Russia censorship of Rocketman gay scenes

Rogue Valley

Rogue Valley

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Elton John 'rejects' Russia censorship of Rocketman gay scenes

Sir Elton John has criticized a Russian film company's decision to cut gay sex scenes from his new biopic Rocketman.

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6/1/19
The local film distributor told state news agency Tass it cut scenes from the film to comply with Russian laws. The British singer and the makers of Rocketman issued a statement saying they rejected the censorship "in the strongest possible terms". Sir Elton has previously spoken out against Russian laws banning "gay propaganda". In a statement shared on his Twitter page late on Friday, he described the censorship of Rocketman as a "sad reflection of the divided world we still live in and how it can still be so cruelly unaccepting of the love between two people." "We believe in building bridges and open dialogue, and will continue to push for the breaking down of barriers until all people are heard equally across the world," the statement said.

After watching the film during an early screening in Moscow, local journalists and critics reported that an estimated five minutes had been removed. Film critic Anton Dolin wrote on Facebook (in Russian) that "all scenes with kissing, sex and oral sex between men have been cut out." "The nastiest part is that the final caption has been removed from the finale," he added, referencing a tribute to Sir Elton's husband. A spokesman for local film distributor Central Partnership confirmed that it had altered the film, telling Tass it had done so to comply with Russian laws.
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The same happened to Bohemian Rhapsody and Disney's Beauty and the Beast. A shame.

Related: Elton John slams Russian distributor's censorship of 'Rocketman' gay sex scenes
 
In Russia, one may not speak frankly about gay matters.

In China, one may not speak frankly about democracy matters.

And in our country, one may not speak frankly about certain matters.


So let us (including Mr. John) refrain from criticizing other countries for censorship, for even in England (the home of the Magna Carta), it is actually illegal in 2019 to discuss frankly certain matters.


We should all be very humble.
 
:roll: Sure is easy spotting the Trumpers and Evangelicals.
 
TheParser said:
And in our country, one may not speak frankly about certain matters.
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Please show us what movie scenes were cut by the US government. Or what things you cannot speak openly about less the US government locks you away. Show examples, not pathetic lying rhetoric.
 
Barnacle said:
If poor Elton is upset about it, he can always request not to have his film shown in Russia ...
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Oh look, another dictator/authoritarian loving Trump supporter.
 
TheParser said:
In Russia, one may not speak frankly about gay matters.

In China, one may not speak frankly about democracy matters.

And in our country, one may not speak frankly about certain matters.


So let us (including Mr. John) refrain from criticizing other countries for censorship, for even in England (the home of the Magna Carta), it is actually illegal in 2019 to discuss frankly certain matters.


We should all be very humble.
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What matters can we not speak freely about?
 
Tim the plumber said:
So actively inciting harm or racism or whatever...

Good.

So anything else? Seems a long stretch to say we don't have freedom of speech.
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Tim the Plumber:

How about refusing to use specific pronouns when referring to a person, or insulting a professional diver by saying his father would not be proud of him or by disparaging the Welsh spellings of words and names? How about the glorifying of terrorism? One man's terrorist is another's hero. It's all in the link I provided you, towards the end. You will also notice the marked increase in cases since approximately 2000 CE. The U.K. is rapidly becoming far less and less tolerant of unpopular or disruptive speech. Little doggies saluting in the Nazi style must be crushed and their trainers prosecuted.

Cheers.
Evilroddy.
 
Evilroddy said:
Tim the Plumber:

How about refusing to use specific pronouns when referring to a person, or insulting a professional diver by saying his father would not be proud of him or by disparaging the Welsh spellings of words and names? How about the glorifying of terrorism? One man's terrorist is another's hero. It's all in the link I provided you, towards the end. You will also notice the marked increase in cases since approximately 2000 CE. The U.K. is rapidly becoming far less and less tolerant of unpopular or disruptive speech. Little doggies saluting in the Nazi style must be crushed and their trainers prosecuted.

Cheers.
Evilroddy.
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What does any of this have to do with censorship in Russia?

Are you hijacking this thread?
 
Tim the plumber said:

What matters can we not speak freely about?
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Hi.

I see that you are from Sheffield. That's in England, isn't it?


I have read that people in your country are constrained by law when it comes to certain "controversial" subjects.


I do not want to be specific. I have to stay within the bounds of this website's posting rules.


(P.S. The law here does not punish us for expressing certain thoughts, but doing so CAN result in one being bullied at school, fired from one's job, or banned on Internet platforms. In other words, as in Russia and China, people in the States also carefully censor themselves.)



Have a nice new workweek! (Our President this week will be visiting your Queen. I am so eager to watch the pageantry!)
 
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Rogue Valley said:
What does any of this have to do with censorship in Russia?

Are you hijacking this thread?
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Rogue Valley:

Just providing a wider European context in which to view Russian censorship under Putin while also answering a question posed by another poster. Russia is very harsh on issues of homosexual behavior, Poland made discussing Poles' roles in the Holocaust illegal, France has criminalised North Afrcan comedians' speech and the U.K. has prosectuted a wide range of speech and expression to "enhance social harmony". Examining Russa's virulently homophobic censorship without a wider European context is problematic from my point of view. I'm right there in wanting to poke the Putin Regme in the eye but let's be on a firm footing when we strike.

Cheers.
Evilroddy.
 
Evilroddy said:
Tim the Plumber:

How about refusing to use specific pronouns when referring to a person, or insulting a professional diver by saying his father would not be proud of him or by disparaging the Welsh spellings of words and names? How about the glorifying of terrorism? One man's terrorist is another's hero. It's all in the link I provided you, towards the end. You will also notice the marked increase in cases since approximately 2000 CE. The U.K. is rapidly becoming far less and less tolerant of unpopular or disruptive speech. Little doggies saluting in the Nazi style must be crushed and their trainers prosecuted.

Cheers.
Evilroddy.
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I think you need to cool down a lot.

That there are those who wish to suppress some speech on the grounds of offense is not in doubt. That they will not succeed is also beyond question.
 
TheParser said:
Hi.

I see that you are from Sheffield. That's in England, isn't it?


I have read that people in your country are constrained by law when it comes to certain "controversial" subjects.


I do not want to be specific. I have to stay within the bounds of this website's posting rules.


(P.S. The law here does not punish us for expressing certain thoughts, but doing so CAN result in one being bullied at school, fired from one's job, or banned on Internet platforms. In other words, as in Russia and China, people in the States also carefully censor themselves.)



Have a nice new workweek! (Our President this week will be visiting your Queen. I am so eager to watch the pageantry!)
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If you don't tell me what you think it is I can't say I can't really reply.
 
Evilroddy said:
Rogue Valley:

Just providing a wider European context in which to view Russian censorship under Putin while also answering a question posed by another poster. Russia is very harsh on issues of homosexual behavior, Poland made discussing Poles' roles in the Holocaust illegal, France has criminalised North Afrcan comedians' speech and the U.K. has prosectuted a wide range of speech and expression to "enhance social harmony". Examining Russa's virulently homophobic censorship without a wider European context is problematic from my point of view. I'm right there in wanting to poke the Putin Regme in the eye but let's be on a firm footing when we strike.

Cheers.
Evilroddy.
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I appreciate all that. But this thread is specifically about the Elton john biopic censorship in Russia.

That is why it is in the Russia / Ukraine forum.

By all means, you can start a thread concerning the above in the Europe Forum or the Sex and Sexuality Forum.
 
Rogue Valley said:
I appreciate all that. But this thread is specifically about the Elton john biopic censorship in Russia.

That is why it is in the Russia / Ukraine forum.

By all means, you can start a thread concerning the above in the Europe Forum or the Sex and Sexuality Forum.
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Rogue Valley:

Okay, I'll say no more unless it has to do with Sir Elton and his John. However what does this have to do with Ukraine? Did I miss something? ;)

Cheers.
Evilroddy.
 
Evilroddy said:
Tim the Plumber:

O'Connor& - Wikipedia

Cheers.
Evilroddy.
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The charges against the pair relate to the alleged leak of a document containing what purports to be a discussion between Tony Blair and George W. Bush
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Yeah, if a civil servant leaks secret documents, even those which cause trouble because they make it difficult for the government to do the usual diplomacy stuff, they they have broken the law and are rightly prosecuted.

This is in no way a problem for normal fr4eedom of speech of the public.
 
Evilroddy said:
Rogue Valley:

Okay, I'll say no more unless it has to do with Sir Elton and his John. However what does this have to do with Ukraine? Did I miss something? ;)

Cheers.
Evilroddy.
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I believe forum is about Russia and Ukraine (as in their conflict) as well as Russia on its own and Ukraine on its own.
 
The local film distributor told state news agency Tass it cut scenes from the film to comply with Russian laws.
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If it's a law then it should be enforced.
 
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