Everywhere it says the Region 2 DVD is uncut. Well, perhaps it is the uncut US version, but it misses out several minutes from the UK version, and I think the omitted scenes were useful parts of the film.
BTW why do they put a comment from someone who hates the film on the front page?
Well, looks like someone read that, and replaced it with something more thoughtful, so thanks ...
The video says "This film has not been cut for UK release however certain frames have been optically edited in accordance with BBFC guidelines." I don't think there are minutes missing (from the video) but there clearly are several seconds.
shareThe full UK release version is listed as 109 minutes, but the run time on the DVD says it is 104 minutes. I saw it at the Bath Film Festival in 2000. There was a scene, about half way through the film, that is absent from the DVD version. It involved oral sex that concluded with semen running from Sada's nose, while she had a look of defiant and committed devotion. I think this scene was important for the integrity of the movie, and it should not have been cut.
shareI bought the UK DVD last year and the scene you talk about most definitely IS included. The only scene that is "edited" is one where she tweaks the penis of a small boy, which is against the Protection of Minors Act. To get around it, they digitally zoomed the frame so the focus shifted away from the act, which lasted no longer than 4 or 5 seconds. The difference in run time you talk about is due to frame rate differences when transferring PAL recordings from cinema to DVD. To quote the BBFC website:
"When a work is telecined from 35mm film stock to videotape the number of frames remains constant but the two types are shown at different speeds.
Film is projected at 24 frames per second, but video is played at 25 frames per second. To the eye the difference is usually imperceptible, each frame is shown for only a fraction of a second less on video. Over the course of a ninety minute feature the difference amounts to around four minutes so identical works will appear to be significantly different."
So in conclusion, it actually is uncut. I don't know what version you bought.
I have seen both of the DVD versions. The scene I saw at the cinema, and have described above, is not on either the Fox Lorber or the Nouveaux Pictures versions. Definitely no semen running from Sada's nose on either version. Sounds so sordid out of context, but then sex is like that I guess.
The UK theatre release is 109 minutes. The Fox Lorber DVD says it is 104 minutes, and the Nouveaux Pictures DVD says 98 minutes approx. The latter also says 1969 so they obviously haven't been too careful with their stated statistics.
I would like to see the UK theatre version again, just to see if my memory serves correctly, and to watch the steady trickle of worried people leaving the cinema throughout the movie!
Either way, great movie, eh?
shareTruly great!
sharewhere can you buy the DVD (region 2) from? I have been looking around but have not managed to find it????
shareYou have 2 choices, and I think the best version is the Region 0 DVD from Fox Lorber, which plays on my region 2 drive no problem. If I remember right it does not have the digital editing on the strange scene with the 2 kiddies running around, and so is maybe that bit more authentic. It also has the oddly edited still image on the front, where they have removed the cloth from Sada's hands as she pulls it tight. Just makes you wonder why they chose to create this image for the front of the box and the print on the CD. Anyway, this one is available from USA sellers like Caiman, via amazon.co.uk.
Your alternative is the Region 2 DVD from Nouveau Entertainment, which will arrive quicker, but is more expensive and I believe is the one with the digital editing, and says on the box that the film is 1969 - why the error?
Anyway, you can get to the Amazon search page with both versions listed, I hope, just with a search in amazon.co.uk, using the words: realm senses (I tried to put a link here, but it got an amazon error page...)
On the same search page, I see there is now even a BFI Film Classics book about the film.
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Bath Film Festival showed Ai No Corrida? That surprises me somewhat. Shame I was 11 at the time - Bath Film Festival is my neck of the woods, as is Ai No Corrida.
My top 20 here: http://www.ymdb.com/theeye23/l30156_ukuk.html
There was a scene, about half way through the film, that is absent from the DVD version. It involved oral sex that concluded with semen running from Sada's nose, while she had a look of defiant and committed devotion. I think this scene was important for the integrity of the movie, and it should not have been cut.
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In the uncut US NC-17 version, they show semen running out of her mouth back onto his penis. I don't think the supposed version with it coming out of her nose exists. Does it for a fact? Also, they show the part where she grabs a little boys penis. She then lets go because he says it hurts. It was so wrong of her to agree to do that.
There's nothing wrong with pornography. It's a healthy expression of a natural urge.
It's just I remember it from the first time I saw it, which was the UK cinema release version. I should like to see that version again just to check if I remember it right or not. I remember it being in a different part of the film to the scene you describe. I guess you're right about the scene with the little boy, unless it really happened and was witnessed.
Perhaps your statement about pornography may be correct in essence, but I think a lot of pornographers are feeding off people's fascination with what is repressed by our unhealthy societies. By placing their representations in categories of illicit or abusive pleasure, they may reinforce the repression.
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Get the region 4 (Australia/New Zealand) version, it is uncut.
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Right, can someone clear this up for me, I've been wondering about it for a while. During, the part where semen is coming out of her mouth, on my version it seems to be slightly out of focus. Does anyone know if this has been optically touched to obscure sight of the actual ejaculation or was it on behalf of the camera man just not being ready on time?
All this censorship makes me paranoid.
I have just purchased the Nouveaux Pictures release and havent actually watched it yet but was a little disappointed to read that certain scenes have been "optically edited". It has been a while since this thread was started and wondered if anyone could factually name a difinitive uncut "untouched" version available ? I have a region free DVD so region is not a problem. Having not seen the film before are the "optically edited" scenes a problem ? does it in anyway detract from the actual cinematography and/or power of the story telling ?
shareTell the truth.. you just want to see the dirtiest version of the film possible.. lol
Bret Screwed Bret
The UK release is uncut. The difference in runtimes takes into account the PAL speed-up.
"PSYCHOS do not EXPLODE when sunlight hits them, I dont give a fu*k how crazy they are!"
I've seen this 2 or 3 times at the cinema and I don't remember any semen running out of Sada's nose (that would be kind of painful, it seems to me...) I think you're getting confused with the scene where it runs out of her mouth.
The film was broadcast on Channel 4 some years back and the scene with the small boy's penis was pixellated. I don't think optically tweaking it would alter the sense so it's not a huge problem for the film.
Were they wrong to put that in the film in the first place? It's not exactly kiddie porn, and the boy probably didn't think anything of it at the time (small boys are no strangers to genital fiddling after all). But I can see why it's considered unacceptable now.
I used to want to change the world. Now I just want to leave the room with a little dignity.
The Norwegian DVD ("Sansenes Rike") is totally uncut without any optical tweakings. I can't remember if there was any english subs on the disc, though.
shareThe BBFC seems to think that each time this movie is played, an act of child abuse is committed. Therefore, in their logic, by optically censoring the scene, the abuse does not happen. Whereas, in reality, somewhere in Japan, in 1976, a small boy's knob was tugged at. It happened. By cutting the scene, it doesn't make the knob-tugging incident unhappen. So why bother? Furthermore, there's not much point in cutting the scene, then explaining in explicit detail to us what exactly the scene consisted of. Somebody watching the uncut film for the first time might not even notice this scene but by cutting it, they're drawing all attention to it. That same somebody would notice the picture reframed so go and look it up to see why it was like this and find a full synopsis of what the scene consisted of, making it to each and every single person, the most dwelled-upon scene in the film. BBFC - *beep* geniuses the lot of them.
share
Unfortunately there are perverts out there who will get more of a thrill with the sexual assault of the small boy than all the scenes with the consenting sdults put together. I don't care what anyone says, this scene was unecessary and unacceptable.
I am a four eyed evil genius.
sadly I got the 98 mins version!
could anyone tell me which scenes Im missing?
and do I bother to watch after these heavy cuts?
is it like an R rated movie now or still some NC-17 materials are in it?
thanks!
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