Kevin's Watch

Seriously, it's just a movie . . .

Heath bodybag scene to be cut from new Batman flick?
10/04/2008 11:00:00 AM, CelebrityFIX Prev Next
Test audiences watching the new Batman flick were reportedly so upset at a scene featuring the late Heath Ledger in a bodybag, that studio bosses may cut the scene.
Heath's character, The Joker, plays dead by lying in the bodybag - a sight which proved too close to home for some viewers, according to a source on BlogLog.Globo.com.

The source said the movie "will be a great success... Heath Ledger delivered, got himself into the role and it's unrecognisable. There will be no other Joker after him."

The movie's publicists have not commented on the controversial scene - guess we'll find out when the film hits screens in July.

There was an incident about a decade ago (you may or may not remember this) with a college football movie called the Program. The controversy caused by this film stemmed from a certain scene where members of the team , for thrills, and bragging rights, lay down on the yellow dividing line in the center of a busy 2 way street. A short time later at least one teenager was killed attempting this stunt in real life, and the scene was removed from the film. In the early 90's MTV was forced to remove any episode of Beavis and Butthead in which Beavis said "Fire", because a little kid paying with matches burned down his house , and blamed it on the show. What are we protecting ourselves from here? I for one think the scene should be left in , and pointed out to children. " See kids this is what can happen to you if you abuse drugs, even if your a movie star!" As far as sensitivity towards Ledger's family goes , one would think that they would never want this to happen to someone else's child, and while I would not inflict more pain on them, a certain amount of responsibility belongs to them, as well as the parents of the Beavis kid, and the kid who got himself run over. Parents raise smarter kids , or they could die out of sheer stupidity. HollyWood quit trying to protect us from ourselves.

well spoken, Mr. Broken.

Ever seen Jules Dassin's brilliant heist movies, Rififi or Topkapi? The first literally invented a form of safe cutting, and the second was the first ever depiction of a man robbing an item while being suspended via ropes. Shortly after both films, real-life crims used these exact methods to pull off similar heists. In both cases, I say "hats off, gentlemen".

Seriously, though, the ledger scene should be kept in. It is, as Lore said, just a film.

Edit.

Mr. Broken wrote:See kids this is what can happen to you if you abuse drugs, even if [you're] a movie star!"

Ledger's death was ruled an accidental overdose on prescription meds. That's not to say he wasn't abusing them (or that he was), but it could happen to anyone. The fact that he's well off enough to afford these medications could support that argument, but really it could happen to anyone. Approximately 7000 people die every year from incorrectly filled prescriptions.

And as far as OD'ing on recreational drugs, I think the chances rise exponentially with your income, as most ODs are from a sudden increase in purity.

This Hollywood "sensitivity" has been going on for years. It's okay to depict someone being beheaded, burned, eaten, crushed, shot, tortured, drawn-and-quartered(!!) or defenestrated unless the actor died shortly after.

In the 6 episodes of Police Squad! they introduced and killed off the Special Guest Star in the same clip. John Belushi was one of those Guests, but he OD'd before it aired and the scene was cut. On the VHS, another star (can't remember who) was filmed in place of Belushi.

That is not to say that studios should have free reign over what it allows to be placed in a film. Footage gained by cruel , and unethical means. Have you ever seen The Man From Snowy River. There is a seen where "The Man" herds a large group of horses over a very steep precipice, so many horses were maimed, and killed during the filming of that one seen, that it changed the accepted rules of film making forever. Since the early eighties at the end of nearly every movie that even has animals in it, is a disclaimer that says No animals were harmed in the production of this film. Ledgers body bag scene was not the cause of his death and should not be omitted. Anyone that says it should I just have a name for you Brandon Lee. Look it up.