Pride was arguably the best gay-themed film of the year, but you sure wouldn’t know it if you picked up a copy of the American DVD.
That’s because all references to its LGBT content have been embarrassingly removed from the marketing on the case.
If you haven’t seen the film, which won the Queer Palm at last year’s Cannes Film Festival and was recently nominated for a Golden Globe as best musical/comedy, perhaps this sounds like an unfortunate but understandable move by the movie’s distributers to take away focus from one part of the story in order to sell more copies.
But those who have seen it (and everyone should) are justified in feeling insulted, as the gay content is the story. At the crowd-pleasing film’s core is a group of London gay rights activists doing what they can to support the miners’ strike in the ’80s.
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Here is the unedited promotional photo from the film:
This is how the same photo appeared on American DVDs:
Also, here’s part of the promotional copy from the case:
It was changed from “a London-based group of gay and lesbian activists” to “a group of London-based activists.”
CBS Films, which released the DVD alongside the beleaguered Sony Pictures, told Pink News: “We’re looking into this now and our page for the film remains the same as it has for months.”
Ben Roberts, director of the BFI film fund, which backed Pride, said: “I’m not surprised that the U.S. distributors have taken a decision to sell more copies by watering down the gay content. I’m not defending it, it’s wrong and outmoded, but I’m not surprised.
“It’s an unfortunate commercial reality both here and in the US that distributors have to deal with and consider in getting films onto the shop shelf. LGBT material is largely marginalized outside of rare hits like Brokeback Mountain.”
The film has been widely acclaimed by audiences and critics alike, and won best film at the British Independent Film Awards in December.
Writer Stephen Beresford joked at the time: “It took 20 years to convince anyone that a film about vegan lesbian activists was a sure-fire hit.”
Check out more from the best of 2014 LGBT entertainment.
Ron Jackson
The USA is officially a third world country now.
crowebobby
If it “tricks” a lot of straight people into watching the film and possibly coming to feel sympathetic toward the gay and lesbian characters in it, perhaps it is a good thing. Not that those who changed the promo campaign meant it to, which is still maddening.
BitterOldQueen
@Ron Jackson: and a theocracy too. Yay us.
polarisfashion
Don’t forget, we are a police state now as well!
PRINCE OF SNARKNESS aka DIVKID
Stealth “homosexual propaganda!”
I approve
hyhybt
@crowebobby: not really. Those who buy it who wouldn’t have otherwise will fall into two groups: those who object to gay-related content, and those who don’t but just weren’t looking for it. The latter don’t need convincing, and thr former will just be mad at having been tricked.
hyhybt
@TheBigOne: yeah, the headline and even parts of the article read as if they edited the DVD’s content.
robho3
I can’t believe they would do something like that. And FYI I saw it and it was a really cute movie.
PLAYS WELL WITH OTHERS
Next up: Trailer for “Selma” with zero references to Martin Luther King Jr?
hyhybt
@PLAYS WELL WITH OTHERS: They made a movie about Marge and Patty’s sister?
sanfranca1
@hyhybt: My thoughts exactly.
sanfranca1
The headline of this story is completely misleading. They didn’t delete anything from the DVD; they edited the DVD cover.
Stevenw
They gave this film a R rating in the USA too. Disgraceful.
Cagnazzo82
Unfortunately unlike the UK, US distributors have to worry about this film making it to shelves in Kansas, Missouri, Alabama, Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi, the Carolinas… need I go on?
Very sad state of affairs in this country sometimes… especially depending on certain regions.
Mack
As long as they don’t change the storyline in the film I don’t see a problem. If a whole bunch of straight people see this movie and feel better about gays then so what?
PLAYS WELL WITH OTHERS
@hyhybt:
Correct! It was a very Homererotic film! p
o.codone
marketing matters. a bunch of rabid, sign carrying homos on the cover will just remind people of feminists, al sharpton and the occupy freaks, and nobody wants to see any of that crap ever again. smart move making this digestible to the market.
jwtraveler
Are these the same people who took Thomas Jefferson out of the American history books in Texas?
SteveDenver
As small-minded as this is, I hope the DVD finds its way into homes where it wasn’t expected, but is very needed.A friend of mine who just turned 21 told me that the first time he saw homosexuality and a kiss between two boys was in Billy Elliott, a DVD he was able to borrow from the library and watch in the privacy of his own room.
JPDonahue
Qweerty… lousy headline. The gay content has not been removed from the DVD.
It has been removed from the DVD cover. Which is a pity. It’s a fantastic movie!
visualjohn
I purchased “Milk” expecting it to taste good on my cereal…..boy was I misled.
seaguy
So are they planning to release it with a big WalMart campaign because the sanitizing they did screams backwoods, hicks, the south, and anywhere homophobes reside. Somehow I don’t think most educated and progressive movie viewers would have an issue with the DVD cover being truthful. Sony and CBS should be changing the DVD back to the way it was and apologizing to the gay community for trying to remove it in the first place. Pathetic!
hyhybt
@seaguy: That doesn’t sound like the reasoning here at all. People of all sorts shop at Walmart. Changing the cover makes it easier to get shelf space because it cuts down on the potential for complaints from people who wouldn’t buy it either way but just see it sitting there, but it wouldn’t stop people who are interested, most of whom probably do shop there too, from buying it.
seaguy
@JPDonahue: Thanks for bring that up. The DVD cover and actual DVD content are totally different but Queerty’s headline is not clear that it is only the cover. Big difference Queerty!
jwtraveler
Regardless of what’s on the DVD cover, the movie is wonderful. See it!