Why Mary Poppins Is Now at the Top of Disney's Most Controversial Films
SCANDAL ROCKS THE SILVER SCREEN: Beloved Disney Classic Mary Poppins Revealed as Most Complained About Film of the Year!
Get ready for a shocking revelation that's got everyone talking in Tinseltown! The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) has just dropped a bombshell, revealing that a classic Disney movie has topped the list of most complained about films of the year. And we're not talking about some obscure art house flick or a recent release - nope, it's none other than the beloved 1964 musical masterpiece Mary Poppins!
Yes, you read that right! The film that won five Oscars, including Best Actress and Best Song, has been slapped with a PG rating due to "discriminatory language" after racking up an astonishing 56 complaints out of 224. And we're not talking about some obscure term or phrase - no, it's the N-word equivalent of its time, folks! The offending word? "Hottentots", a racist slur historically used by white Europeans to refer to the Khoekhoe people in South Africa.
So, what's all the fuss about? Well, according to the BBFC, the film's original rating was a U (suitable for anyone over 4 years old) when it first hit theaters back in '64. But with the rise of woke culture and increased sensitivity towards racial insensitivity, the BBFC has been forced to re-evaluate its classification standards.
The controversy centers around Admiral Boom, played by Reginald Owen, who uses the term not once, but TWICE in the film! The first time is when he's dangling from the roof, asking a Banks kid if they're going to "fight the Hottentots". And then there's that infamous chimney sweep dance number where he exclaims, "We're being attacked by Hottentots!" before launching fireworks at them!
The BBFC has since changed the rating to PG, warning parents to accompany their kids when watching this cinematic treasure. But what about the Banks family and their magical nanny? Shouldn't they get a warning label too?
In related news, other films that made it onto the complaint list include sci-fi thriller The Abyss (17 complaints due to rumors about a scene where a man submerges a live rat in liquid - yeah, you read that right!), Dune: Part Two (13 complaints over its 12A rating for knife violence), Saltburn (10 complaints for "strong sex, nudity, sexual threat, drug misuse and very strong language"), and even animated film Migration (6 complaints for scenes of a knife-wielding chef, nets, storms, and predatory herons).
So, what's the takeaway from this cinematic kerfuffle? Well, it seems that even classic films can't escape the scrutiny of modern society. As David Austin, BBFC CEO, puts it: "The two uses of the discriminatory term 'hottentots' are neither criticised nor condemned, increasing the risk that very young viewers might repeat it without realising the potential for offence."
Stay tuned for more updates on this developing story, only on TheScholarlyNote.com!
