The British Board of Film Certification (BBFC) has been accused of “rewriting history” after bumping up West Side Story from PG to 12 as a consequence of “transphobia”. Films are often reviewed by the BBFC to make sure age advisories are applicable for the present viewers. West Side Story was lately modified because it incorporates themes of sexism, racism, violence and sexual menace, in keeping with the BBFC’s newest replace.
In the basic 1961 movie, Anybodys, a tomboy character now seen as being transgender, is informed to “go wear a skirt” – doubtless the ‘transphobic’ aspect of the musical. In the 2021 model of the story, the identical character is performed by a non-binary particular person. In response to the change, film-lovers expressed their fury on the “pathetic” age replace.
Writing on X, one person mentioned: “This is beyond, eye rollingly, pathetic.” Another wrote: “…tomboy Anybodys, who’s now accepted as transgender…The rewriting of historical past continues.”
A 3rd added: “This idiotic ‘trans’visioning of every art form in western history is complete garbage!!! Trying to completely ruin art for all the rest of us,” whereas one other mentioned: “Would somebody please make this crap stop?!”
A fifth particular person wrote: “My parents took us kids to see West Side Story. We all cried. BECAUSE THE MOVIE IS INCREDIBLE & THE ENDING SO SAD. Let kids experience this modern Shakespeare classic.”
West Side Story is predicated on Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, and it follows a rivalry between two road gangs. It is fuelled by racial, cultural and immigration tensions as Puerto Rican migrants butt heads with white working-class New Yorkers.
On the BBFC web site, it says the movie incorporates “occasional sexist and transphobic remarks”, and that there’s “a strong condemnatory message towards these attitudes”.
West Side Story has at all times been given a PG ranking, but the change in cultural views over the previous 20 years means it’s now classed as inappropriate for kids.
A BBFC spokesman mentioned: “Through our age ratings and content advice, the BBFC works to empower audiences to make informed viewing decisions. West Side Story (1961) is rated 12 for moderate violence, sexual threat and discrimination.
“All BBFC age ratings are based on our published classification guidelines, which are the result of large-scale consultation with the UK public and updated every four to five years.
“West Side Story (1961) was recently re-submitted to us by a distributor for home entertainment release. As with all re-submissions, we have reviewed the existing age rating against our current standards to ensure the classification continues to reflect the expectations of audiences across the UK.”
https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/2150985/fury-west-side-story-reclassified