This 1994 'Pulp Fiction' document reveals why censors decided not to cut it
LONDON -- Although it was released in cinemas over a quarter of a century ago, Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction still packs a punch.
And while the film has become a critically-acclaimed cult classic, its fairly adult content did drum up some scrutiny from censors at the time it was released.
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The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) gave the film an 18 certificate (uncut) in 1994. The report which was written by an examiner at the time -- which details the reasons why the film wasn't censored, as it was in some countries like France -- has been shared with Mashable by the BBFC.
The first page of the report rates the film across different categories.
Note the "High 'fuck' count" comment in the "Cuts/Remarks" column for "Language."
The examiner was clearly a very big fan of Pulp Fiction.
Later, the report moves on to an analysis of the the infamous "Bring out the Gimp" sequence.
The most interesting passage, though, is the description of drug use in the film.
Although the examiner acknowledges that drug use is the "main issue", they write that they "profoundly disagree" with the apparent decision of French censors to take out a shot of John Travolta high in his car after injecting heroin.
"We would have to be pretty damned sure of our model of the spectator-film relationship to cut this or any other part of Pulp Fiction," wrote the examiner.
"This is not special pleading for a 'good' film, merely an acknowledgement that what makes a film good also removes from censors the certainties necessary for reasonable exception."
Our favourite line of the whole report is quite possible the casual postscript, though.
"The language is pretty ripe, too, but at 18, who gives a..."
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Topics Film
