Seven must’ve done this prior to the 2001 OFLC decision for the UA (MGM) widescreen special edition DVD release (via Fox).
Until that point, the only classification was the original decision from some 24 years earlier (it could’ve been a Seven master from years earlier in the 90s), R18+ with no consumer advice and a far older system, possibly a very basic or no existing report either. So the network would’ve had to guess what contributed to the original R rating, also upheld for first video several years later in the 90s and I guess they landed at language and sex.
So when Seven got a remastered HD print from MGM after this, let’s say mid-late 2000s, as that would’ve been when I also saw that version with the knife scene edited and I also recall seeing other prints like A Fistful of Dollars in then-great condition in a late airing in 2008. They would’ve gone to review and classify this new version for broadcast, seen there was a new classification from 2001, noticed it was for “violence”, had access to that new OFLC report for specific scenes and modified it to MA or lower, but rather than language or sex, chosen violence I’d imagine.
7Plus have uploaded more MGM titles and Road House says “AV”.
Lol! Only been more than a decade since that last existed.
In this case, whoever prepared this at Seven must’ve either sourced the old master or used the old classification on file, without carefully following or checking current standards and regulations.
These things aren’t major at all, more just fascinating errors slipping through.
And an adults only program warning before the movie:
Kinda odd that they’d run a promo filled with nudity in the last break of the proceeding movie and then after that warn viewers that it’s adults only and may disturb when they’ve likely already showed most of the nudity…
That was director John Boorman’s son Charlie who co-starred in the film.
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The Equalizer 2 at 8:30pm on Channel 7.
They’d been running them at 8pm (prior to We Bought A Pub miniseries starting), a la Fridays, since BH&G went to double episodes this year but each was truncated.
Tonight a Border ep fills the gap.
Could this be a classification thing, @aarontvcentral? The movie says MA. Which under the current Code can’t begin before 8:30.
Networks do modify for broadcast occasionally and file different versions, but sometimes can’t, such as for narrative impact. Perhaps this is a case here.
According to Google AI definitions, “swearing” is essentially ‘profanity’ and includes the most severe or taboo words. Whereas “coarse language” is also other words or phrasing, such as crude, vulgar or offensive, often of an anatomical and/or sexual nature.
But yes, certainly here in Australia, everybody would consider them one in the same.
There were several films in the 90s, after the change to the classification system when MA was introduced, where they were still given an R18+ and for ‘medium level coarse language’, despite the total number of C of F words and derivatives not actually being that great or used that severely. But rather, there was some explicit crude sexual talk, which for then, put it across the line. Oddly enough, not considering it as “sexual references” or “adult themes”. I guess context.
These included scenes from titles such as Clerks and Disclosure.