Terry Gilliam is no stranger to courting controversy. In fact, I’m hard-pressed to recall the last Gilliam film that was released without stirring up a hornet’s nest of trouble for the director… The Fisher King? Maybe? Gilliam’s latest, The Zero Theorem, starring Christoph Waltz, recently secured US theatrical distribution through Amplify (and DVD and Blu-ray distribution through Well Go USA Entertainment), and is slated for release later this year. But, sure enough, controversy has reared its head again. Gilliam recently announced on his Facebook page that The Zero Theorem‘s poster has been censored. The reason? Christoph Waltz’s ass.
[Obviously, the following image is slightly NSFW.]
Says Gilliam on Facebook, “Zero Theorem off to a good start in the US thanks to the Motion Picture Association of America’s censors. They have banned our teaser poster because of a bare butt. Your thoughts, please.” Given America’s Puritan-bred low tolerance for nudity of any kind (and curiously high tolerance for graphic violence), this isn’t a huge surprise. But it’s nice to know that after all these years the rebel filmmaker still refuses to do things the easy way.
I guess small minds don’t like the word butt. They can say buttocks, which is what butt is short for. Why is it only America who has a problem with bum butt and other sayings. Bore people to death with religion and politics (both fantasies) but can’t stick with reality.
Ban the MPAA. They are part of the American Taliban.
Why are we SO uptight in this country?
uh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh……you said “butt”
I bet if it had been a woman’s ass the censors would have let it pass.
Understands the American censorship situation…releases poster, anyway. Hey, great publicity. What was his last hit? 12 Monkeys?
Who gives a fuck about hits you potato!
Guess there’s more than one way to reveal an ass.