David Cronenberg's Crash has become the cause celebre of this year's London Film Festival, as the repercussion of the weekend's screening continue to reverberate.
Following what they describe in a statement as "enormous institutional and other pressures that have been brought to bear against the film", executive producers Chris Auty and Jeremy Thomas (who is also chairman of the BFI) have decided to postpone all screenings of Crash for the immediate future, "pending the outcome of our discussions with the British Board of Film Classification".
The message to members of the Soho House, whose private screening was cancelled on Monday night, urged them to "support us in our efforts to get the film certified and shown in a traditional fashion". But the final plea highlighted their dilemma: "Given the hysterical mood that surrounds the film, we are now endeavouring to calm the debate and return the point of focus to the film itself."
LFF director Sheila Whitaker, who also released a statement, reacted angrily to suggestions that the film should be banned, arguing that these "not only contravene civil rights but, importantly, disregard the complexity of this cinematic achievement which, rather than indulging in, actively points out the dangers that the endless sex and violence of much mainstream cinema has on our imaginations."
Such subtlety tends to be conveniently swept aside when the press choose to whip up a storm. But as Whitaker pointed out, "controversy surrounding it completely misrepres-ents the film, such misrepresentations often being carried out by people who have not seen it."
Heritage Secretary Virginia Bottomley, whose intervention has created so much furore, failed to mention her concerns when she shared a table with Cronenberg at the LFF opening gala on Thursday. The following day she chose to express publicly her disgust for what she called an "immoral and depraved film".
The British Board of Film Classification has yet to award a certificate, and now wants all board members to see the film before responding. The UK release through Columbia TriStar was planned for February.
In the meantime, members of the licensing sub-committee of Westminster City Council, whose remit covers most of the West End's leading cinemas, plan to see the film next week. Even if the BBFC awards an 18 certificate, the Council could invoke its own regulations to stop it being shown in Westminster, in response to Mrs Bottomley's appeal for local authorities to exercise their rarely-used powers to veto the film.
Andras Hamori, president of Alliance Pictures, the Canadian company which backed Crash, is amazed by the reaction to the film in the UK. He came to help promote six Alliance films playing at the LFF. But Crash has stolen the headlines. "To say there is a storm would be an understatement," he said. "A hurricane would be more like it."
Crash, he points out, recorded an incredible 700,000 admissions in France, and while the film polarised the critics there, "no one would consider banning the movie". It has now also opened successfully in Portugal, Spain, Germany, Belgium and Taiwan. Only in the UK, it seems, do ministers and their apologists in the press feel obliged to dictate which films people choose to see.
The real problem, it would seem, is pre-election fever which causes politicians and journalists (of all people) to try to seize the moral high ground. The LFF, and Crash, have just been caught in the crossfire.
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