Disney: Mary Poppins is no longer “general audience” in the UK

Who doesn’t know Nurse Mary Poppins? “Practically perfect in every way” ? Directed by Julie Andrews and released in 1964, Robert Stevenson’s most expensive Disney film at the time is an absolute classic of American cinema.

In 2006, it took the 6th place in the ranking of the 25 best musical films of American cinema compiled by the American Film Institute. Mary Poppins It won five Oscars and was nominated for an Oscar for Best Picture. Perfect for the first big-eye studio.

Yes, but you will leave. The film has been in the news for a few days now. Reason ? THE British Board of Film Classification (BBFC), which is responsible for determining the classification of films in the United Kingdom, recently reviewed the Disney film because it “Discriminatory language”.

Before that, with a “U” for Universal, that is, for all audiences, Mary Poppins Recently went “PG”, or Parental Guidance; Which means “parental consent is preferred”.

“The use of discriminatory language in the film is not condemned”

contacted varietyA BBFC spokesperson explained that the term “Hottentot” is used twice in the film; in this case by Admiral Boom (played by Reginald Owen) to appoint chimney sweeps, who appear with faces covered in soot.

“Although Mary Poppins is set in a historical context, the film’s use of discriminatory language is not condemned and ultimately exceeds our guidelines for acceptable language for a film’s universal rating (U). We have therefore rated the film PG for discriminatory language. ” The spokesperson commented.

add: “From our recent research on racism and discrimination and our classification guide, we understand that there is great concern among people, particularly parents, about the possibility of their children being exposed to discriminatory language or behavior that they may find disturbing. Therefore, certain comments or behaviors are not allowed under any circumstances or are entirely context dependent.

The word “Hottentot” coined by the white settlers of South Africa, the Africans, refers to the Khoikhoi African ethnic group. A pejorative, “Hottentot” was seen as a derision related to the language characteristic of the Khoisan languages ​​and was perceived by Africans as a slur.