Have you recently noticed that cinemas in Jordan are censoring movies? and really bad, even Bee Movie was censored!
Besides being like Dubai and Kuwait and censoring sexual material/offensive/semi-nudity scenes like the 5 minutes scene in the 300 and so on!
Recently Hitman was censored badly, and American Gangster was butchered! Besides Arab governments across the Middle East bending or breaking their own censorship rules for The Passion of the Christ, the Mel Gibson film that sparked fears of anti-Semitism when it was released back in 2004 and the Da Vinci Code.
Do I see Jordan cinema-less soon? I would like to thank the gurus behind cinemas in Lebanon, Bahrain & Qatar for the efforts, and feel sorry for Jordan and Kuwait.
In Jordan, Resident Evil: Extinction was banned… How did I know? the posters were removed, the film suddenly went off schedule, and I think The Golden Compass will be banned as well, just like in Egypt Matrix Reloaded and Bruce Almighty were banned 4 years back on religious grounds.
Will we see The Golden Compass in Jordan? It was played in Kuwait, but I doubt it here… since I think some long bearded dude is running with scissors in his right hand! (god forbids the left hand, haram)
I don’t want to blame cinemas in Amman as well, Movies with Lebanese subtitles sources (tip: comes in Arabic and French) are not censored! only the ones with Gulf Film – Dubai are.
Grand Cinemas can you explain? anyone?
I think driving to Lebanon to watch a movie on the big screen is worth it now, eh?
UPDATE: What’s up with getting movies like 2-3 months late? I thought we had premieres on time this summer? is it because we were happy about it?
1 word: Satellite dishes are widely available, pirated downloaded divx movies burned on DVDs too! and operated without restriction.
Browse Timeline
Comments ( 35 )
[...] At the very same time when some movies are being censored in jordan’s cinema halls, because gulf based distributors want that, and the AVC are happy with it!At the very same time, [...]
n@simjo ©: A Po-o-n Star in Al-Rai! And cinematographic censorship in Jordan added these pithy words on Jan 15 08 at 9:46 amok so i went with my friend to watch American Gangster, wasted 6 jds on the ticket for a censored movie..the story was OK but most of the movie was censored! some stuff i still don’t get!
i should’ve gotten the full movie on DVD from downtown for just 1 JD before i have watched it censored in the theaters.
and what the hell..what did they censor in bee movie? there’s nothing to censor man! it’s a kids movie! =O they’ve gone that far?
AJ added these pithy words on
Jan 13 08 at
4:16 am
Guys i wanna say sth abt the movie censorship … the censorship refers to the government not to the cinema so we cant say that the movies of X cinema are censored …..
Mahmoud Alqaqa added these pithy words on
Jan 13 08 at
4:17 am
at least, we have the right to know it is censored before we enter, why don’t you add that info on your cinema’s tickets or brochure?
Moey added these pithy words on
Jan 13 08 at
4:43 am
doesnt Angelina Jolie in Beuwolf..naked count ? or is it because it a 3-d movie?
Maher added these pithy words on
Jan 13 08 at
6:01 am
what did hitman have that was so terrible? and i can’t believe they cut out stuff in 300 now i need to watch it again. grr. It’s stupid if they want to sit and cut stuff out they might as well just shut down all movie theaters. It’s not like their music clips aren’t just as bad. seriously. it’s sickening their double standards!
dragonsvamp added these pithy words on
Jan 13 08 at
6:31 am
To my mind, none of those movies have been censored in Egypt, except for Bruce Almighty which was banned, because they kinda took it too far, and as Arabs, we don’t have the open-minded thinking to accept a movie like that shown in public. I mean, even if it was allowed, it would have failed.
But the DVD is there at Virgin Megastores, so whoever wants to watch it can
But from that time, I haven’t noticed any censored movies there. Sometimes its necessary, but they surely take it too far sometimes. And yeah I agree that they have to mention it on the tickets or something…
Why do you think there isn’t a single movie theater in KSA yet? And I’m sure there will never be one.
Sam added these pithy words on
Jan 13 08 at
7:50 am
ya3ni 3anjad weird!!!!
ya3ni when i went to watch “Taking Lives” in 2004 and Angelina Jolie was showing her “goods” and f****** they didn’t cut it cause i was with conservative friends and i had to pretend that i wasn’t looking ,
and when i took my date to see a romantic movie they had all the “romance” removed :SI’m telling u its a conspiracy against me
peace and thx for the share
amjad mahfouz added these pithy words on
Jan 13 08 at
8:12 am
That’s one reason why I don’t watch movies in Cine that often! And if so, I do watch it again at my laptop for many reasons too!!!
Awartany added these pithy words on
Jan 13 08 at
8:19 am
I think we need an explanation from one of the theater officials. Is there a certain criteria for a film to be censored? does it depend on the show time?
I remember that some films get censored, but not all of them. For example, Original Sin was not censored, and i remember a scene from MIB2 wasn’t also censored.
I think they should use the rating system instead of just censoring, it is really degrading.
Yazan Ashqar added these pithy words on
Jan 13 08 at
8:23 am
I heard that they censored The Brave One, as well.
Dave added these pithy words on
Jan 13 08 at
8:45 am
they only censor sexually-related scenes, including nudity. and that’s it. as a movie buff i really don’t mind it. it allows for a broader Jordanian audience to be entertained. anyways, you can get every single movie in the balad, uncensored as well.
just a little over a decade ago, they censored cuss words. at the beginning of the movie we had to stand for the national anthem. and in the middle of every movie was a 10 minute intermission, regardless of length.
so if it only comes down to cutting out the nude/sex scenes, then it’s not such a raw deal I suppose.
Nas added these pithy words on
Jan 13 08 at
9:30 am
I heard the Golden Compass was pretty much an outcry to atheism but I guess in this day and age, unlike 1400-2000 years ago, pretty much all choices are established and you don’t need to convince people of what is the “right” choice if there is any.
If God created us free-willed then why does everyone dictate what we should believe in.
KJ added these pithy words on
Jan 13 08 at
9:37 am
beowulf was ridiculously censored (save for the angelina scene which would have broken the movie to dismal pieces of incoherent plot)
anyways the reason some are censored and some aren’t is because of the source, so if we are getting them from lebanon, which we rarely do nowadays, they are less censored than the ones from dubai. either way some of the censored scenes are silly because they are trying to dedact ideas rather than explicit content
either way, you feel a bit of infantile power trip every time you see a couple getting closer and then, through a worm hole effect, they are spent and having a pillow talk …
bambam added these pithy words on
Jan 13 08 at
10:01 am
guys as i saw on the ticket for american gangster ticket it’s over 18,and wt abou anglina jolie in Beuwolf,,,she were naked anyways hope they can fix the problem sooooon
Zaid Bata added these pithy words on
Jan 13 08 at
2:29 pm
It’s not recently … they have been editing for a long time … but in some movies you can go to late shows and find an uncensored version …
why dont they apply the rating system and let people decide for themselfs !!! sometimes the movie is PG-16 or sth not only bcuz of nudity but also because of foul language , drug abuse and other things … they dont take out those !
Isam added these pithy words on
Jan 13 08 at
3:37 pm
seems you’ve just knew that movies is censored in jordan! censorship in jordan is not on publishing but on content. means: you can show the movie and “Da2rt el matboo3at” has the right to stop/edit/cut the media object once they decide its not up to their standards…
yes, moey! we have censorship since long long time ago. all the movies you saw in cinima is censored too.
Moh'd Yousef added these pithy words on
Jan 13 08 at
3:44 pm
I think censorship is good for public cinemas, let’s not forget this region is Islamic, even countries like India have censor board. The problem is with the person sitting to review and decide what should be cut, that person gets carried away and cuts away the slightest intimate scene.
I think censorship should be at the gates of the theaters more than anywhere else..
Tazz added these pithy words on
Jan 13 08 at
4:26 pm
yeah angelina was Naked and the ticked did say above 18!
i was happy to see that they are taking measures to not allow kids to these movies..but it seems they are not!
I Wish we deal with these stuff as does the americans..You have to show them your id to get in a R-Rated movie!
Maher added these pithy words on
Jan 13 08 at
4:31 pm
for grand cinema, all the movies comes from UAE, they do nothing with it here…
and thats why also most of them comes late to Amman …
Ibrahim added these pithy words on
Jan 13 08 at
5:03 pm
man u read my mind!!! this bullshit should be stopped!!
they are disparagement us to let us pay to watch a censored movies,
we should not shut our mouthes cuz of that brain disparagement.. we are wise.. and we are a big movies fans..I live half of my day by watching movies, since we are going to the cinema’s we should watch the movie as it is.. from the beginning to the last second of the ending credits..I am with u that even if they want to stream a censored movie they should tell us from the beginning in the banners and brochures before we buy the ticket..
for me personally I no longer go to the jordanian cinemas ..i never dare to go to watch bloody movies or movies I guess that it might has a sexual scene in the cinemas.. I don’t trust them anymore..
u know Divix files ,AXXO movies and the 1jd copied dvds.. God keep them for us!!..
Moe Alsaad added these pithy words on
Jan 13 08 at
5:38 pm
Well, censor scenes!!!, and then proclaim of what so called “being civilized”, the education, the crap the civilization they always scream and beg others to believe that we have it here in Jordan!
It isn’t about scenes, people never watch a whole 2 hours movie to see a kiss, or someone’s chest!
For God sake those who are in charge to do this censorship, one thing to tell “WHAT THE FREAGIN HECK”,first go take and remove all pornography movies from those blacklisted shops in Jordan, then talk about censoring a “kiss”,or whatsoever from a movie!
jOE added these pithy words on
Jan 14 08 at
12:47 am
Censorship in general is ridiculous to me.
There’s a reason why movies are rated, so just go with those age ratings and leave the movie as it is. What’s the point in ruining a movie for people over 18, just so a younger audience could watch the movie, when they are not even supposed to? Each movie is made with a target demographic set in mind. If it’s rated 18+, chances are that the makers of the movie are not expecting a lot of income from people younger than their target.
If the sexual/nudity scenes were not a part of the plot, the directors most probably wouldn’t have put them in there. Cutting parts out of a movie is like re-doing a piece of art, which is offensive to both the artist and the people who enjoy their art.
Odai added these pithy words on
Jan 14 08 at
11:22 am
You said it yourself… stick with torrents.
MacaholiQ8 added these pithy words on
Jan 14 08 at
7:56 pm
Maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan. Coooooool design you’ve got here… Keep the good work…
Awartany added these pithy words on
Jan 15 08 at
8:53 am
Thanks for the co-operation guys, but we seriously need an answer, I forwarded this to the owners, let’s see…
Moey added these pithy words on
Jan 15 08 at
9:31 am
spare me the stupidity!!!
they only thing i dont get is there is some belly-dancing nightclubs in shemesani and hookers and that count legal???
and a bunch of photo’s on some black screen is censored & counted illegal? if u ask me why should they band them both?
samia-chan added these pithy words on
Jan 15 08 at
9:04 pm
I agree with Tazz on this. This is still an islamic country, and although we have night clubs, belly dancers, black listed DVD shops and other s***, doesn’t mean we should all go run naked in the streets
Another thing is that all the things stated before are none-mainstream places, but respectable cinemas are considered as mainstream, and bringing obscenity to mainstream is not something you want happening.
Now I wont be hypocritical and I will say it loud: I HATE having to see a film and knowing that it’s censored in any form, but I feel that having censorship is better for a greater good.
Fuse Burner added these pithy words on
Jan 16 08 at
11:54 am
im sorry i dont share ur view, i stopped going to the cinemas a long time ago to keep my sanity and ethical system, they start taking one peice at a time until we are all numb! remember 10 years ago it was catostophic to see a movie with two making love madly! what happened to us! got more “civilized”? toz fee heik civilization
i download movies sometime (i know im not perfect) and i watch some in the cinemas, i appreciate censorship for good movies, but i think if the movie has something to be cut off it better not be displayed at all, enno shoo hal felem ya3ni ghayyar 7ayatna? toz fee 7ayatna shellet hamal
leaving imagination to fill in the blanks is worse than displaying it, half-knowledge its called… bass american gangsters! i downloaded some parts and i couldnt go on watching it, i had to fast forward many parts its discusting, the woman are displayed NAKED all the time and NOT for sexual reasons, ya3ni naked because they wanted to make sure they dont smuggle the dope they work with , tab ya3ni was it that hard to create those scenes withOUT showing every detail? shoo hath, integrity? toz fee heik integrity, this is duality in standards, ya3 ya3 ya3
bass bottom line, ever since i stopped watching movies (or cut down at least) my life is – wont claim its better- but guess what, it didnt feel like i was missing anything!
w toz fee heik… mosh 3aref shoo bass it rhymesdont get mad at me bass i too am entitled for an openion
Mariam Ayyash added these pithy words on
Jan 16 08 at
3:14 pm
I’m starting to love DVD’S they come full and no cuts…and in 1jd
i don’t see anything better then that..
all you need is LCD T.V and a good Home Theater and you got yourself a movie theater !! i go to the movies only if there is a major movie that is good to watch in the cinema..like KING KONG for example..
i don’t remember in the past that they cut any movies !! everything was normal..what happened ?
ali alhasani added these pithy words on
Jan 18 08 at
1:37 pm
Hey, they’ve been censoring movies here in Jordan since the 60’s when the religious parties were nothing. The first time we first saw Mel Brooks’ movie about the history of the world uncensored, we were surprised at how much of the film had been edited from when it was shown here on TV years ago. I can’t remember the name of it. History of Western Civilization Part I, I think. It’s not like it’s the most offensive movie, either. Definitely nowhere near the blood, sex, & gross fests so popular today.
If you want uncensored, there’s always downloads or the balad.
Kinana added these pithy words on
Feb 09 08 at
1:18 pm
I’m moving to Riyadh soon and I know there are no movie theaters there. I was just wondering what everyone’s opinion is on the best place to see movies in the Middle East. I imagine very wealthy places like Kuwait and Dubai have very nice theaters, right? but that would be completely negated if the films are censored there. What about Bahrain and Qatar? Do they censor films there as well? From Riyadh I could probably drive to each of those places for a weekend if I wanted to, Cairo I might have to take a plane to. So, in terms of cinema quality, crowd behavior, availability of movies, and (most importantly) lack of censorship… where is the best place in the Middle East to catch a movie?
Ryan added these pithy words on
Dec 15 08 at
11:45 pm
