10 Movies Totally Changed For Overseas Audiences

1. Bohemian Rhapsody Was Censored To Remove Freddie Mercury's Sexuality

Bohemian Rhapsody Rami Malek
20th Century Studios

Bryan Singer's Queen biopic became a surprise box-office hit upon its release and became one of 2018's most celebrated films amongst critics and audiences alike.

However, this success didn't seem to translate worldwide with some countries, including Malaysia and China, taking issue with Queen frontman Freddie Mercury's lifestyle and editing out a number of key scenes.

Unfortunately for a film with such a strong LGBTQ+ message, most of the cuts focused on removing all references to Mercury's sexuality and even extended to cutting footage of the iconic I Want To Break Free music video.

Censors also removed all references to Mercury's AIDS diagnosis and axed all mention of Mercury's eventual partner Jim Hutton. Perhaps most cruelly, the edit omitted a pre-credit ending card explaining how they lived together for the rest of Mercury's life.

Although these changes may not have totally ruined the film for overseas audiences, it is a damning indictment of the persecution people still face all over the world today for their sexuality.

Contributor
Contributor

Student, part-time freelance writer, holder of many questionable opinions and impassioned hater of Lord Of The Rings (disagree? Find me on Twitter, @JoshSandy)