The government insisted on cuts, so the Singapore International Film Festival has pulled a film considered a Japanese erotic classic from its lineup.
In the Realm of the Senses (1976) is reputed to have had a profound influence on the ways in which American and European directors portray sexual situations and scenes, but Nagisa Oshima's film doesn't wash with the government - even though many erotic films get festival showings regardless of heavy government censorship in regular theaters.
The film depicts an occasionally sadomasochistic affair between a young innkeeper and her employer, and includes a scene in which the woman mutilates his genitals, says the Associated Press. In the Realm of the Senses would have been part of a festival retrospective on Asian cinematic sex, but the festival has a policy against showing films with cuts.
Erotic films from Turkey, India, and elsewhere are to be part of the retrospective, aimed at illustrating how Asian directors handle sexual situations, the AP says.
The Oshima film was the only film to which censors insisted on cuts, the festival says. One other film, Lies from South Korea, was banned outright - it's the story of a high school girl having an affair with a middle-aged sculptor.
The festival runs from March 31-April 15, and is set to show about 300 films.
