Netflix movies vanished from the catalog by government order. How it sounds. Today Netflix is news around the world because it finally allows disable annoying autoplay from your menu, Yes. And also for another minor matter that has received somewhat less coverage. Nothing, nonsense without much travel: censorship of Netflix content. Despite the Internet, 5G networks and the hype of global society, in some corners of the planet the world remains what it is: a complicated place with sensitive areas. By the way, Do not miss our 2020 Guide to watch movies online for free.
Netflix movies censored by governments
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Netflix: five years of censorship on demand
Netflix has made public for the first time a list of the movies and series in its catalog that have been banned and/or withdrawn in various countries by order of their respective governments in the last five years. The company, which recently announced the future (and long-awaited) continued release of its viewer numbers (Netflix data on The Irish were a first sign), ensures that these nine withdrawn titles constitute the total number of requests they have received from governments since they started their video-on-demand platform in 2007.
Let us remember that, before his glorious journey as a service streaming series and movies, Netflix began in the late nineties as a video store that sent DVDs by mail (more information in this article on the netflix budget for 2020).
"We offer creators the possibility to reach audiences around the world," we read in the recent 2019 Social and Environmental Governance report published by the multimedia company (read the full report at this link). "In some cases we have been forced to remove certain titles or episodes in specific countries due to removal requests«Adds the company, which has also announced its intention to keep us updated (and annually) about possible new requests for content suppression by governments that claim it.
Banned Netflix Movies
Among the nine banned titles from the Netflix movie catalog we find tapes as emblematic as The metal jacket and also somewhat more… exotic content. It is the case of the episode of the series Patriot Act With Hasan Minhaj, withdrawn from Saudi Arabia after his government deemed him critical of the regime. Only in Singapore Five films have been deleted: The Last Hangover, The Last Temptation of Christ, Cooking on High, The Legend of 420 and Disjointed.
Also noteworthy is the case of German, a country in which it is not possible to see since 2017 the film of The night of the Living Dead, or New Zealand, who is not too amused by the existence of a documentary about the suicide bombers on the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco.
Still from Full Metal Jacket, one of the world's censored Netflix movies.
List of the 9 Netflix movies vanished
- The Last Hangover / The First Temptation of Christ / Natal Special: Se Beber, Não Ceie – Censored in Singapore (and Brazil) in 2020.
It is a Netflix original made by the humorous production company Porta Dos Fundos where we see the disciples of Jesus deal with the hangover of the day after the last supper. And yes, to a Jesus Christ over whom certain doubts hover over his sexual orientation. The film was withdrawn in Singapore after a petition submitted by the Singapore Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA). Although the Netflix report does not include it, the film was also recently withdrawn in Brazil and by express order of the judge.
- Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj – 1 episode censored in Saudi Arabia in 2019.
In its written petition, the Saudi government's Communications and Information Technology Commission alleged that the episode was critical of Prince Mohammed bin Salman and the regime's role in the 2018 assassination of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi. - The last temptation of Christ – Singapore, 2019
Despite being a film released in 1988, this American-Canadian production directed by Martin Scorsese was banned in 2019 in Singapore following a complaint from the IMDA (Singapore Communications Development Authority). - Cooking on High, The Legend of 420 and Disjointed – Singapore, 2018
Withdrawn in 2018 from Singapore (due to its advocacy of drug use, heavily sanctioned in the Asian country) following a claim by the IMDA (Singapore Communications Development Authority).
- Full Metal Jacket / The Metallic Jacket – Viet Nam, 2017
Stanley Kubrick's legendary anti-war film was withdrawn from Vietnam in 2017 after a request made by the Vietnamese Authority of Broadcasting and Electronic Information (ABEI). - Night of the Living Dead / Night of the Living Dead
Withdrawn from Germany in 2017 at the request of the Commission for Youth Protection (KJM). - The Bridge / The Bridge – New Zealand, 2015
Documentary about the suicides that take place in the Golden Gate of San Francisco. The New Zealand government classified it as "objectionable" after formalizing a request written by the New Zealand Film and Video Labeling Body.
Promotional image of The first temptation, withdrawn from Netflix in Brazil and Singapore for showing a gay Jesus Christ.
Netflix is justified on censorship cases
Netflix sweeps home. The company's position is clear: if they complain, we comply. Its CEO, Reed Hastings, spoke during a conference of the New York Times held last fall regarding the withdrawal of the episode of Patriot Act in United States. As we read in Variety, Hastings was very calm and argued that your company is not dedicated to information, but to entertainment: «We are not in the news business. We are not trying to reveal the truth about power. We are trying to entertain. We don't feel bad at all [referring to Saudi Arabia's withdrawal]."
On the other side of the coin we find the subsequent statements of Ted Sarandos, Chief Content Officer at Netflix, who tried to play down the gravity of your boss's words: «I believe that all entertainment and creative expression is true about power. Without a doubt, stand-up comedy is true about power. Many great movies have changed the course of history."