Blockbuster removes PG-rated flick that has footage unfit for kids
05/04/2002
Mary Dorflinger found something even stranger than a swamp creature on the
DVD version of Swamp Thing that she rented from Blockbuster Video
last month for her 9-year-old son and his friend.
The North Dallas mom discovered the kids staring, stunned, at scenes of
nudity and fondling that didn't appear in the VHS version of the 1982
live-action campy classic starring Adrienne Barbeau and Louis Jourdan.
It belied the PG rating. And she was angry.
"Their eyes were wide as saucers," she said of the boys, who were
watching men fondle women's breasts. And they had already seen more than
expected of Ms. Barbeau's torso.
"It was so upsetting," she said. "I've spent nine years making sure my
kid doesn't see stuff like that. I've spent nine years making sure other
moms know they can trust me not to show their kids stuff like that."
Now, because of her personal crusade, the Swamp Thing DVDs are
off most of the Blockbuster shelves in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and
will be coming off shelves across the country as well, at least
temporarily.
"Clearly a mistake was made," an MGM spokeswoman said in a conference
call that included a Blockbuster spokesman this week. MGM sold the DVD
to Blockbuster. "It's going to be corrected. The version that this
customer used will not be out there with the PG label."
MGM says it made an error when it used an international version of the
film as the master copy for the DVD, rather than the national version of
the film, when it acquired the domestic rights for the movie two years
ago. International versions of American movies often contain more
explicit material, and the international version of Swamp Thing
wasn't rated. The national version, without the full view of Ms. Barbeau
and the later fondling scene, earned the PG rating.
The Internet Movie Database at www.imdb.com notes the additional scenes
on its Web site under the heading "alternate versions." It specifically
mentions that the international version has additional footage of Ms.
Barbeau during a swamp bathing scene. Also, online comments at
Amazon.com note the difference between the international and U.S.
versions.
MGM says it is drafting a statement to all the rental and retail stores
that bought the DVD, which sells for $14.95. A spokeswoman added that
because this isn't a new title, she doesn't know how many copies are out
there. She also said she didn't know how much it would cost to recall
the DVDs or simply slap an amended, possibly R, rating on the film.
"We'll set the DVD versions aside while we work with the MPAA [Motion
Picture Association of America] on the rating," she said. "We've placed
the picture on moratorium, and we don't plan to make any future copies
available until we can rectify the problem."
Customers who have already bought the DVD and have concerns about the
content may call MGM Home Entertainment's customer service line at
310-449-3381 for assistance.
The matter came to the MGM spokeswoman's attention only Wednesday, when
Blockbuster officials alerted her to Ms. Dorflinger's concerns. She
hasn't heard from anyone who has bought the DVD, she said.
Ms. Dorflinger, who rented the DVD from the Blockbuster at Northwest
Highway and Midway Road, said she was upset because she takes such pains
to protect her child from suggestive, violent or scary material. Before
renting Swamp Thing, she checked the rating and watched the first
30 minutes with the kids to make sure the swamp creature wasn't too
scary.
A few minutes after she left the room, her husband walked in to check on
the boys and caught the scene in question. He called her, and she came
running.
Ms. Dorflinger was especially upset after her son's friend said, " 'My
mother is never going to trust you again.' ... I'd just as soon not live
in Dallas as have that reputation."
She said she was also upset with a clerk who had assured her that the
movie was "pretty stupid, but the boys will like it."
Afterward, she made numerous telephone calls to Blockbuster officials,
asking how she could be sure something like this wouldn't happen again
with another film. She also called The Dallas Morning News.
Blockbuster has been an industry leader in monitoring video content and
refuses to carry NC-17 movies. But Ms. Dorflinger's concerns echo
growing doubts among the American public about the ratings system and
how to monitor what children see.
While the spokesmen from MGM and Blockbuster said they cannot promise
there will never be another mistake, they have pledged to increase their
vigilance.
"It's our job to make sure that everything that is distributed is rated
appropriately," said the Blockbuster spokesman. "And we'll be looking
very carefully at international versions from now on."
E-mail: nchurnin@dallasnews.com