General Chat

The following is on the BBC News website

Mary Poppins, the classic film starring Julie Andrews, has had its age rating raised by British film censors because it features "discriminatory language". :-0

The 1964 film has been reclassified from a U, which stands for universal, to a PG, for parental guidance.

In it, a derogatory term originally used by white Europeans about nomadic peoples in southern Africa is used to refer to soot-faced chimney-sweeps.

In the film, Admiral Boom, a neighbour and Naval veteran who thinks he is still in charge of a ship, uses the word twice.

"Mary Poppins (1964) includes two uses of the discriminatory term 'hottentots'.

The Oxford English Dictionary says the term, which referred to the Khoikhoi and San people, is "generally considered both archaic and offensive".

"While Mary Poppins has a historical context, the use of discriminatory language is not condemned, and ultimately exceeds our guidelines for acceptable language at U. We therefore classified the film PG for discriminatory language."

The British Board of Film Classification said it classified the film in 1964 and then again for a re-release in 2013.

"Most recently, the film was resubmitted to us in February 2024 for another theatrical re-release, and we reclassified it PG for discriminatory language," a spokesperson said.

The BBFC said its research about racism and discrimination showed that a key concern for people, particularly parents, was "the potential to expose children to discriminatory language or behaviour which they may find distressing or repeat without realising the potential offence".


Well, I've seen the film many times and I have to admit I don't recall hearing the derogatory term before, as I had to look it up, and therefore have never used it :-S :-S

The world's gone mad.
Sorry - I mean the world has mental health issues.

The Mary Poppins books were written in the early 1930s, but Mary Poppins first appeared in a short story in 1926..
Assuming the books were also set in the 1920s-1930s, if not earlier, I'm sure Admiral Boom (if he had been a real person) , who was reliving his past in any case, would indeed have used that term, and other similar words not approved of nowadays.
Such words would have been in common use in his social class and circle.

Why can't people just accept that things were different then?


“The past is a foreign country: they do things differently there.”
L P Hartley

My sentiments entirely, AG :-)

My sentiments also AG.

Sometimes I think they would do well to consider the things that really matter.

I have also seen the film more than once and even watched part of it very recently when it was on when I was wanting something non brain stressing to watch. I remember the bit with the chimney sweeps but can't say I remember that word at all and also have never used it so it had no effect on me. I have also not heard any children (for whom the film, I would imagine, was written) shouting the word at other children. People are paid good money for this rubbish, :-) :-)

I think I'll have to watch the film yet again, just to check!
I certainly don't remember anything like that.

If I were a nomad in southern Africa, I suppose I might feel aggrieved.

A lot of folk just look for something to get offended over. What is done in the past should stay in the past we can't and shouldn't change it but learn from it for the future.

Wasn't there talk awhile ago about having to re-write some books?

Surely the past is the past. new films and book are nowadays more PC than say 50 years ago but you cant rewrite history so why on earth change Mary Poppins??

Honestly there are more important things going on in the world.

Florence in the hebrides

The film was made 60 years ago and only now do they deem the term derogatory even though it must have been back then.....think of the millions of kiddywinks that have viewed the film in the meantime :-0 :-0

Next there will be all those parents suing the makers of the film :-0 :-D

Apparently when making a complaint, you, personally, dont have to be offended.

You can be offended on behalf of someone else. :-S

Interesting MotownGal.

There's a bit in 'The Sound of Music' when one of the German nuns shouts at Maria, in a German accent - 'You Can't'!

...now, did I mishear that...?
'

maggie :-D :-D :-D

#!clutches pearls#

Oh no Maggie! Surely not our Julie! :-0 :-0 :-D ;-)