Oppenheimer's Nude Scenes Are Being Censored In Some Locations With, Uh, A CGI Dress
In a historic event surely on the same scale as the creation of the atomic bomb itself, "Barbenheimer" has given the box office its best weekend since the start of the pandemic. For those who've somehow managed to miss this cultural hinge event, that essentially means Greta Gerwig and Christopher Nolan have, as the phrase goes, "saved the box office," with Gerwig's "Barbie" bringing in an impressive $155 million and "Oppenheimer" exploding expectations with a massive $80 million opening weekend.
While "Barbie" has undoubtedly won this momentous box office battle, Nolan's real triumph is managing to get people out to theaters for a movie based on an original idea β although, his three-hour J. Robert Oppenheimer biopic/thriller is adapted from Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin's biography, "American Prometheus." Nonetheless, Nolan has proven that not everything has to be nostalgia bait or based on existing IP to succeed, and has achieved what his previous film, "Tenet," and even Tom Cruise, couldn't by helping revive a struggling movie theater industry.
All of which apparently pales in comparison to the fact that Florence Pugh, who plays psychiatrist and physician Jean Tatlock, has a nude scene in "Oppenheimer." At least, according to several overseas authorities (or is that Universal?) who deemed the film's nudity absolutely unacceptable, despite being fleeting moments in a tale about the creation of the most destructive weapon in human history and the weighty moral implications that came with having a hand in that process. How best to deal with this perceived outrage? Well, what better method is there than superimposing some bad CGI over Nolan's creation?
Now I am become dress
Christopher Nolan isn't a fan of CGI for CGI's sake. The director famously prefers practical VFX, choosing to eschew computer graphics entirely to recreate a nuclear explosion in "Oppenheimer." But while splitting the atom without digital effects is apparently possible, it seems the naked female form left censors with no option but to break out the CGI.
As reported by Newsweek, Twitter (now "X," apparently) has played host to a number of reports of censorship from overseas moviegoers. Specifically, a scene where Florence Pugh appears nude has seemingly been edited to include a CGI black dress covering the actor's body. One tweet from an Indian user included a screenshot of the moment in question.
The best ever cg work in India award goes to the Indian censor board for florence pugh black dress in #Oppenheimer pic.twitter.com/VRPBy0ARKp
β lucho πͺπΈξ¨ (@busigoatt) July 23, 2023
As Newsweek reports, this censored version of the movie appears to be playing in multiple markets, with one user replying that, "Indonesia has the exact same censorship," while another seemingly confirmed the edited film is also playing in Bangladesh. This all points to Universal Pictures being the culprit behind the scandalous digital dress, as multiple countries' censorship boards couldn't have all conceived of the same "solution."
Earlier this year, India's Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) made multiple changes to the film "Kuttey," including the removal of "full frontal nudity," according to the Indian Express. In this case, however, it seems possible, even likely, that Universal may have tried to pre-empt a similar situation by making a nudity-free version of "Oppenheimer." What's more, there are reports from other Twitter users suggesting several other edits have been made, including "jerk cuts," "black spray paint" and "one single scene which is blurred." And with the runtime reportedly remaining unchanged between the U.S. release and these edited versions, all signs point towards Universal trying to pre-emptively navigate international censorship rules.
What does Nolan think?
In the U.S., "Oppenheimer" is Christopher Nolan's first R-rated movie in 20 years, his last being 2002's "Insomnia." The director's latest effort reportedly earned the rating for "sexuality, nudity, and language," with the general existential despair induced by the horrors of a potential nuclear apocalypse apparently escaping the Motion Picture Association's fastidious eye. Nevertheless, Florence Pugh's full form appears in full 70mm IMAX glory in the U.S. "Oppenheimer" edit.
As does a scene which, despite Universal's apparent efforts to appease international censors, is causing some controversy in India. This time, it seems nudity isn't the issue. Rather, a sex scene involving Pugh's Jean Tatlock and Cillian Murphy's J. Robert Oppenheimer has offended some, including Save Culture Save India Foundation founder Uday Mahurkar who decried the way in which Pugh's character asks Murphy's Oppenheimer to "read Bhagwad Geeta [a revered Hindu text] aloud while getting over him and doing sexual intercourse."
All of which just goes to show that you can try as hard as you like to appease those who might get offended, but you'll never be able to please everyone. There's also the question of how Nolan feels about all this. Aside from the usage of CGI in a film that clearly makes efforts to avoid digital effects wherever possible, there's the question of how this mini debacle could affect Nolan's future movements. The director conspicuously left Warner Bros. behind after the studio announced its controversial day-and-date release strategy for its films in 2021. If Universal did edit "Oppenheimer," did they seek Nolan's permission or contact him at all? If not, does he care? Does anyone care about any of this besides the CBFC?