Paddington Bear film forced to cut mutual masturbation scene
StudioCanal has voluntarily cut a controversial scene of mutual masturbation from the new Paddington Bear film. âWe have taken advice from the British Board of Film Classification,â saidÂ a spokesperson for the film. âAnd we have decided to remove a scene in which Paddington Bear watches the teenage daughter of the Brown family engage in mutual masturbation with her boyfriend in a parked car.â âWhilst there was no more than two or three seconds shown of an erect penis, and no implication at all that the bear was either involved or aroused, we accept that the scene may be too strong for a film aimed at under-fives.â The controversial scene came to light after early previews of the film proved upsetting for some of the younger audience. âShe touched him on the thing,â said six-year-old Susie Davis of Strood. Susieâs mother was left concerned by the scene. She told us, âIt did seem a little ill-judged. I didnât really understand why it was necessary to be so explicit? Couldnât they have just implied the mutual masturbation?â However the filmmakers defended the sceneâs importance to the filmâs narrative. âThe thing you have to understand about Paddington Bear,â said writer Michael Bond. âIs that he is an extremely curious bear. The parked car scene is a wonderful chance to explore that curiosity.â âI originally planned to have a junkie in the car sobbing as he injected heroin between his toes, but I wanted something a little more positive.â The scene may be re-inserted for a âlonger-hotter-harderâ DVD release of the film.