The Crash Controversy: Censorship Campaigns and Film Reception Book

Between 1996-97 an almost unprecedented campaign was mounted in the British press against one film: David Cronenberg´s Crash. Ultimately unsuccessful, the year-long campaign went to extremes to try to get the film banned (where it still is in one London borough). What motivated this campaign? What can it tell us about British film culture? What impact did the campaign have on general audiences? And with all those claims of corruption and depravity, what did ordinary viewers -whether they loved it or hated it -have to say about Crash? This book, which draws on a year-long investigation funded by the Economic and Social Research Council, offers a series of important and challenging findings. The Crash Controversy is thus a major contribution to our understanding of censorship campaigns, how audiences respond to films of a controversial nature, and the strategies employed in engaging with such texts.Read More