Antichrist poster complaints rejected
Antichrist poster complaints rejected
Wednesday, 04, Nov 2009 12:01
By Lewis Bazley.
A poster for the controversial film Antichrist was not in breach of advertising standards despite complaints, it has been announced.
Seven complaints were received by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) about the poster for the Lars von Trier movie, which depicted a naked man and woman appearing to have sex at the base of a tree.
The advert featured several quotes from reviews of the film - such as "cinema at its most extreme" and "nothing can prepare you for the experience of Antichrist" - and also warned that the 18-certificate release featured "strong sex, bloody violence and self-mutilation".
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Though complainants to the ASA claimed the advert - published in the Times, Guardian and Independent newspapers - was pornographic and said its content was offensive and inappropriate, the authority has ruled the poster was not in breach of the CAP code (the British Code of Advertising, Sales Promotion and Direct Marketing).
A statement from the ASA said the advert breached neither clause 2.2, concerned with responsible advertising, or clause 5.1, regarding decency.
"The ad, which had a dark tone, was unlikely to cause sexual excitement and was therefore not pornographic," the statement added.
"We were of the view that the Times, the Guardian and the Independent were read mostly by adults and, although the possibility of children seeing the ad in those publications could not be ruled out, we considered it unlikely.
"If children did see the ad, we considered it was not particularly explicit and the dream-like context, introduced by the hands protruding from the tree (or roots), had the effect of making the image of the naked couple seem removed from reality."
All three publications defended their publication of the poster on the grounds of its targeting of an adult audience and surreal imagery, and said they had not received any complaints.