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21. 07. 09. - 11:00

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21. 07. 09. - 11:00

Lawyer wants ´Brüno´ movie x-rated

By Thomas Hochwarter

An Austrian lawyer has started a campaign to have "Brüno" slapped with an x-rating.

Elisabeth Harasser, an Innsbruck-based lawyer specialising in youth issues, said today (Tues): "The law for the protection of youngsters forbids the display of sexual acts that could endanger the moral and social development of children and teenagers."

And she has started a campaign to reverse the decision to allow "Brüno" to be on release for people aged 14 and older.

Harasser added: "A commission which gives the green light to the release of movies like ‘Bruno’ from an age of 14 fails to fulfil its duty to protect young people."

Harasser is now demanding an x-rating for the film by British comedian Sacha Baron Cohen.

Authorities in the province of Tyrol have confirmed they have launched an official investigation after receiving the lawyer’s complaint.

The movement for an x-rating has already been joined by the Tyrolean Green party with spokeswoman Gebi Mair said they backed Harasser in appealing to authorities to ban teenagers from seeing the film portraying a gay, Hitler-praising fashion reporter from Austria.

Visitor statistics meanwhile revealed the film had a disappointing start in Austria. Latest figures show that more than three times as many Austrian cinema-goers went to see the new animated movie "Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs" in the week when "Brüno" opened - even though it had opened a week before "Brüno".

"Ice Age 3" attracted almost 170,000 people while "Brüno", about a fictional gay Austrian fashion reporter, only lured 50,463 into cinemas in its first week.

The film sparked controversy in the Alpine country and the future Austrian Ambassador in London launched a stinging attack on it. Emil Brix, who will take up his post early next year, recently said it was "totally inappropriate" for the film’s main character to keep linking Austria with the Nazi era.

Brix, currently head of the Culture Department of the Austrian Foreign Ministry, said: "Everybody should speak up against that. Everybody should have to know how to react."

He said Cohen, creator of the character of "Brüno", "probably does so to create as much interest as possible for his film."

Brix controversially added movies by Cannes Palme D’Or winner Michael Haneke represent the "real Austria". Haneke rose to fame with "Funny Games" in 1997, where two psychotics lock a family in a cabin and make them attack each other.

Meanwhile media have been speculating over who is the real role model for "Brüno". While it was initially claimed gay TV presenter Alfons Haider was an influence for Cohen, fashion editor Adi Weiss is also rumoured to be the inspiration behind it.

Austrian Times

Related articles: Brüno mania

1. Austrian version of 'Strictly Come Dancing' to have male couple

   » Panorama 2011-01-12

   An Austrian entertainer tagged as having been Sacha Baron Cohen’s inspiration to create gay fashion journalist Brüno will compete in this year’s "Dancing Stars" show – with a man as his partner.

2. Majority unafraid of bad ´Brüno´ effect, poll shows

   » Panorama 2009-07-30

   The majority of Austrian Times readers think that Austrians do not need to worry about the new "Brüno" movie having a negative effect on the country’s image – because it has already been badly damaged.

3. ´Brüno´ lures Brits to Vienna

   » Business 2009-07-22

   Britons are flooding to Vienna because of Sacha Baron Cohen’s hit comedy "Brüno", tourism bosses in Vienna have said.

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