14 DAY TRIAL // Angelina Jolie moves magazines and papers better than any other celebrity out there – and she does so even when she’s not really doing anything out of the ordinary. If there is one thing that she cannot sell, though, then that must be the DVD for her 2008 movie “Wanted.” The ASA has decided that an advert for the release of the film will no longer run on TV following a ruling that Jolie can be seen as glorifying violence in it, The Associated Press informs.
Although only one complaint was filed regarding the commercial for the DVD, it was more than enough to get the ASA (Advertising Standards Authority) moving towards analyzing it. The ruling was just one: the ad and, implicitly, Angelina Jolie glamorize and glorify violence, and Universal Pictures will see to it that it will never run on TV in its current form ever again in the UK.
According to the AP, the complaint the industry watchdog received focused on a shot of Angelina’s face, close-up, as she was firing a gun at the viewer, while the voiceover deemed her performance “blazingly” hot. “The actress was shown kissing co-star James McAvoy who was also seen firing a gun during the advert which included car chase and a voice-over describing Wanted as ‘the coolest movie of the year’.” the AP further reports. From this, the ASA decided that people could be falsely led into believing that using guns was hot and “glamorous,” for which reason the ad was banned.
“We concluded the ad could be seen to condone violence by glorifying or glamorizing the use of guns.” the ASA said. Initially, the Authority ruled that the ad not be shown only at times when young children might see it but, upon further consideration, decided that it “was also inappropriate to be seen by older children because it could be seen to condone violence by glorifying or glamorizing the use of guns.”
For those who are not in the know, “Wanted” premiered last year, and has already ended its theatrical run. Yes, some say, it is a very violent movie and, yes, it is not suitable for children (as neither is its trailer), but this somehow feels like the ASA is looking for a scapegoat because there are countless other movies out there, even more violent, with which the movie studios had no such issues in the past.