Romeo and Juliet Underage Nude Scene Court Case Dismissed
A judge said she will throw out a lawsuit over a nude scene in the 1968 version of “Romeo and Juliet,” after finding that the film is protected by the First Amendment.https://t.co/w8xjHRGumE
- Variety (@Variety) May 25, 2023
- Follow up to the first post
- The Judge (more or less) doesn't consider nudity pornographic, by default:
“Plaintiffs have not put forth any authority showing the film here can be deemed to be sufficiently sexually suggestive as a matter of law to be held to be conclusively illegal,” the judge wrote. “Plaintiffs’ argument on the subject is limited to cherry-picked language from federal and state statutes without offering any authority regarding the interpretation or application of those statutory provisions to purported works of artistic merit, such as the award-winning film at issue here.”
- The actors plan to appeal:
The plaintiffs plan to base the new lawsuit on a Criterion Collection DVD of the film, which came out in February. The Criterion release included a 4K digital restoration, which Gresen argued would restart the statute of limitations.
“Children cannot consent to use of these images,” Gresen said. “They’re profiting off these images without consent.”
- Paramount is pissed:
In response, Paramount’s lawyers called that “completely false and perjured testimony.” Paramount’s lawyers stated that the film “depicts a completely different scene and sequence of events.”
SRC: VARIETY @ TWITTER
This is so much messier than I anticipated. I bought the Criterion (before this lawsuit happened obviously) and it's so gorgeous (directors grossness aside). Legit a stunning restoration. It's such a shame the director is such a piece of shit.