The Artist's Jean Dujardin: Too Sexy for French Censors (But What About Oscar?)
Banned in France! Well, kinda: Movie posters featuring Oscar-nominated Jean Dujardin, up for Best Actor for his turn as a silent film star in the sweet and wholesome The Artist, have been deemed too racy by French censors who recommended that certain billboards for Dujardin's French language film Les Infidels (The Players) be taken down. Judging from the film's redband trailer, Les Infidels is a comedy that features lots and lots of sex. Dirty sex. Upside down sex, suggest the naughty, naughty posters!
According to The Hollywood Reporter, who picked up the trail after French media went to town on the racy materials, Les Infidels is "a series of sketches from directors including Dujardin, Lellouche, Fred Cavaye, Eric Lartigau, Emmanuelle Bercot, Alexandre Courtes and Michel Hazanavicius all centering around the theme of male infidelity."
Dujardin and co-star Gilles Lellouche appear in the posters in pseudo-in flagrante poses, boasting douchey looks of self-satisfaction accessorized by faceless women and female body parts. Of course, pointing out the ridiculousness of these fellas' wanton use of women for sex is probably the entire point of the film (I'm guessing/hoping), but y'know...
Above tagline translation, per THR: “It’s going to cut out. I’m entering a tunnel.” Tres classy! But you tell me: Are these posters (courtesy of the film's Facebook page) so bad? And, more relevant to this season: Can these raunchy images damage Dujardin's hold on the Best Actor race?
For more of a sense of the film, and to see Oscar's leading man get down and dirty, watch the French language redband trailer (via EW):
Follow Jen Yamato on Twitter.
Follow Movieline on Twitter.
Subscribe to the new Movieline on YouTube
Comments
I'm sorry, but isn't it the Parisians who are always declaring how sexually repressed we uptight Americans can be? Now some suggestive posters come out and look at whoes brie is curdling at the affront.
Since Hollywood has abandoned adult themed films for family friendly and cartoon films....I'm in!
These are probably some of the most restrained depictions of sex I've ever seen. And the FRENCH of all people are getting uptight about it??
*monocle falls into champagne*
Well, I never!
How is it that Jen always seems to end up with these type of stories?
VanAirsdale's the classy one. Lowbrow is my thing.
Seems the case, but VanAirsdale called the contest, and so at the very least got this one time a low blow to one with a furrowed brow. I'd take it; it's as close as you're likely to get to parity.
It looks like a Tuesday in Vegas, so Mais Oui!!!
I've seen a lot worse than this, to be honest. I personally don't see how a subject like adultery can be made into something funny, but as a female, I'm not offended by the ads or the trailer. And clearly it's not going to be a film as beautiful and meaningful as The Artist, which is fine. It doesn't have to be, there's no point in getting so worked up about it and there's no reason why it should jeopardize his chance for an Oscar.
This is ridiculous - these posters racy and sexist?? COME ON.
I think it's just the oscars race turning dirty, with the help of the media.
I can understand the French got scared now they want Dujardin to win the oscar, but they've done more harm than THAT poster could ever have.
Does this mean that the very sexy french people are actually more repressed than Americans? Or will it be banned in the US too?
They didn't go far enough. These should be motion posters.
The posters are with two totally different men. Jean DuJardin is in the first poster only.
My coder is trying to convince me to move to .