Angelina Jolie might ooze Hollywood glamour, but if she's armed and looking dangerous, the actress is not welcome in Britain.
Britain's media watchdog, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), has banned two posters of Jolie promoting the film "Wanted" after upholding complaints that the images of the gun-toting actress glamorized the use of guns and violence.
One poster showed the actress crouching and holding a gun pointing upward while the other showed her lying on her back across a car's hood, brandishing guns.
The ASA said it had received 17 complaints from people who thought the ads were irresponsible because they glorify and glamorize gun crime at a time when there is increasing public concern in Britain about it.
Some also complained that the posters for the high-tech action thriller co-starring James McAvoy and Morgan Freeman were unsuitable to be seen by children.
"We considered, that because the ads featured a glamorous actress, action poses, several images of or related to guns and aspirational text, they could be seen to glamorize the use of guns and violence," the ASA said in an online ruling.
The film's maker, Universal Pictures, defended the posters, saying the style of the advertisements reflected the film's comic-book roots and providing examples of other ads they believed were more graphic and less stylized than their posters.
Universal Pictures also said that the posters were not placed near schools and appeared in the London Underground system, which does not have a high proportion of children.
Universal, owned by General Electric Co, said the posters for the film, which was released in Britain and the United States in June, were no longer being displayed, and there were no plans for their future use.
安吉莉娜•茱丽或许在好莱坞散发着无穷魅力,但如果在英国她也全副武装、以一幅危险的形象示人,那里的观众可能不会买账。
日前,英国传媒监管机构“广告标准局”宣布禁止投放茱丽的电影《通缉犯》的两张宣传海报,此前有投诉者称,海报中茱丽的持枪形象有美化枪支使用和暴力行为之嫌。
其中一张海报中的茱丽持枪半蹲,枪口指向上方;另一张中茱丽则拿着手枪,躺在发动机盖上。
英国广告标准局称,他们已收到针对该广告的17起投诉,投诉者认为宣传海报不负责任,其内容美化了枪支犯罪行为。而目前,枪支犯罪是英国民众颇为担忧的一个问题。
另一些人则认为,这部高科技动作惊悚片的宣传海报少儿不宜。该片由詹姆斯·迈克埃维和摩根•弗里曼联袂主演。
广告标准局在网上宣布说:“鉴于该广告中出现了著名女星、惊险动作、以及枪支或与枪支有关的画面和暴力内容,可以认定该广告有美化枪支使用和暴力行为的倾向。”
但影片制作公司“环球影业”辩护说,广告的风格体现了影片的漫画渊源,并举出了其它一些比他们的广告更生动、更具风格的广告。
此外,“环球影业”称,宣传海报并没有在学校附近出现,而是投放在儿童很少出现的伦敦地铁里。
据通用电气旗下的“环球影业”公司介绍,他们没有再使用这两幅宣传海报,今后也不会再使用。影片《通缉犯》于今年6月在英国和美国上映。