Latest news with #LadyChatterley'sLover
Daily Mirror
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Raunchy period drama adapted from novel banned for 'steamy scenes' streaming now
The racy series was based on a controversial novel A period drama that will leave audiences hot under the collar is streaming now, after fans have enjoyed one drama deemed "sublime" and another hailed the "alternative Austen". The BBC series is just one of many adaptations of a novel that was banned due to the social mores of the time. However, this version has been praised by many viewers for capturing the spirit of the book. One 10/10 review on IMDb read: 'A truly masterful performance for all involved. I did not even know this existed until recently and I sat to watch it in one sitting.' Another person praised the show's aesthetics in their review: 'An excellent work of art in a long and expertly made movie. Being almost totally visual, I must admit I'm carried away by visually beautiful movies, and this one is tops.' A third person titled their review: 'A beautiful, complicated love story I enjoyed' and explained: 'This movie was very enjoyable as well as instructive. 'It was enjoyable because it was so faithful to the most popular version of the story and instructive about how people conducted their lives after WW1 in England.' Lady Chatterley came out in 1993, and charted the passionate affair between an upper-class woman, Constance Chatterley (played by Joely Richardson) and her working-class groundskeeper, Oliver Mellors (Sean Bean). Constance and Mellors initially had an arrangement whereby she would fall pregnant and claim the child was her injured WWI veteran husband Sir Clifford Chatterley's (James Wilby) child. However, the agreement quickly gave way to feelings between Constance and Mellors, with their affair marking a sexual and spiritual awakening for her. The show has won praise for its depiction of the novel and also leading man Bean. One person commented on IMDb: 'This is the definitive Lady Chatterley's Lover' and the noted: 'After having seen all the film adaptations of Lady Chatterley's Lover 1981 onwards, in my opinion none of them can hold a candle to (this) Ken Russell's version. It has beauty, poetry, squalor and vision.' Another audience member urged viewers to watch Lady Chatterley for Bean and said the series 'belongs' to him, 'who gets his teeth in and doesn't let go'. Someone else commented: 'Sean Bean Amazes Yet Again' and elaborated: 'I have followed his career since seeing the Sharpe's episodes and in everything he is in, he takes the part and makes it his own. A simply wonderful effort and a beautifully touching love story.' The four-part series was adapted from D.H. Lawrence's 1928 novel Lady Chatterley's Lover, which was banned in the UK, America, Australia, India, Japan, and other countries for obscenity. It wasn't until 1960 with the outcome of the British obscenity trial R v Penguin Books Ltd that people in the UK were finally able to read the novel. Unsurprisingly, the book quickly became a bestseller after its lengthy censorship. The novel had been banned in Britain after it was deemed indecent and immoral due to its sexual content and explicit language. Lady Chatterley's Lover also featured an inter-class romance, which was taboo at the time given Britain's rigid social structure, not to mention featuring an extramarital affair. The novel has been published privately in the late 1920s in France and Italy, the BBC reported, but was censored by others after this.
Gulf Today
05-06-2025
- General
- Gulf Today
Bill opens the Gates to his wealth
All of us have heroes, but they keep changing. In school, it was my geography teacher. He was captivatingly anecdotal and a fantastic orator. When he spoke about the mountains, the rivers, the forests, it was as if we were being taken on a conducted tour of the world of nature. My other hero in school was my class teacher. He was a rare mix of authority and humility. He didn't believe in the power of spanking and allowed his smiles to rescue a tense moment. My last hero was our very popular football coach. He saw the lover of the game in me and encouraged me to play the game with passion. Then came college and with it new heroes. Even before I had reached the 100th page of Fyodor Dostoevsky's mind-blowing tale, Crime and Punishment, the Russian genius had become my new hero. Then pulsating youth fell for Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights. Bronte almost took the place of Dostoevsky. The situation forced me toadmire those who worked toreduce the bitterness I felt the same after I read Albert Camus's The Outsider, D.H. Lawrence's Lady Chatterley's Lover and Thomas Hardy's Tess of the d'Urbervilles. Well, one morning I woke up to discover that it was high time fiction made way for reality to take over. And in days, I realised that it was going to be bitter. The bitterness came in the form of lack of water, food scarcity, homelessness. Shockingly, one set of human beings enjoyed glittering dwellings, heavenly cuisines and aerated water. Another set was hit by killer droughts, unending starvation and roofless homes. The situation forced me to admire those who worked to reduce the bitterness. The fight against life's inconsiderate ways threw up Mother Teresa, Abdul Sattar Edhi and Ratan Tata. They became my heroes. But I was tempted to rethink my list when I heard that Bill had decided to open the Gates to his wealth to make life somewhat less bitter for some. Bill Gates pledged he would donate 99% of his tech fortune to the Gates Foundation, which will now close in 2045, earlier than previously planned. Gates pledged to give away almost his entire personal wealth in the next two decades and said the world's poorest would receive some $200 billion via his foundation at a time when governments worldwide are slashing international aid. The pledge is among the largest philanthropic gifts ever — outpacing the historic contributions of industrialists like John D. Rockefeller and Andrew Carnegie when adjusted for inflation. Only Berkshire Hathaway investor Warren Buffett's pledge to donate his fortune — currently estimated by Forbes at $160 billion — may be larger depending on stock market fluctuations. 'It's kind of thrilling to have that much to be able to put into these causes,' Gates said in an interview. Therefore, they who, almost all, stopped me from drinking Coca-Cola (Coke Zero) were not fully right because Buffett inspired Bill. They are trying to can the bitterness.
Indian Express
29-04-2025
- General
- Indian Express
Opinion Supreme Court's comments on obscenity in OTT make us think again: What is obscene?
'Obscenity only comes in when the mind despises and fears the body, and the body hates and resists the mind.' This quote from D H Lawrence's book Lady Chatterley's Lover still haunts the obscenity jurisprudence across the world. The Supreme Court's recent observation in a public interest litigation case titled Uday Mahurkar and others v Union of India and others, that there is a requirement to regulate 'obscene' content on Over the Top (OTT) and social media platforms, has reignited the debate over the definition of obscenity and the necessity of judicial intervention to curb it down. This and the earlier controversy over Ranveer Allahabadia have made us ask again: Where do we draw the line between free speech and obscenity? Obscenity in India: A legal history Historically, India's approach to obscenity has been deeply influenced by colonial morality. Section 294 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), a successor to Section 292 of the Indian Penal Code, criminalises acts deemed lascivious or appealing to prurient interest. However, what we read as IPC section 292 today (first introduced in 1925) came after India participated in the International Convention for Suppression of Traffic in Obscene Literature in 1923. Similarly, Section 67 of the Information Technology Act penalises the transmission or publication of obscene materials, and section 67A penalises the transmission or publication of sexually explicit content in electronic form. However, both provisions are subject to exceptions provided in section 67B. Furthermore, the Cable Television Network Rules of 1994 prohibit showing any content on cable TV that is obscene (Rule 6(d)) and which shows indecent representation of women (Rule 6(k)). What is deemed 'obscene' has not remained constant. Initially judged through the Victorian-era Hicklin test, to the contemporary Community Standards test laid down in Aveek Sarkar v State of West Bengal (2014), the judiciary has moved toward a more contextual understanding of obscenity. The Supreme Court has also clarified, notably in the College Romance case, that the mere use of profanity does not constitute obscenity unless it arouses sexual thoughts. OTT platforms and controversies Online streaming platforms, which were valued at around Rs 500 crore in 2019, have now expanded to an impressive Rs 4000 crore. But, with the growing market, they have also come under the sharp radar of various regulatory authorities. In 2021, the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) took action against the Netflix series Bombay Begums, accusing it of showing minors engaging in inappropriate and obscene behaviour. Similarly, producer Ekta Kapoor and her mother, Shobha Kapoor, were booked under the POCSO Act for allegedly showing obscene scenes involving minors in shows aired on their OTT platform ALT Balaji. In another case, the NCPCR lodged complaints against the Ullu app, known for streaming adult content, for distributing 'obscene and objectionable material'. Under mounting pressure, including from Google, Ullu was forced to scale down its adult content, a sharp reminder that market forces and regulatory threats can together curtail free expression. In 2023, the Modi government released a draft bill, the Broadcasting Services (Regulation) Bill, 2023, to replace the three-decades-old Cable Television Networks Regulation Act of 1995, for regulating content on such platforms. The draft Broadcasting Bill mandated compliance with a Programme and Advertisement Code for both traditional and OTT broadcasters, with penalties for violating 'decency' and 'morality' standards. It also required content to be self-classified by theme and audience, with age ratings and parental controls. However, following widespread criticism that the Bill infringed upon freedom of the press and free speech, the government eventually withdrew it. These developments — and the government's broader push to regulate content — rest heavily on the argument of reasonable restrictions under the Constitution's Article 19(2), on the grounds of morality and decency. However, we must understand that imposing such restrictions should not evolve into disproportionate censorship. Can we really define obscenity? The higher judiciary, through various judgments, has tried to define 'obscenity'. But, is it at all possible to define obscenity in deterministic terms? Justice Potter famously remarked in Jacobellis v Ohio (1964): 'I shall not today attempt further to define the kinds of material…But I know it when I see it, and the motion picture involved in this case is not that'. Shabana Azmi's film Fire, released in 1996, faced a ban in India due to its allegedly obscene portrayal of a lesbian relationship. However, society has evolved since then, and the idea of obscenity has also changed. It is now crucial for the government to ensure that while regulating content on OTT platforms, it does not curtail the idea of freedom of art and expression, because what may be offensive to some people today may not be so for the future generation.
Daily Mail
23-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE How Liz Hurley's son Damien played a key role in her new romance with Billy Ray Cyrus - as friends reveal the VERY surprising dynamic that's led to love: ALISON BOSHOFF
Well, yee-haw! Liz Hurley, our very own jolly hockey sticks bombshell, has found a cowboy to soothe her heart in the unlikely form of troubled, tattooed singer Billy Ray Cyrus. He arrives in her life with considerable baggage and a suspiciously ebony beard. It's the unlikeliest of romances. Of course it is easy to see what attracted Billy Ray, freshly and disastrously divorced, to La Hurley. At 59, she still boasts the sweeping hair, pillowy cleavage and perfectly slicked pout which have been her show-stopping trademarks for more than 25 years. She and Billy Ray, 63, co-starred in a terrible film, Christmas In Paradise, which was made in 2021 and released in 2022, and although he's since divorced one wife – then married and divorced another – there is talk that there was a 'spark' between them when they were filming in the Caribbean. That spark has ignited into a full-on love affair, announced via an Instagram post – a photo of him planting an affectionate kiss on Liz's cheek – on Easter Sunday. But what on earth does Elizabeth, as she insists on being called, see in him? The answer, I can reveal, is that the Kentucky-born Achy Breaky Heart singer – father of pop icon Miley Cyrus – is a man's man and he makes her, in the words of another country mega-hit, feel like a woman. It's rather a re-run, then, of her romance with incorrigible larrikin charmer Shane Warne and that got as far as an engagement and the tentative setting of a date before they called it quits in 2013. (Famously, Hurley put cricket icon 'Horny Warnie' on a diet, calmed down his brassy highlights and even had him wearing moisturiser and tinted lip balm. Maybe she is hoping to work a similar magic on her rough-around-the-edges cowboy.) A friend says Sunday's announcement picture, apparently taken on Liz's 200-acre sheep and alpaca farm in Herefordshire by her son Damian, says it all: 'She likes to get a man on the farm and see how they deal with it, see how much of a man they are. She likes a man to be a man, to be rugged. 'The dynamic is that he kind of worships her, which she really likes. She has been joking that they are like Lady Chatterley and Mellors [the gamekeeper in D.H. Lawrence's novel Lady Chatterley's Lover] but that perhaps they will live happily ever after.' Liz has been telling friends he is her 'gentleman caller', which is 'very Elizabeth. It's a kind of a coy joke. I don't think its heading for an engagement at this point, but it's serious enough to go public. She enjoys the attention and the flattery and he is in showbusiness so he gets it. He understands her life and he has status. 'And he has money, which is a good thing. I hear he is very generous. Mostly though she loves how he can't stop talking about how wonderful she is.' There is one very significant figure in all of this: Damian, Liz's 23-year-old son by playboy lover Steve Bing, who infamously dumped her when she was pregnant. I'm told: 'The new relationship is filling a void because Damian has moved out. He's got his own place in Earl's Court [west London] so although they still see each other a lot and are really close, it's not just the two of them at home any more.' Liz has always had 'walkers' to take her to events and people to flirt with, my source says, but at this point there is space in her life for a full-on romance: 'She is the kind of woman that needs a man and this has come at just the right time for her.' My source adds: 'She does like the attention and he has been love-bombing her with attention. 'It only really took off about six weeks ago, although he was texting her a lot before then – I guess for a few months before. He has been writing her the most beautiful texts three or four times a day. She says they are almost like poetry. Saying how beautiful and young and sexy she is.' That of course will be music to Liz's ears. And the wave of global publicity which has followed the Insta-announcement has been similarly lapped up by the actress, whose career has never quite reached the heights of long-time boyfriend Hugh Grant, although she has worked hard to make money – first as a model for Estee Lauder and now via her swimwear company, which she relentlessly promotes. My source says: 'The romance is not just for the cameras but she won't be disappointed that it has put her back on the front pages globally.' Liz was allegedly downcast by the lukewarm reception received last year by Strictly Confidential, the film that was directed by her son and in which she starred. 'She had hoped it would see her following a Demi Moore path and being reassessed as an actress. She thinks she is as good an actress as Demi and that she looks as good. She is still interested in the spotlight.' Perhaps it's all the more painful for Liz as former lover Grant, who rose to fame as a handsome romcom leading man, nabbed a Bafta nomination last year for his spine-chilling lead in the film Heretic. Grant, happily married with children – two with actress Tinglan Hong and three with his now-wife Anna Eberstein – was also the best thing in Paddington 2, in 2020, playing master of disguise Phoenix Buchanan. He brought the house down with his performance of Sondheim's Rain On The Roof, sung over the final credits. Liz and Hugh are still friends long after their romance ended. Speaking of friends, as you might expect, her choice of a new beau – who played at US President Donald Trump's inauguration – has been met with an intake of breath in her sophisticated social circle. 'People cannot believe it,' I'm told. However, Billy Ray has Damian's approval. As a child, he loved watching him play the father of Hannah Montana, in turn played by his then teenage daughter Miley. And Hurley wouldn't get serious with anyone without Damian's say-so. Also, her very best friend, Sir Elton John, is determined to be happy for her. This may take some effort as he's been on very friendly terms for a long time with Miley, who has fallen out with her father. But Elton and Liz have been tight since the Bing days and he is 'the most loyal person on the planet'. In Elton's eyes, I'm told, Liz can do no wrong. However, there are evidently mixed emotions among Billy Ray's friends and family. While Damian posted a party emoji and a heart to indicate his approval, not one of Billy Ray's six children has reacted to the Instagram post. Sources in America say that the singer's first wife Tish, 57, 'had her thoughts and suspicions' that her husband was getting entangled with Liz while they were making Christmas In Paradise, but said: 'Billy Ray flat out denied it.' The source tells me: 'They got very close on the set and seeing them together now is a slap in the face for Tish, but it also confirms that she was likely right about her suspicions. They never stopped being in contact.' Tish and Billy Ray officially divorced in April 2022 after nearly three decades of marriage. In court papers, Tish said they had not lived together since 2020, so by the time he was making Christmas In Paradise they were separated. The couple had daughters Miley, 32, Noah, 25, and son Braison, 30. Billy Ray also adopted Tish's daughter Brandi, 37, and son Trace, 36, from a previous marriage. He also has a son, Christopher, 33, by a former girlfriend. Tish has spoken of 'disrespect' on both sides of the marriage. They had previously filed for divorce – but reconciled – in 2011 and 2013. In 2022, they announced they were finally divorcing with a joint statement: 'After 30 years, five wonderful children and a lifetime of memories, we have decided to go our separate ways, not with sadness, but with love in our hearts. We grew up together, we formed a family that we can be very proud of, and now it's time to create our own paths.' Billy Ray's path headed straight to another woman – the singer Firerose, real name Johanna Rose Hodges, whom he had first met in 2007 on the set of Hannah Montana. They started dating in May 2022 and were married in October 2023, before splitting in May 2024. It seems to have been an unhappy whirlwind. After an increasingly bitter and public break-up, during which each accused the other of verbal and emotional abuse, court documents show that Firerose walked away with nothing. Meanwhile, Billy Ray was becoming estranged from his children. Adopted son Trace – a recovering alcoholic – said Billy Ray was concerningly absent from all their lives. Two days after a chaotic performance at Trump's inauguration in January, which had numerous technical issues, Trace posted a message on Instagram asking his dad to get help. He wrote: 'Sadly the man that I wanted so desperately to be just like, I barely recognize now. It seems this world has beaten you down and it's become obvious to everyone but you. 'You may be upset with me for posting this but I really could care less at this point. Me and the girls have been genuinely worried about you for years but you've pushed all of us away. 'You're not healthy Dad & everyone is noticing it. As I write this with tears in my eyes I hope you realize this message only comes from a place of love and also fear that the world may lose you far too soon. I don't know what you're struggling with exactly but I think I have a pretty good idea & I'd love to help you if you would open up and receive the help.' A Cyrus family source insisted that, contrary to Trace's post, the singer was 'completely sober' during the performance, adding: 'Billy Ray is healthy and happy and doesn't do any substances. The man doesn't drink. He doesn't do drugs.' Soon after Trace's post appeared, Billy Ray appealed for 'the start of healing' for his family. He wrote: 'Sunday callin. Giving thanks for the California Rain. Praying for the brokenhearted and their pain. Praying for my family. For my children… sons and daughters... and their mother. Let this moment be the start of healing for us all. The past does not equal the future.' How both the new lovebirds must be hoping that holds true. Liz has had enough heartache to power a career's worth of country songs. Her romance with Grant disintegrated after his encounter with LA hooker Divine Brown. Bing dumped her when she was pregnant and many years later died by suicide. Indian tycoon Arun Nayar had seemed the answer to a prayer, but their marriage only lasted for 45 months. Warne proved too much to handle, with rumours of sexting sprees with other women. Liz said his sudden death of a heart attack in 2022 was devastating. For both Liz and Billy Ray, then, embarking on a new relationship is the triumph of hope over experience. The question is: will their shared romantic optimism be vindicated?
South China Morning Post
08-03-2025
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
Book bans, burnings in ancient China were a loss for all. Is history repeating itself?
Officials in conservative communities in the United States have been removing books from schools and libraries, to the outrage and dismay of liberal-minded Americans. This process has reportedly been accelerated since Donald Trump became president in January 2025. Advertisement The Trump administration has dismissed the idea that it is banning books, arguing that because books are only removed from libraries rather than being outlawed for sale, there is no encroachment on free speech. Detractors counter that the purpose of libraries is to preserve and provide a diversity of ideas that may not be easily or equally available to everyone. Besides, they charge that books addressing racism, gender and revisionist American history – which 'anti-woke' right-wing Americans find objectionable – have been disproportionately targeted. The West is no stranger to book bans. D.H. Lawrence's Lady Chatterley's Lover and Henry Miller's Tropic of Cancer were banned in multiple countries, including Australia, Britain, Canada and the United States until the second half of the 20th century. The red scare of the 1950s saw the US censoring books and publications that were deemed to be sympathetic to communism. The Library of Congress in Washington. The Trump administration has dismissed the idea that it is banning books. Photo: Shutterstock One of the most dramatic, and terrifying, demonstration of the intolerance of ideas in recent times was the Nazi book burnings of the 1930s, when ceremonial bonfires of books representing ideologies opposed to Nazism were lit across Germany and Austria.
