Almodóvar trailer pulled from French theaters (12102)

Variety reports that theaters in Montpelier, France, have pulled trailers for Pedro Almodovar's new film Bad Education following pressure from a Catholic fraternity. The Gaumont chain yanked the trailer in the southern city following a complaint lodged by the Fraternity Saint-Pie X, members of which saw the coming attractions prior to a screening of Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ. Almodovar's film deals with sexual abuse committed by Catholic priests in Spain during Francisco Franco's 35-year reign as dictator.

Pierre Devaux-Lemonnier, managing director for Gaumont in Montpelier, told the French newspaper Metro, "We did not want to shock what we felt was needlessly." The France-based League of Human Rights president Michel Tubiana responded with a letter to the French distributor, noting that the censorship of the Bad Education trailer might set a dangerous precedent "whereby those who speak out loudest are judged correct." Bad Education will be the opening night film at May's Cannes Film Festival.