USA trims graphic 9/11 scene from film
HOLLYWOOD, California (Variety) -- USA Network announced Friday that it has deleted a graphic scene from September 11, 2001, in its upcoming Rudy Giuliani biopic.
The move indicates that the process of determining what 9/11 images are appropriate remains a struggle in some parts of Hollywood.
The tape of "Rudy: The Rudy Giuliani Story" that the network rushed to reviewers was an early edit that includes a scene in which a body falls from the north tower of the World Trade Center. That shot has been cut from the final version that the cable net will present to viewers March 30.
USA sent a letter to journos saying that "after much internal discussion, we have decided that the potential distress that could be caused by one particular shot -- a shot of a body falling from the north tower -- outweighs its place in the accounting of the life of Rudy Giuliani."
The situation is symptomatic of the challenges networks like USA face in getting tapes of topical projects out in time to meet reviewers' deadlines. More often than not, the review copies USA sends out are not final cuts.
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