Editing Cunt (section)

===Film===
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The word's first appearance was in graffiti on a wall in the 1969 film ''[[Bronco Bullfrog]]''.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20161124154333/http://www.bbfc.co.uk/releases/bronco-bullfrog-1969 BBFC page for Bronco Bullfrog], under "insight" section – ''Language: Infrequent strong language ('f**k') occurs, as well as a single written use of very strong language ('c**t') which appears as graffiti on a wall.''</ref> The first spoken use of the word in mainstream cinema occurs in ''[[Carnal Knowledge (film)|Carnal Knowledge]]'' (1971), in which Jonathan ([[Jack Nicholson]]) asks, "Is this an ultimatum? Answer me, you ball-busting, castrating, son of a cunt bitch! Is this an ultimatum or not?" In the same year, the word was used in the film ''[[Women in Revolt]]'', in which [[Holly Woodlawn]] shouts "I love cunt" whilst avoiding a violent boyfriend.<ref>{{cite book |last=Murphy |first=J. J. |title=The Black Hole of the Camera: The Films of Andy Warhol |page=239 |publisher=University of California Press |date=4 March 2012 |isbn=978-0-520-27187-6|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MJ4DyN1OmoAC&q=women+in+revolt+cunt&pg=PA239}}</ref> Nicholson later used it again, in ''[[One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (film)|One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest]]'' (1975).<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nme.com/blogs/the-movies-blog/100-random-movie-facts-you-really-need-to-know|title=100 Random Movie Facts You Really Need To Know|last=Nicholls|first=Owen|date=29 March 2012|work=[[NME]]|access-date=13 September 2014}}</ref> Two early films by [[Martin Scorsese]], ''[[Mean Streets]]'' (1973) and ''[[Taxi Driver]]'' (1976), use the word in the context of the [[Madonna–whore complex|virgin-whore dichotomy]], with characters using it after they were rejected (in ''Mean Streets'') or after they have slept with the woman (in ''Taxi Driver'').<ref>{{cite book |last=Levy |first=Emmanuel |title=Cinema of Outsiders: The Rise of American Independent Film |page=118 |publisher=[[New York University Press|NYU Press]] |date=1 March 2001 |isbn=978-0-8147-5124-4 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=L_j3ninWUdsC&pg=PA118 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141019075627/http://books.google.com/books?id=L_j3ninWUdsC&pg=PA118 |archive-date=19 October 2014 }}</ref>

In notable instances, the word has been edited out. ''[[Saturday Night Fever]]'' (1977) was released in two versions, "R" (Restricted) and "PG" (Parental Guidance), the latter omitting or replacing dialogue such as Tony Manero ([[John Travolta]])'s comment to Annette ([[Donna Pescow]]), "It's a decision a girl's gotta make early in life, if she's gonna be a nice girl or a cunt".<ref name="Silverton">{{cite book|last=Silverton|first=Peter|title=Filthy English: The How, Why, When And What Of Everyday Swearing|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xSErq0ssG74C&pg=PT64|year=2011|publisher=Granta|isbn=978-1-84627-452-7|page=64|chapter=Vulvas, Vaginas and Breasts}}</ref> This differential persists, and in ''[[The Silence of the Lambs (film)|The Silence of the Lambs]]'' (1991), [[Clarice Starling|Agent Starling]] ([[Jodie Foster]]) meets [[Dr. Hannibal Lecter]] ([[Anthony Hopkins]]) for the first time and passes the cell of "Multiple Miggs", who says to Starling: "I can smell your cunt." In versions of the film edited for television the word is dubbed with the word [[scent]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0102926/quotes |title=Silence of the Lambs (1991) |publisher=Internet Movie Database |access-date=12 February 2009}}</ref> The 2010 film ''[[Kick-Ass (film)|Kick-Ass]]'' caused a controversy when the word was used by [[Hit-Girl (character)|Hit-Girl]] because the actress playing the part, [[Chloë Grace Moretz]], was 11 years old at the time of filming.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2010/04/14/a-movie-breaks-the-c-word-taboo.html | title=Hollywood Busts a Taboo | newspaper=The Daily Beast | first=Nicole|last=LaPorte | date=14 April 2010 |access-date=13 September 2013}}</ref><ref name="Cox">{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2010/apr/02/kick-ass-bad-language|title=Kick-Ass kicks the c-word into the mainstream|last=Cox|first=David|date=2 April 2010|work=[[The Guardian]]|access-date=13 September 2014}}</ref>

In Britain, use of the word "cunt" may result in an "18" rating from the [[British Board of Film Classification]] (BBFC), and this happened to [[Ken Loach]]'s film ''[[Sweet Sixteen (2002 film)|Sweet Sixteen]]'', because of an estimated twenty uses of "cunt".<ref>{{cite news |url=http://film.guardian.co.uk/censorship/news/0,,804490,00.html |title=Loach tells sweet sixteens to ignore BBFC |work=The Guardian |date=4 October 2002 |access-date=12 February 2009 | location=London}}</ref> Still, the BBFC's guidelines at "15" state that "very strong language may be permitted, depending on the manner in which it is used, who is using the language, its frequency within the work as a whole and any special contextual justification".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://bbfc.co.uk/what-classification/15|title=15 – British Board of Film Classification|access-date=30 December 2016}}{{dead link|date=April 2025|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> Also directed by Loach, ''[[My Name is Joe]]'' was given a 15 certificate despite more than one instance of the word.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbfc.co.uk/releases/my-name-joe-1970-3|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181223075008/http://www.bbfc.co.uk/releases/my-name-joe-1970-3|url-status=dead|archive-date=23 December 2018|title=My Name is Joe rated 15 by the BBFC |publisher=Bbfc.co.uk |access-date=16 July 2016}}</ref> The 2010 [[Ian Dury]] biopic ''[[Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll (film)|Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll]]'' was given a "15" rating despite containing seven uses of the word.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://bbfc.co.uk/website/Classified.nsf/0/550684df5d1e6da9802576930054b16d?OpenDocument&ExpandSection=1#_Section1 |title=Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll rated 15 by the BBFC |publisher=Bbfc.co.uk |access-date=18 December 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111007154124/http://bbfc.co.uk/website/Classified.nsf/0/550684df5d1e6da9802576930054b16d?OpenDocument&ExpandSection=1 |archive-date=7 October 2011 }}</ref> The BBFC have also allowed it at the "12" level, in the case of well known works such as Hamlet.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/the-royal-shakespeare-company-hamlet-q29sbgvjdglvbjpwwc00mja4ota|title= The Royal Shakespeare Company - Hamlet|website=bbfc.co.uk|accessdate=3 May 2025}}</ref>