Beauty and the Beast ban: Here's a look at Hollywood directors who refused to make the cut

Disney's Beauty and the Beast premieres in theatres this weekend and the film has been facing criticism from many quarters over the gay character in the movie.

The film, that sees Disney openly discussing sexuality, has been banned for children under the age of 16 in Russia. It has now been reported that the Emma Watson-starrer will not hit cinemas in Malaysia as well.

The Malaysian censor board has banned the movie in the country because Disney refused to cut a dance sequence between villain Gaston and his manservant, LeFou from the movie. Director Bill Condon described the few seconds-long scenes involving the two characters as including a "gay moment." Condon has said that the LeFou character, who has an apparent crush on Gaston, is "confused about his sexuality."

Also Read: Beauty and the Beast: Here's why kids under 16 are not allowed to watch the Emma Watson-starrer in Russia

This statement sparked a rage among censor boards across the world that led to a number of countries imposing different restrictions on the movie. But Disney's Beauty and the Beast is not the first movie that saw a director refuse to accept cuts. Here are other Hollywood movies that chose to get banned than taking a cut from the censor board. Take a look:

Fifty Shades series:

The popular erotica series, Fifty Shades of Grey and Fifty Shades Darker has been banned for sexual content. Many censor boards could not accept the BDSM parts leading to a ban. The Jamie Dornan – Dakota Johnson-starrer did not release in Malaysia, Indonesia, Russia's North Caucasus, UAE, Papua New Guinea, Cambodia and India.

Deadpool:

The R-Rated film was banned in China due to explicit content. The Marvel did not get a chance to debut in the World's second largest movie market after the Chinese censor board denied permission to screen in China due to its violence, nudity and graphic language. Altering the movie with the cuts would hinder the film's storytelling, so the production house chose the ban over spoiling the film.

Schindler's List:

Stephen Spielberg's 1993 classic is considered as an iconic film that every movie watcher should watch. However, not all censor boards felt that same when the film reached the reviewing table. The historical period based during the Holocaust by the legendary film maker faced a ban in Indonesia on the basis on being sympathetic to the Jewish cause.

The Da Vinci Code:

Touch anything relevant to the history of religion and the film industry nabs it down and traps into a box of "do not watch." Based on a book with the same title, The Da Vinci Code, starring Tom Hanks and Audrey Tautou, did not have a theatrical debut in a number of countries. Director Ron Howard chose to release it in limited screens than temper the storylines. It was banned in Egypt, many parts of India, Pakistan, Lebanon, Jordan and Sri Lanka to name a few. However, this did not affect the box office reception of the movie as it became the second highest grosser of that year.

The Last Temptation of Christ:

Martin Scorsese's 1988 masterpiece, The Last Temptation of Christ, was released amidst a lot of controversy. The story line was criticised by many viewers and censor boards across the world. This resulted in a number of countries, including Greece, Turkey, Mexico, Chile, Argentina, Philippines and Singapore banning and censoring the movie.