THR, Esq. | Article Link
In honor of Friday's post about The King's Speech being threatened over use of the "No Animals Harmed" disclaimer, we thought it'd be interesting to take a look
at creative uses of legal warranties & disclaimers in movies. By now, most
cinephiles are familiar with the standard "Any resemblance to actual
persons —living or dead— is purely coincidental." Turns out that
filmmakers have turned cursory legalese into an art form, offering up their own
disclaimers. Here's our list of the best:
- "Any resemblance between Hynkel the dictator and the Jewish barber is purely co-incidental" — The Great Dictator
- "It is the stated position of the United States Air Force that their safeguards would prevent the occurrence of such events as are depicted in this film" — Dr. Strangelove
- "The story, names, characters and incidents portrayed in this production are real. Some goats, pigs, and sheep were nuked during the original photography of some operations." — Trinity and Beyond: The Atomic Bomb Movie.
- "This production has not been approved, endorsed or authorized by the Federal Bureau of Investigation." — The X-Files
- "All characters and events in this show —even those based on real people— are entirely fictional. All celebrity voices are impersonated ... poorly." — South Park
- "No dogs were harmed during the production of this episode. A cat threw up and somebody shot a duck, but that's it." — The Simpsons
- "Disclaimer: 1) a renunciation of any claim to or connection with; 2) disavowal; 3) a statement made to save one's own ass; 4) a foresaid word for not being blamed later. Though it'll go without saying ten minutes or so into these proceedings, View Askew would like to state that this film is from start to finish a work of comedic fantasy, not to be taken seriously. To insist that any of what follows is incendiary or inflammatory is to miss our intention and pass undue judgment; and passing judgment is reserved for God and God alone (this goes for you film critics too... just kidding). So please before you think about hurting someone over this trifle of a film, remember: even God has a sense of humor. Just look at the Platypus. Thank you and enjoy the show. P.S. We sincerely apologize to all Platypus enthusiasts out there who are offended by that thoughtless comment about Platypi. We at View Askew respect the noble Platypus, and it is not our intention to slight these stupid creatures in any way. Thank you again and enjoy the show." — Dogma
- "Any unauthorized exhibition, distribution or copying of this film or any part thereof [including soundtrack] is an infringement of the relevant copyright and will subject the infringer to severe civil and criminal prosecution as well as a midnight call from the Driller-Killer." — Slumber Party Massacre II
- "The preceding film is not intended as an accurate portrayal of blindness or poor eyesight." — Mr. Magoo
- "Selling piratings of this moviedisc will result in punishment by crushing." — Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nations of Kazakhstan
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