This is what happens when you mix morals with a desire for the smallest amount of profit possible. You get the Showgirls television edit, apparently prepared for Logo. Why Showgirls would be worthy of a television edit is anyone's guess – there are a lot of cable channels, and they can't show original programming forever. And somehow, Logo's gay fanbase is absolutely gaga for Paul Verhoeven's bad taste trashterpiece. But, Logo is guessing, they just aren't fans of all those nipples.
Which is why, in addition to the terrible dubbing, we have the innovation that is the "digital bra," created by computer animators covering up every instance of bare breasts. Which is hilarious, because Logo doesn't have that massive a viewership. Was it really worth the cash to purchase the rights to air an NC-17 movie that flopped in theaters, and then hire computer animators to dab something weirdly inhuman over the bare chest of every woman? (Thanks to The Playlist for finding this clip.)
Who exactly is being protected here? Are you trying to sanitize Showgirls for younger audiences? Is there a point where you leave in the intimations of rape, prostitution and abuse but color over all the boobies and assume the movie is now safe for a thirteen year old? Overediting movies for broadcast used to be a hilarious wrinkle in movie history, but with the advent of cable and the (sloooowly) relaxing restrictions on content from the ratings boards, it's more of an anomaly. Yes, we can turn on a television in the middle of the afternoon and watch Showgirls, sans nudity. Why?
The cult of Showgirls is maddening enough. While the picture flopped in theaters, reportedly it was a massive smash on VHS and later DVD, and remains one of Netflix's most popular rentals. Of course, watching it today, it's achingly 1995, just endlessly ugly both ideologically and aesthetically. Verhoeven was going for tacky glamour and excess, a juxtaposition that results in borderline camp classics. There was even a sequel. Wait, no... there was even two sequels! This clip is three minutes long and somewhat nsfw. I dare you to make it the whole way through.
Director Paul Verhoeven has claimed fans might one day see it as an "elegant" film, but he's moved on. Hell, he made Starship Troopers right after, so clearly Showgirls wasn't indicative of failing skill. Meanwhile, Showgirls remains a singular sensation, even if everyone involved has tried to replicate the success with diminished returns. Of course, until now no one tried to go the digital bra route. Clearly we were all misguided.
