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Topics: Film and TV, US News, Entertainment, Hollywood
Callum Jones
A movie with a shocking scene involving a 12-year-old Dakota Fanning is illegal to be distributed outside of North America.
I mean, there's quite a few suspect scenes that have featured in films over the years.
And while they may be talked about a lot at the time, and even months afterwards, they typically end up staying on the market.
However, there are some exceptions, and one many may have forget about or never have even heard of is a 2007 musical/drama featuring a young Dakota Fanning.
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Appearing alongside Piper Laurie, David Morse, Robin Wright Penn, and Isabelle Fuhrman, Hounddog is certainly a divisive one.
An official synopsis for the movie reads: "Lewellen (Dakota Fanning) lives with her grandmother (Piper Laurie) in Alabama. Though unable to care for her himself, Lewellen's father (David Morse) tries to connect with his daughter through Elvis Presley's music.
"After her father's girlfriend (Robin Wright Penn) - with whom Lewellen has a special bond - leaves, Lewellen suffers a horrible sexual assault and is traumatized. With some aid from Elvis' music, Lewellen's friend Charles (Afemo Omilami) helps her work through her pain."
Set in 1956, Hounddog tells a story across North Carolina, one that is so controversial it's illegal to be distributed outside of North America.
Problems with Hounddog began before it even released after a screening at Sundance Film Festival in January 2007.
Following that public appearance, the movie was withheld from being theatrically released because Fanning was involved in a part of the film's rape scene when she was 12.
As you'd expect, the scene garnered a lot of negative attention, but the ban was lifted in the September the following year.
However, Hounddog was boycotted by many upon its release, with many slamming the film's makers that the damage had already been done to the child actor.
Despite all the controversy, the film did receive a home video release after the theatrical screening.
However, to this day, Hounddog is prohibited from being distributed anywhere outside North America due to prohibitions of screened child sexual abuse.
To put it frankly, Hounddog reviewed terribly when it released - sitting at a 15 percent Rotten Tomatoes score to this day.
The San Francisco Chronicle's review read: "The whole distasteful mess is sunk up to its neck in a brew of Southern Gothic atmosphere and hocus-pocus sentimentality."
While the Chicago Tribune penned: "Only Fanning's emotional honesty makes Hounddog watchable."