European ad goes for equal opportunity raciness

Racy advertising from international markets have been the subject of American TV specials for years. However, a new ad campaign for European films is giving us a racy ad that includes some queer-oriented smuttiness. The ad, titled "Film Lovers Will Love This," consists of quick cuts of love scenes from films including Amelie and All About My Mother. Among the scenes are one scene featuring two men and another with two women. It ends with the line "Let's come together. Millions of cinema lovers enjoy European films ... every year. Europe supports European films."

What I find interesting is that the scene with the male couple is just as explicit as the other couples, and the usual double-standard isn't at work. (In fact, the scene is so steamy I elected not to put a screen cap at the top of the post. Instead is a safer picture from Bad Education... which I suspect was the source of the scene.)

The ad isn't without controversy, however:

But not everyone who has watched the video, found it amusing. Maciej Giertych, an MEP with the League of Polish Families said the EU was using "immoral methods".

It's better than worrying about the sexual orientation of Tinky-Winky, I suppose. Still, it's interesting that the sexiness of the ad in general is being criticized and the same-sex couples aren't being specified.

Meanwhile, others have used the ad as an opportunity to take a dig at the EU. A Member of Parliament from a party that wants Britain to separate from the EU said, "I suppose this film is appropriate. The EU has been screwing Britain for the past 30 years."

If you want to check out the ad for yourself, you can do so after the break: