Mel Gibson's violent new movie Apocalypto hits Italian cinema screens on Friday amid bitter controversy over a decision by national film authorities to approve it for viewing by children.
The film, which portrays the bloody end of the Maya civilisation in South America, contains scenes showing severed heads, stabbings, throats being cut, rape, torture and the massacre of women and children.
Italy is the only country where it can be watched by cinema-goers of all ages. In America, where it came out last month, the film cannot be seen by anyone under the age of 17. Other countries have put the bar at ages between 15 and 18.
The decision by film censors has caused a political uproar, with politicians on both sides of parliament calling for the movie's rating to be reconsidered.
Culture Minister Francesco Rutelli said the government has asked the film's Italian distributor, Eagle Pictures, to invite cinemas to "discourage" unaccompanied minors from seeing the film.
Meanwhile, polemics raged over the original decision by the board of censors, which was reportedly without its psychologist member when the film was approved.
"This decision is a deep blow to the concept of protecting minors from violence," said Democratic Left senator Anna Serafini, who heads the parliament's committee for children's rights.
Psychologists united in condemning the lack of any restrictions on the film.
Anna Oliverio Ferraris, lecturer in child psychology at Rome's La Sapienza university said a certificate imposing age restrictions was necessary to enable parents to look after their children's psychological well-being.
"Youngsters are completely passive at the cinema and the messages they receive are imprinted in their memories. They spark emotional reactions that often have a long-term effects on teenagers," she said.
One member of the censors' panel said she and another member had wanted to prevent anyone under 14 seeing the film but had been overruled.
Parent's associations called for a review of the composition of the board of film censors and consumer rights association Codacons said it would take the Apocalypto decision to court.
It was not immediately clear whether the regional court judges mentioned by Codacons have the power to stop the movie being shown.
The controversy over Gibson's new film seemed destined - at least in Italy - to come close to that sparked by his 2003 film The Passion of the Christ, which offered a brutal and graphic depiction of Christ's final hours.
That film was also released in Italy without any restrictive rating, although in the United States it was limited to people over 17 years of age.
