Judi Dench, in her guise as 007 spymaster M, has been enlisted by Harvey Weinstein in his battle to reduce Philomena's R rating in US cinemas to a PG-13.
Dench has appeared in specially-made video message as Weinstein prepares his appeal to the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) which is due to be heard next week. A brief taster of the video aired on CBS's Good Morning TV show yesterday, as Weinstein set out his case.
In the clip, Dench first appears with her back to camera, sitting behind a desk, then swivels round as the camera tracks in, saying: "Just when you thought I was dead" – a reference to M's fate at the end of Skyfall. To ram the point home, a large M then appears, which swiftly becomes a letter of the word "Philomena". Dench signs off by saying: "I have an important mission for you. Are you familiar with MPAA?"
While speaking to CBS, Weinstein argued Philomena should be "an exception" for its language – "there are two F words, you're allowed one". "This is like The King's Speech. The movie is the gentlest, wonderful true story, filled with humor and joy. They should just put PG-13 strong language on this and make an exception."
Though it was pointed out that older audiences are most likely to see the film, and therefore a PG13 rating was not necessary, Weinstein responded by saying adults in the south and midwest – "church families" – were not keen on R-rated movies. "This is a movie that church families would profit by seeing. I think they'll love the movie – it's very entertaining."
Meanwhile, the order of nuns who took the real-life Philomena Lee in have complained about their treatment in the film, saying it "does not tell the whole truth". Sr Julie Rose, of Sisters of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, told the Catholic newspaper the Tablet that no records were destroyed, nor did they receive payment for adoptions.
According to the Daily Mail, a spokesman for the film's UK distributors Pathé said: "If the congregations have seen the film, they will know that it is not a diatribe against the Catholic Church but it does challenge the Church's instinct to conceal the original wrong and to refuse to apologise."
More on Philomena
• Philomena - Peter Bradshaw's review
• Steve Coogan and Martin Sixsmith on Philomena
