Even before it opens in competition at Cannes, Nikita Mikhalkov's Burnt by the Sun 2has become mired in another messy controversy. Though reasonably well reviewed, the Russian film, a tale of the second World War, bombed on its domestic release following accusations that the director was too close to the Putin regime. Now it has been suggested that Wild Bunch, the film's international distributor, was behind its severe cutting. It has further been suggested that (rather quaintly) some of cuts were to remove a "topless" scene.

“We always give to the director the final word,” Wild Bunch’s Vincent Maraval fumed. “At Wild Bunch, we love nudity and blood.”

Originally, three hours and five minutes,

Burnt by the Sun 2

screens tomorrow night at a more manageable two and a half hours.