On the eve of its German opening, a Bavarian politician has called on cinema-owners to drop Jackass - The Movie from their programmes.

In a statement, Markus Soeder, who is chairman of the of the conservative Christian Social Union party's Media Committee, said that "the series and film contain repulsive and absolutely inhumane scenes. Many of the portrayed scenes are highly risky, yet appear comparatively harmless through quick editing and the appropriate musical accompaniment."

Soeder stressed, however, that he was not seeking to have the film banned - "that only enhances the status of this sorry effort" - but was wanting to appeal to the ethics of the cinemaowners. "One must ask oneself if one would want to earn money with something like that", Soeder concluded.

According to UIP's booking department for Berlin, no late cancellations have been made, and the CinemaxX multiplex chain reported that it was going ahead with the film on screens in Berlin, Hanover, Braunschweig, Oldenburg and - in deepest CSU country - in the Bavarian city of Wuerzburg.

UIP's press office told Screendaily.com that an official statement would not be forthcoming - if at all - until Thursday.