Film censorship

[sudu]

I have to do a GCSE oral presentation and the topic choice is very wide so im thinking about doing film censorship/classifications. i dont have many ideas at the moment but i thought about mentioning films that were banned when they came out and were later allowed. does anyone know any examples? also does anyone know how i could make this really interesting or any other suggestions? thanks a lot!

[gary baldy]

Just making the tea- but off the top of my head straw dogs and a clockwork orange. Both banned but for different reasons and later released. Lots written about both films so should have no problem finding out about them. Sounds an interesting topic - we never did that sort of thing at school when i were a lad - good luck.

[kaktus]

Well the I guess the most common reason for film being censored or banned is moral. If a given society's(or the persons in charge of censoring) morals can't accept the film, it is going to be banned or censored. One of the best examples I can think of is Life of Brian, it was banned in Norway for a very long time and quite a few other places.
You could do something about how film or art in general can clash quite hard with moral and even challenge it. You could also do a comparison between countries, there are big differences between what is allowed in one country and what is in another.

Just a personal rant, it irritates me no end with censorship. Here in Denmark you can say practically whatever you like on tv and some channels may be Danish but broadcast from England because they're a version of a English/British channel. This means we get those damned programmes filled with beeps and long silences and some very polite guests and host. Sorry I just get so annoyed and you got me going :)

[kaktus]

Ahem obviously if you want it to be film banned in Britain, Life of Brian won't work, but well it is an English film banned elsewhere :)

[gary baldy]

Ive just realised something - both the films i have mentioned are 18 cert. and i'm guessing you are younger than that. I'm not saying you shouldnt watch them but you may have difficulty if you want to show them as part of your presentation (your teacher will have to get consent forms off everyone - check with your teacher before proceeding) Both films have very graphic rape scenes and realistic violence.

[Stevee]

On the market at the moment is a box set called "banned" or something like that it contains Driller Killer and other assorted nasties that are not particularly nasty.

Also the Texas Chainsaw massacre was banned in many parts of the country. I belive that Last Tango in Paris (possibly the most boring film ever) was only given a London release.

[sudu]

this is great stuff. i wont be able to show any films over 15 certificate but i can mention 18s. picking up on what setevee has said about nasties that werent really nasty, does anyone know of films that were banned/considered outrageous a long time ago (ie1920s/30/40s) that now seem tame. i can use this as an example of change in culture and how this affects censorship.

[kaktus]

A nice quote:

"or as the Obscene Publications Act 1959 and 1964 puts it: A film may be deemed obscene when taken as a whole the work has a tendency to 'deprave and corrupt' a significant proportion of those likely to 'read, see or hear' it"

the history of censorship, quite good I think. It sums it all up nicely.

from wikipedia more history

1926: Battleship Potemkin - That one apparently was banned, don't think it would be to day :) and in 1951 "The wild one" with Marlon Brando in it was banned

Another good one where you can find some films that was banned in the UK and other places. There should be some films on this site that would never be banned today

and just because I find it so funny - Article about banned films in Norway, if you press the link on the bottom of the page you'll get to a site that list the banned films, I know it is in Norwegian and you probably can't use it, but if you need some translation done just give a shout, I can manage some Norwegian :)

Thanks for a great question, I had fun finding those links even though I did stumble upon some rather bizarre sites...

[sfsorrow]

there are a couple of books available,entitled banned video nasties 1&2,they are available from darksidemagazine.com, they are very informative and factual,good luck with your presentation, oh yeah you could also check out the film censorship website. bbfc.co.uk

[littleoldme]

If you want to mention old films banned for reasons other than the predictable graphic sex or horror, you could mention films like Reefer Madness, a 1936 film showing completely over the top depictions of how one little puff of the demon weed can (apparently) turn teenagers into crazed maniacs. Banned at the time for its supposed graphic material, it's more likely to amuse than offend today.

Or there's Freaks, a 1932 film directed by Tod Browning, banned outright for about 35 years. It's about a bunch of circus sideshow artists who gain revenge on a female trapeze artist for seducing a midget and embezzling his money. It was banned because the "freaks" were real - real midgets and hermaphrodites, a real Human Torso (he had no arms or legs) and real "pinheads" - people suffering from microcephaly, a condition that results in abnormally small heads and seemingly rambling speech. Far from being exploitative, the film never mocks these people, but remains resolutely on their side, and to me the banning says far more about the prejudices of those who found it distasteful than anything else.

I'll leave you to do the Googling to find out more, but I hope that helps to get you started. :-)

[littleoldme]

Forgot to mention, both films are available on DVD, and are both Certificate 15.

[gary baldy]

Like kaktus i came across some 'interesting' stuff. Others that spring to mind are 'Peeping Tom' from 1960 which was by the acclaimed director Michael Powell. It was banned in some places but seems very tame nowadays. Another is The War Game made by the bbc in the 60's and banned by the government. It was about a possible nuclear attack on Britain and was quite graphic but pretty tame nowadays. Another was The Trip which was about hippies and drugs and stuff and looks very dated now but was banned for ages. You can get all these films now very easily so thats how times have changed. Going back even further i think Birth of a Nation back in the 20's was banned but perhaps not in the UK.

[sp1814]

Sudu,

What about 'The Outlaw'. It was released in 1943, and was subject to a ban at the time because too much attention was placed on <ahem> Jane Russell's heaving bosom!

I'm fairly sure you'd be able to show the film, because it's fairly innocuous now.

You can find further information at:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0036241/

[Golem]

Take a look at the British Board of Film Classifications own website here,

http://www.bbfc.co.uk

especially the FAQ section and the details about the categories themselves, eg. what sort of nudity is permissible in a U cert. film (yes, it is allowed!)

One suggestion for making it interesting would be to find scenes from films and have your peers 'classify' them and see what results you come with. I suspect it may well illustrate the point of how emotive and subjective the whole issue of censorship is!

[jedimistress]

The Animals Film. Heard it had been banned in places, but unsure as to wether it was the film boards or cinemas or television. I know it was banned from US television.

http://www.contemporaryfilms.com/classic_films/index.htm

Look under UK, The Animals Film.

[poisonivy]

Reservoir Dogs was banned for years ...........i know you can buy it now on dvd but i dont know whether u could watch it at the pictures.A good example to use as Quentin Tarentino is a hugely respected writer/director now but then he was prob unknown.If he released r.dogs now it would be better recieved.Another that springs to mind is Evil Dead.It was banned too,i remember the sequel was a bit of a black comedy..........farewell to arms................and all that.I thought it was hilarious.Am gonna try to think of more for you..................could take a while..............hahhhahahah

[poisonivy]

silly me didnt see u wanted old stuff.........sorry.But i still think u should go with Quentin Tarentino to show how times change when u have a bit of a name for yourself.Look what he gets away with now.Kill Bill is far more bloodthirsty than r.dogs.

[sudu]

no worries poison ivy! i'm grateful for any answers! you have all made good points and i think i will use a lot of them. the only thing is if i am going to show films(or rather clips of films) i would prefer not to have to buy a video/dvd and would rather download it off the internet as i will be able to show something on a cd. does anyone know where i will be able to download any clips or if i can at all? i know it will differ for different films but there may be a few general sites some of you know of. thanks!

[Chriswood8]

download a 'Limewire' which is p2p go to www.limewire.com it's free and no virsus worries it detects a virsus before u download it and if it does have one it will ask u if u want to complete the download? in which u obv click no. just search in video u should get somthing buddy.

[sudu]

i already have limewire but i never thought of that! thanks chris!

[ibrox72]

As far as I know I think " The king and I " is still banned in Thailand.