Hustler White
Dir Bruce La Bruce & Rick Castro / 1996 / Canada
Banned and Censored in Australia
This movie hit the headlines in January 1997 when Potential Films had a 79min 16mm print rated RC. It was eventually cut down to 75min and passed R18+ (High Level Sex Scenes, Adult Themes) the following month. This cut version went on to have a theatrical release.In her highly recommended book THE MONEY SHOT, Jane Mills examines in detail the problems that the film had. In the piece titled 'The Hustler Hassled', she explains exactly what was censored.
To obtain an R-classification, its distributor, Potential Films, initially identified and blacked out a few shots here and there in which erections or masturbation were clearly visible. They also made some short cuts in the amputee sex scene, fearing these would be interpreted as 'actual sex' - a complete no-no under the Guidelines of the Classification Act. To no avail: in January 1997 the film was refused classification due to two scenes. One was a very shadowy masturbation scene with an erect penis. The other portrayed an elderly client asking for and receiving razor blade cuts to his torso and buttocks from the hustler: This last scene is a depiction of entirely consensual masochism which starts with the words 'Cut my buttocks, dear boy' (in an English accent, of course) and ends with a satisfied 'Ah, delicious'. To anyone with a glancing knowledge of either cinema or razors, this scene is quite clearly not actuality; after each shot of a razor apparently scoring through flesh, there is a film edit before a shot of blood bubbling up. There are slightly different tones, too, suggesting different film stock, or perhaps indicating it was shot on two locations. Perhaps the filmmakers lacked the skills to re-present verisimilitude - but then, recreating reality wasn't the point of the scene or, even, of this kind of movie. Although they agreed it only 'appeared' to look real, the majority of the Classification Board demanded this scene be removed. The masturbation/erection shot, on the other hand, had to go because the Board's members thought it looked 'actually' real.
The Money Shot: Cinema, Sin and Censorship
The Hustler Hassled - Page 123
Jane Mills
Pluto Press 2001
VHS and DVD Releases
In November 1997, Potential Films submitted the film again as a 75min videotape. Again it was Refused Classification. Siren Entertainment eventually had a further cut 74min (74m 18s) (v) print passed in January 1998. It is this version that Siren Video issued on video. The cover states:
"Finally released to video with bonus footage not seen in the theatrical version"
Presumably this is the reason that the film was banned again before video release.
Beyond Home Entertainment plan to release an Australian DVD in December 2008.
The French DVD from Cheyenne Releasing is fully uncut at 80m 29s. It is English language with removable French subtitles. A 55min extra titled LETTER TO HUSTLER WHITE is also in English.
The Classification of SUPER 8 1/2 and NO SKIN OFF MY ASS
A few months prior to submitting HUSTLER WHITE, Potential Films had submitted Bruce La Bruce's SUPER 8 1/2. Although it was not banned, it did receive an X18+ (Contains sexually explicit material) rating. It was not until the ROMANCE controversy of 2000 that actual sex was allowed to appear in R18+ films. This is the reason that Kojo Pictures were able to get SUPER 8 1/2 through with an R18+ (High level sexual themes) rating in November 2008.
10:96: SUPER 8 1/2 - A CAUTIONARY BIO-PIC Film (Videotape) Classification
X18+ (Contains sexually explicit material)
11/08: SUPER 8 1/2 - A CAUTIONARY BIO-PIC Film (DVD) Classification R18+ (High
level sexual themes)
Rated for the first time (as far as we can tell) in September 2008 was La Bruce's 1991 feature NO SKIN OFF MY ASS. Kojo Pictures had it passed with an R18+ (High level sex scenes) rating. The cover claims that it was:
Previously banned in Australia where it was originally granted an X certificate.
While the website of Beyond Home Entertainment list it as:
PREVIOUSLY BANNED – FIRST RELEASE IN AUSTRALIA EVER!
The censor's database from this period is far from complete, so we have no easy way of confirming if this is true. The September 2008 entry does not list it as a 'revised version' (previously submitted) so we would guess that the R18+ is its first rating. It is most likely that Beyond Home Entertainment were merely drumming up some publicity with the 'Previously Banned' tag.
