Tombs of the Blind Dead
Dir Amando de Ossorio / 1971 / Spain
Filmways were the first to have this passed with an R, for a cinema release in 1973. It was not until 1995 that Australian audiences had a chance to view this title again. Siren was refused a rating at 97 and 96mins, before finally cutting the movie for an R rating. Here is what the OFLC has to say about the film on viewing it in 1995. Thanks to Redemption for this.
"This low budget Spanish horror drama made in 1971 warrants a refused classification in the boards view for gratuitous sexual violence against non-consenting persons which is depicted in unnecessary detail.
From 55mins:A terrified young woman is cuffed to a wooden frame and stripped to her underwear. Two men on horseback circle her and implicitly slash her with swords, exposing her breasts. In extreme close up, one of her breasts is sliced with resultant blood flow. In close up, a group of men then descend on her to feed on her breast.
From 76mins: While they search for clues about Virginia's death in the ruins, Betty informs the smuggler that she had a bad experience as a child and is not interested in sex. He reacts by saying he can change that. He forces himself on her despite her protests, implicitly slaps her hard across the face, bares her breasts, and explicitly squeezes and mouths them in close up before pulling off her knickers. During implied penetration, she screams, with aerial visuals of him thrusting on top of her. The scene is further trivialised by the perpetrator offering her a cigarette immediately after the rape, neither does Betty inform her friends of the incident. In the Board's view, both these scenes are problematic in terms of classification guidelines. They serve little purpose to the narrative other than to combine sex and violence in a titillatory manner, and therefore warrant Refuse classification for exceeding community standards under ACT COPO 25 (3)"
From OFLC report to applicant in 1995
The cut tape was put out on by Siren on the Redemption label, and runs 95m 32s. See the listings for The Female Vampire and Virgin Among the Living Dead for other Redemption tapes that had problems.
Return of the Evil Dead
Dir Amando de Ossorio / 1973 / Spain
The missing footage discussed for this film is not the work of the OFLC!
Siren had this passed in 1995 with an MA rating, and was released as part of their newly launched Redemption label. At the time it was thought that this was the most complete version around, but it has since came to light that a Spanish tape exists containing a longer version. Here is what is missing from the Australian tape, and the Anchor Bay DVD. Thanks to Mondo Erotico for this list of cuts."The Spanish version, entitled EL ATAQUE DE LOS MUERTOS SIN
OJOS, runs 86m 36s at 25 fps. The Atlas version released by Redemption
as RETURN OF THE EVIL DEAD lasts 83m 24s at 25 fps (not including the Atlas logo). It is missing the following material:
The flashback in which the Templars sacrifice a female victim appears 11m 7s into the Spanish version. The Atlas print turns this
into a pre-credits sequence, and also makes some heavy cuts - all the
shots of the knife plunging between the woman's breasts have been
removed, as have the shots of a Templar pulling out the woman's heart.
2m 29s in. Atlas have removed an additional line of dialogue from the Templar (just before he is blinded by the villagers).
12m 9s. The flashback used at the beginning of Atlas' edition should appear
here. It was originally followed by a brief recap of the Templars being
killed by the villagers which Atlas have removed.
12m 31s. A shot of a woman tied and gagged in the boot of a car (inserted into the middle of the fireworks display) has been removed.
12m 47s. A complete sequence has been cut in which the woman from the previous shot is tied to a wall by
Murdo, the village idiot, and stabbed
between the breasts. The woman does not appear at all in the Atlas edition,
in which it is no longer clear why the Templars return from the grave -
this scene establishes that Murdo deliberately summons the Templars by
offering them a human sacrifice (all of Murdo's subsequent actions thus
appear in a very different light).
32m 23s. A single shot of blood dripping down a telephone and onto the floor has been cut (this is included in the German print as well as the
Spanish edition).
63m 1s. Two shots of Bert's stomach being punctured in close-up by swords
have been cut (as has an intervening shot of the Mayor watching from a nearby window).
65m 57s. The scene in which the little girl, Nancy, leaves a room and encounters the Mayor (just before he leads her outside) has
inexplicably been cut. This can be found in the German and Spanish editions.
67m 19s. Various close-up of swords entering the Mayor's body.
72m 20s. A single close-up of a sword penetrating Amalia's stomach.
74m 6s. A single shot of blood spurting from Murdo's neck after he has been beheaded.
76m 59s. A few shots of Howard's face (just before the pan down his body
that reveals he has fallen against a sword).
79m 8s. A single shot of the village square just before Vivian, Jack and Nancy leave the church has inexplicably been cut. This can be found in the German and Spanish
editions.
The end credits are considerably shorter in the Atlas edition.
A few seconds are missing from the Spanish version due to print damage:
17m 32s in, a very dark shot of a Templar rising from his grave has been cut;
42m 37s in, part of the attack on the village fete has been cut (it actually looks like someone has
stopped the tape and then restarted it);
61m 13s, a few seconds of the Mayor pausing before approaching Bert.
All of this material can be found in both the Atlas and German
editions
The original film Tombs of the Blind Dead was also released cut in Australia, but this time the OFLC were to blame.
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