Film Censorship: A

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The ABC of Love and Sex: Australia Style

Directed by John Lamond / 1978 / Australia / IMDb

A 2387.2 meter (87:15) version of THE ABC OF LOVE AND SEX: AUSTRALIA STYLE lost 98.7 meters (03:36) before being awarded an R-rating in March 1978. The reason for the cuts was ‘indecency’.

Roadshow Distributors released this version theatrically in Australia.

 

 

Video releases

Pakenham Video Library had an 80m videotape passed with an R-rating in February 1984.

The reason given for the R-rating was sex, which was described as:
Frequency: Frequent
Explicitness/Intensity: Medium
Purpose: Justified

 

In November 1984, Roadshow Home Video had a 76:53 videotape passed with an R-rating.

The reason given for the R-rating was sex, which was described as:
Frequency: Infrequent
Explicitness/Intensity: Medium
Purpose: Gratuitous

Roadshow released this tape on their Vibrant Video label.

 

 

Uncut Umbrella DVD

In July 2009, Umbrella Entertainment released an uncut 82:53 DVD of THE ABC OF LOVE AND SEX: AUSTRALIA STYLE. It was double-billed with John Lamond's previous feature, AUSTRALIA AFTER DARK.

In January 2011, THE ABC OF LOVE AND SEX: AUSTRALIA STYLE was re-released as part of Umbrella's OZPLOITATION DVD BOX SET VOLUME 3.

 

 

Uncut Umbrella DVD vs. Cut Roadshow VHS

Thanks to Chris for this review.

 

The theatrical version of THE ABC OF LOVE AND SEX: AUSTRALIA STYLE lost 03:36, whereas the difference between the DVD and VHS is 05:42.

Umbrella Entertainment DVD – 82:35
Roadshow-Vibrant Video VHS– 76:53

I noticed three scenes that were censored in the Vibrant Video VHS

 

Sex and blowjob

Before: Narrator says, “concentrate on pleasing each other”.

CENSORED: The DVD footage from 49:36 to 53:16 has been removed from the VHS. This involves further softcore sex, which ends with an actual blowjob.

After: Speeded up scene of a couple having sex on bed.

 

Masturbating woman

This scene that runs from 55:50 to 57:15 in the DVD has been toned down in the VHS.

A woman sits in front of a mirror with her legs apart masturbating. The VHS removes several close-up shots of her vagina, and at least one of her with her legs apart.

It is odd that cuts were made here as there are two scenes that are in the VHS that are equally, or even more explicit. They are present in the DVD as follows:

23:55 to 24:00 – Close-up of woman running her fingers over her vagina.
28:14 to 28:28 – Close-up of a woman touching her vagina, and running her fingers over the lips and clitoris.

Both of these are uncut in the VHS!

 

Hardcore penetration

Before: Narrator says, “the orgasm for a woman can be big or little”.

CENSORED: The DVD footage from 62:58 to 64:30 has been removed from the VHS. This involves a couple having rear entry sex. This is the most explicit scene in the film as actual penetration is shown. The censored footage then cuts to a second couple and shows the woman masturbating the man.

After: Narrator says, “P is for pornography” .

 

There may well be other minor cuts, but these three scenes are the main ones. It is not surprising that the hardcore scenes were removed. What is more surprising is what was left in.

In the scene from 65:35 to 65:34, porn magazines are shown with uncensored hardcore pictures. This was left in the VHS.

It is possible that the censors went a little easier on the film as it was supposed to be a little educational.

 

 

AUSTRALIA AFTER DARK: The X-rated version

The other film on Umbrella's DVD was John Lamond's 1974 feature AUSTRALIA AFTER DARK.

 

In 2002, Andrew Leavold interviewed John Lamond, and he had this to say about the censors and AUSTRALIA AFTER DARK (1974).

CONFESSIONS OF A SLEAZEMONGER: JOHN D. LAMOND, "OZPLOITATION" KING!
mondostumpo.blogspot.com

The funny thing was, when Australia After Dark came out, I found out they wanted about fourteen cuts in it. I found out you could go in front of the censorship board and argue your case. I objected to all the cuts and I won every time, they didn’t cut anything. Because they were intimidated, people didn’t usually turn up to argue, they could safely cut it.

 

Although there is no evidence that AUSTRALIA AFTER DARK was ever censored, we are intrigued by a 90m videotape that was passed in 1985.

 

The classification history is a follows.

September 1975: Roadshow Distributors awarded an R-rating for a 2276 meter (83:11) 35mm print.

February 1984: Palace Home Video awarded an R-rating for an 82m videotape.

January 1985: Roadshow Home Video awarded an X-rating for a 90m videotape.

July 2009: Umbrella Entertainment releases 82:25 DVD.

Does this 90m X-rated tape exist?

Daybill image courtesy of moviemem.com

 

    

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Abducted

Directed by Don Jones / 1973 / USA / IMDb

Prestige Video released ABDUCTED on video during the early 80s, before it was reviewed and banned in 1984, and again in March 1985. Reasons given were 'gratuitous sexual violence'.

 

Thanks to Chris for this review.

The scene of ‘gratuitous sexual violence’ responsible for the banning of ABDUCTION would have to have been Frank’s attack on Ginger. This takes place from approximately 36m to 39m and involves Franks stripping Ginger (there is some full frontal nudity here) and then raping her.

There are a couple more scenes where John plays Doctor, with Ginger at 28m, and at the end with Bonnie. John gets them to strip as he pretends to be a Doctor. There is no rape of either girl, so I doubt that this contributed towards the ban.

The U.S. R-rating card precedes the Prestige Video release, and the retitling of the film as ABDUCTED is a shoddy computer generated effort.

 

 

There was a second release on the Silver Screen Promotions label that ran 86:35. The box title was THE ABDUCTION, though the actual print was titled ABDUCTION, and  preceded by the Prestige Video logo.

DEADLY SUNDAY was a later Don Jones film that was also banned in Australia.

 

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The Abductors

Directed by Don Schain / 1972 / USA / IMDb

In February 1974, Effie Holdings had a 2483.51 meter (90:46) print of THE ABDUCTORS cut by 95.39 meter (03:29) for an R-rated cinema release. The reasons given for the censorship was 'indecency'.

It was back before the censors in December 1984 when G.A International had a 90m print Refused Classification for reasons of 'Gratuitous Sexual Violence'.

 

Thanks to Matt G for this information about the film.

The 2002 Monterey Media DVD from the US runs 90:20. I'm not sure if this print is uncut as there is a scene that may be censored. Before the scene a guy says "..and she'll crack", this is followed by the sound of the girl crying. At 20:51 the film seems to jump and we next see the guy sitting on the end of the bed looking at the girl. He begins to rape her, and she eventually seems to enjoy it. Obviously this scene contributed to the film being banned in Australia. There are numerous other censors baiting scenes of naked male and female victims being threatened.

This is a sequel to the movie GINGER that was also banned in Australia in March 1985. Despite the video cover of the G.A. International release of GINGER promising 'One of 3 Action-Packed Ginger Movies', we have yet to see proof that they issued anything but the first movie. If anyone has any information then please let us know.

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The Adult Version of Jekyll and Hide

Directed by Byron Mabe, Lee Raymond / 1972 / USA / IMDb

A 2624.33 meter (95:55) of THE ADULT VERSION OF JEKYLL AND HIDE was Refused Registration in May 1975. It was finally passed with an R-rating in December 1983 in a 2441.27 meter (89:14) print. The reason given for the rating was sex, which was described as:
Frequency: Frequent
Explicitness/Intensity: Medium
Purpose: Gratuitous

 

Thanks to Matt G for this review of the film.

The Something Weird DVD released in the US runs 91:25, and looks to be uncut. The scene that would definitely have caused our censors problems would have been at 17m when Hide whips, rapes, and kills the girl with a hot poker between her legs. Also at 47m Hide ties up, rapes, then beats a girl to death with a statue. There is also a graphic castration at 78m when the female Hide meets a sailor.

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Adventure Kids: Episode 1

Directed by Hideki Takayama / 1993 / Japan / IMDb

BPS Video Services had a 29m videotape of ADVENTURE KIDS: EPISODE 1 banned in 1994.

Kiseki Films went on to release a 28:00 video with an R18+ (High Level Sex Scenes) rating. A comparison between the UK Kiseki release and the uncut version can be found at Movie-Censorship. It is unclear how much of this footage is missing from the Australian version.

The director Hideki Takayama had other Australian censorship problems. His better known UROTSUKIDOJI: LEGEND OF OVERFIEND, and its sequel UROTSUKIDOJI: LEGEND OF DEMON WOMB, were both banned by the OFLC.

 

 

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Aftermath

Directed by Nacho Cerdà / 1994 / Spain / IMDb

There is a confirmed customs confiscation of AFTERMATH in 1998. This Spanish Waken Video release was obviously taken due its necrophilia storyline.

Customs gave the following reasons for the confiscation.

"....seized under subsection 203b(2) of the customs act 1901 by an authorised person being goods suspected on reasonable grounds to be special forfeited goods"

"Persuant to regulations 4A(1)(1A)(a)of the customs (prohibited imports) regulations the items are prohibited imports and are therefore forfeited under section 229(1)(b)of the customs act 1901"

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The Aftermath

Directed by Steve Barkett / 1982 / USA / IMDb

G.A International had a 91m VHS of THE AFTERMATH Refused Classification in August 1985. The reasons given for the ban was 'excessive violence', which were described as:
Frequency: Infrequent
Explicitness/Intensity: High
Purpose: Gratuitous

A censored 81m VHS was passed with an R-rating in September 1985. The rating was given for 'violence' which was described as:
Frequency: Infrequent
Explicitness/Intensity: Medium
Purpose: Gratuitous

A release on the G.A International label does not seem to have eventuated as the Australian tape was released by Platinum Video with an actual runtime of 88:45.

 

Thanks to Matt for this review.

The uncut US tape runs 94:40 (NTSC). Converted to PAL this should give a running time of 90:53. This means the Platinum Video tape is missing around two minutes of footage. I noticed four scenes that were definitely censored.

8m approx: Cutter's Men are shown shooting the male prisoners. One of them is shot with a shotgun causing his head to explode. The actual explosion has been removed and we only see the aftermath.

40m approx: Cutter forces himself onto a female prisoner. The scene is uncut in the Platinum Video version until the girl picks up a bottle and Cutter looks up suspiciously. It censors the scene where she smashes the bottle into his neck and runs from the room. Cutter picks up his gun and shoots but misses as she escapes. This is an odd scene to remove as surely it shows the girl getting her revenge.

57m approx: This is the largest cut and lasts around one minute. Cutter and his men have discovered a group of survivors. They shoot the two children (off-screen), kill the man, and pull the woman from the ute. They tear her top off and attempt to pull down her underwear as she struggles. Cutter looks on and laughs. This entire scene is missing from the Platinum Video version and was probably removed because it was easier to take out the whole thing rather than attempt to censor it. It adds nothing to the actual film apart from showing what bad-asses Cutter and his men are.

86m approx: Newman and Getman are shown struggling on the ground. Newman says "Smile for me now Getman". The Platinum version then removes the following. Newman says "This is for Helen" as the knife is shown pushing into Getman. "This is for Matthews" the knife pushes in more. Finally he says "This is for Sarah" as he pushes the knife in, twists it, and pulls it out. The Platinum Video version then continues with him saying "This is for Laura" as he stabs Getman in the head.

For the record the credits should begin with "The Nautilus Film Company Presents". However in the Platinum Video version you can hear the opening music playing, but the screen shows a video generated card saying "Screen World Video Productions".

 

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All About Sex of All Nations

Directed by Kemal Horulu / 1971 / USA / IMDb

In February 1975, a 2468.00-meter (90:12) print of ALL ABOUT SEX OF ALL NATIONS was banned because of 'indecency'. The applicant was A. De Zauerain.

In May 1977, a censored 2086.60-meter (76:16) version was also banned. Again, the reason was 'indecency'.

A second cut print was finally passed with an R-rating in October 1977. It ran only 1837.80-meters (67:10), but still lost a further 11.5-meters (00:25) because of 'indecency'. This print, missing over 23 minutes of footage, was released theatrically by Seven Keys Films.

Image courtesy of moviemem.com

 

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The Amazing Shocking Asia

Produced by Flatline Productions / 1997 / USA / IMDb

Peacock Films had a 73m VHS of THE AMAZING SHOCKING ASIA Refused Classification in May 1998.

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Amityville 2: The Possession

Directed by Damiano Damiani / 1982 / USA / IMDb

This film has never had problems with the Australian censors. It is included because the distributor released a censored print.

 

In 1983, Roadshow had a 103m 35mm print of AMITYVILLE 2: THE POSSESSION passed with an M-rating.

A 99:46 version was released on video by Thorn EMI. This was reviewed by the censors in 1985, and confirmed with an M-rating. This tape was missing the scene, at approximately the one-hour mark, where the father (Burt Young) is first shot in the stomach, and then has his head blown off by his son. The whole sequence is missing, making it very confusing as to what actually happens to him.

A tape released by Force Video in the late 90s ran 99:54, and shows more than the Thorn EMI print. Here we see Burt Young shot in the stomach, but still no head explosion scene. In 2003, Force also issued AMITYVILLE 2: THE POSSESSION on DVD. It had the same cover as their tape, so was presumably taken from the same print.

The film premiered on the Optus Movie Greats Network in early 2003. This print runs 104:13, and is book-ended by distributor cards for Orion Films and Modern Entertainment. Again, this print does not show the stomach shooting/head explosion scene. The extra four and a half minutes of runtime are the result of it being an NTSC version.

 

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Angel

aka Iron Angels

Directed by Raymond Leung & Teresa Woo / 1987 / Hong Kong / IMDb

Chinatown Cinema had a 92m 35mm print of ANGEL banned in 1988. An appeal to the Review Board produced this response.

 

REVIEW BOARD REPORT
21 July 1988

Angel was refused registration by the Film Censorship Board on the grounds of' 'detailed and gratuitous depictions of violence'. The Angels of the title are members of an undercover task force engaged by the police to smash an international drug ring. The film was made in Hong Kong, and its dialogue is sub-titled in English.

The Film Board of Review considered the film at length, and perhaps with greater earnestness than its cinematic qualities would merit. Angel belongs to a well-established genre - the kung fu movie, in which violence of a certain frenetic kind is presented in a quasi-comic style. The fist-fights and kung fu battles in which both male and female combatants are engaged for much of the film are orchestrated with considerable skill and ballistic energy; but since it is rare for the participants to sustain any discernible injury it is difficult to take the 'violence' seriously. The same can be said of the gunfights. Bullets fly in such profusion that the scenes are more reminiscent of a Mack Sennett comedy than a thriller. As a serious drama, Angel is absurd and entirely lacking in credibility, but in the opinion of the Board of Review should be judged for what it is - an entertainment of a special kind with few presentations to realism or serious content.

For these reasons the Board was of the view that the film should not be refused registration. Members were mindful of the guidelines proscribing 'unduly detailed and/or relished acts of extreme violence or cruelty', and undoubtedly there are brief scenes in the film which could be held to infringe these guidelines. But because of their comparative brevity and stylised character- and tone of slightly self-mocking parody in which they are presented- the Board of Review considered their overall effect was not sufficiently disturbing to warrant refusal to register. If Angel were a more convincing and realistic film the violence might be more offensive. In the opinion of the Board of Review it is more likely to affront the intelligence and test the patience of audiences than offend their sensibilities.

The Board of Review accordingly directs the Censorship Board to register Angel with a 'For Restricted Exhibition' classification.

 

Now passed uncut with an R-rating, it went onto a Chinese language cinema run.

In 1989 a dubbed 88:26 tape of this was released by RCA/Columbia/Hoyts Video under the title IRON ANGELS. It had been passed with an R-rating in April 1989.

 

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Angel Mine

Directed by David Blyth / 1978 / New Zealand / IMDb

Valhalla Films submitted an 1812.72 meter (66:15) print of ANGEL MINE in February 1980, and were awarded an R-rating rating following the deletion of 12.1 meters (00:26) of footage.

In August 1982, a 64m tape described as an 'optically modified version' was awarded an R-rating. This was listed as having two applicants, Videoscope Australia, and Valken Pty Ltd. It needs to be confirmed if Videoscope ever released this tape on their label.

 

The following explanation of the cuts is from Cinema Papers magazine.

Angel Mine a New Zealand short, was Rated "R" after the deletion of a sequence. Blyth claims however that the cut was made without his approval. This raises the difficult issue of whether a distributor should be allowed to make cuts in a film to satisfy the censorship rulings of individual countries. In many distribution contracts these rights are clearly spelt out; in others not at all.

Angel Mine was shortened by the deletion of one scene where a blue movie is seen flickering on a screen in the background.

 

We believe the censored scene takes place between 26-27m. The couple are in a cinema watching a film of them having sex. The man is shown on top of the woman, and we can see his testicles as they have sex. No penetration is shown. The scene cuts back and forward between the sex scene on screen, and the couple watching the film. It cuts back to the sex scene eight times which matches up nearly exactly with the 00:26 deleted in February 1980.

 

 

David Blyth on the Australian Censorship

We contacted David Blyth through his website and asked if he had any further information regarding the Australian release of ANGEL MINE. David's second feature, DEATH WARMED UP, also ran into problems with the Australian censors.

davidblyth.com
July 2009

ANGEL MINE was about a young couple who relate to each other through media such as radio, TV commercials , films etc

I believe like you, the cut scene from ANGEL MINE is the young couple watching themselves on the big screen making love quite vigorously. The scene is not hardcore merely real. The soundtrack is a thumping African beat (gumboot stomping music) which I thought gave it a satirical edge.

I believe that Australia may have had a more conservative censorship system than New Zealand at the time, but it is certainly very interesting that both films were censored for Australian consumption.

Do I sniff some cultural discrimination against Australia's country cousins New Zealand?

Because we were never consulted, we only discovered this situation after the event, so it was too late to do much,

As for the possible VHS release in OZ of ANGEL MINE, I know nothing about that. Both films are represented by the New Zealand Film Commission. ANGEL MINE was released on VHS in NZ initially in 1978, it's possible it was reissued in 1982 in NZ as part of a VHS Kiwi Classic Film Series.

Both films have now finally been released on DVD this year. Both films have been released uncut as originally made by me.

The NZ company selling the DVDs of ANGEL MINE and DEATH WARMED UP is www.screenline.co.nz

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Annie: The Virgin of St Tropez

aka The Awakening of Annie

Directed by Zygmunt Sulistrowski / 1973 / France - Brazil / IMDb

THE AWAKENING OF ANNIE was released on VHS in the early 80s on the King of Video label. This very rare tape must have been heavily censored as it only ran 64:37.  Thanks to Stephen F for the cover and time.

During the early to mid 80s Platinum Pictures released it on VHS on their Eros label as ANNIE: THE VIRGIN OF ST TROPEZ. At the time distributors were not compelled to have video tapes classified. This changed in February 1984 when it became law for all video tapes to be rated. The censors began the slow task of reviewing all the titles that had been released up until that time. They finally got to the ANNIE: THE VIRGIN OF ST TROPEZ in September 1985. The 90m Eros VHS was Refused Classification due to 'gratuitous sexual violence'. Despite the ban, the film remained on the shelves of many video stores.

They finally got to the King of Video version of THE AWAKENING OF ANNIE in December 1984. 14th Mandolin (the company behind King of Video) had a 63m videotape Refused Classification, again due to 'explicit and gratuitous sexual violence'.

It was finally passed with an R18+ (High Level Sex Scenes, Sexual Violence, Nudity) rating in March 2005. Force Entertainment released it to DVD (As THE AWAKENING OF ANNIE) the following month. This was part of an eight disc box set titled THE FRENCH EROTIC COLLECTION. It was re-released in April 2008 with new packaging.

 

 

ANNIE: THE VIRGIN OF ST TROPEZ Review

Thanks to Matt for this review of the film.

Despite the box listing it as THE AWAKENING OF ANNIE, the actual on-screen title is ANNIE THE VIRGIN OF ST TROPEZ. The print looks uncut, with a running time of 89:58, nine seconds of which is the Cinema Arts titles card. This would seem to indicate that the Eros/Platinum VHS banned in 1985 was also uncut as the censors list it as running 90m. The 'gratuitous sexual violence' that the censors state as the reason for the ban would be from these three scenes.

39m: Mark attempts to force himself on Annie. He gets as far as pulling her bikini top off and trying to kiss her. This is followed by a seemingly never ending chase along the beach. This is probably the tamest of the three sequences.

51m-56m: A flashback shows Annie delivering a dress to the home of an extremely ugly South African guy. He forces her at knife point to strip, and then attempts to rape her. This is quite an unsettling sequence, mainly because the guy is so convincing. He looks like he has had major surgery for burns, and has huge lips which he licks as he looks at the naked Annie. This scene would definitely been the main reason that the film was banned.

73m: When they fly into the Amazon, Annie and the other passengers are held up by a group of armed men. The other girl on the plane is held down by two men and they pull her top off. This is a brief sequence, but understanding how the censors reacted back in 1985, then this could have contributed to the ban.

These three sequences would not even get close to making up the approximately 25m that are missing from the King of Video tape that you list. This must have also been missing the long sex scenes that are littered through the film. These are quite graphic, but still your typical 70's soft-core variety.

The film itself is incredibly dull, despite the climax having Annie wandering through the Amazon, battling alligators, and dodging death.

 

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Anthropophagous: The Beast

Directed by Joe D'Amato / 1980 / Italy / IMDb

Force Video gave ANTHROPOPHAGOUS: THE BEAST an unofficial Australian Video release in the late 90s under the title SAVAGE ISLAND. It was reportedly a very heavily cut version. Thanks to Jason D for confirming this.

There is one report of the R2 German Double DVD set on the Relax label being confiscated by customs in 2005.

Reasons given were:

"This DVD portrays scenes of Cannibalism in such a way that they offend against the standards of morality, decency and propriety generally accepted by reasonable adults to the extent that they should not be imported."

This has never been officially released in Australia, and despite the IMDb saying otherwise, (we believe) never been rated by the Australian censors.

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Assault: Criminals Part IV

Directed by Chih-Hung Kwei and Chung Sun / 1977 / Hong Kong / IMDb

In June 1979. a 2547.80 meter (93:07) print of CRIMINALS 4 was Refused Registration by the censorship board. The reason given was 'indecency and excessive violence'.

 

Thanks to Matt for this review.

CRIMINALS 4 consists of two (true-crime?) stories. 

Overall this is a typical piece of 70s Shaw Bros sleaze. No full frontal nudity, but lots of topless shots.

 

MANIAC (42m): A Mongoloid psycho and his gang are kidnapping women from the streets, holding them hostage and raping them.

This censors would have found lots to object to in this episode.

2 to 4 mins approx: A topless Western woman is tied up with her hands above her head and whipped and beaten by the gang.

9:30 to 13:30 approx: A topless girl is tied up and the Maniac pours milk over her body and puts ants on her. The gang arrive force her to take some drugs, then move in to rape her as the scene ends.

32:30 to 35:30 approx: The previous victims sister is tied up with her hands above her head as the Maniac taunts and strips her

 

QUEEN OF TEMPLE STREET (47m): A worthless husband owes a huge gambling debt so pays the gang off by selling his wife to work in their brothel.

Again there area few scenes that would have caused problems.

60 to 62min approx : The wife is raped by several men.

78 to 79:30 approx: After she is caught trying to escape she is beaten and raped by the brothel owners.

The Hong Kong Celestial VCD runs 89:19 and may be censored. I noticed at 85:33 where the husband brings down the meat cleaver on his wife the screen goes black, with red blood splatter shown. This may be how the Director intended it. However a couple of seconds later at 85:35 the music seems to skip as we see the face of the husband after he has killed his wife. I suspect a shot of her body may have been removed.

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Auditions

Directed by Harry Hurwitz / 1978 / USA / IMDb

Two videotapes of AUDITIONS running 78m were Refused Registration in the early 80s.  First in June 1982 for Video Classics, and again in May 1983 for Syme Home Video. The reason given for the ban was "sexual exploitation of a minor".

In the early 80s, Hollywood House Video released AUDITIONS on tape. We require confirmation if it was uncut.

 

Thanks to Jay for this explanation.

I'm a big Linnea Quigley fan and came across your site whilst tacking down some of her lesser known titles. AUDITIONS was one of her earlier works and was released on VHS here in the States by Wizard Home Video in the early 80's. I finally managed to find a download of this, and having watched it I think I can explain what problem your censors had with it. The film is a mock documentary involving auditions for a soft-core porn film. The scene in question actually involves Linnea's character, Sally Webster.

We are introduced to Sally at around 6min when she auditions for her part. The producer asks her to take her clothes off and dance. After she does this he then says "we are going to have to check out your age though, because I don't know if I'll go for that eighteen though, but we certainly enjoyed the dance". The scene ends around 8mins.

The second scene starts at around 26min where Sally has been invited back for a second audition. Two guys pull her top off and lift her onto a bench. The producer then stops the scene and says there is a problem. The following discussion takes place.

Producer: "Is your name Sally Webster?"
Sally: "Yeah"
Producer: "How old are you Sally?"
Sally: "18"
Producer "How old?"
Sally: "18"
Producer: "Sally, I happen to know for a fact that you are fifteen years old. When you told me you were eighteen I wasn't sure, and had some people check, and I just found out the whole story. There is no way you are going to be in this picture, you are underage and we'll get in trouble. You are already in trouble because they know where you are. Your folks are very upset, why don't you give them a call and arrange to go back home"
Sally: "I'm going to be sixteen next month!"

So that would probably have been the two scenes that your censor's considered to be "sexual exploitation of a minor". Incidentally, Linnea Quigley was born in 1958, and AUDITIONS was made in 1978, making her twenty years old at the time. Get over it, it's a films guys, she was acting!

The actual film itself is not bad, and is surprisingly well acted. Also (a 20yr old!!!) Linnea has a full frontal nude scene which should be recommendation enough.

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Au Pair Girls

Directed by Val Guest / 1972 / UK / IMDb

In September 1972, a 2436.70-meter (89:04) print of AU PAIR GIRLS was censored by 44.19-meters (01:51) for an R-rating. Blake Films had to make the cuts to remove 'indecency'.

In April 1982, Gold Lion Video had an 81m tape passed with an R-rating. It was awarded for sex, which were described as:
Frequency: Infrequent
Explicitness/Intensity: Medium
Purpose: Gratuitous

Other: Nudity

In December 1984, TAG Video had a 78m tape passed with an R-rating. We need confirmation if this was ever released.

 

 

AU PAIR GIRLS (1972): The censored scenes

Thanks to Simon for this information.

The Gold Lion tape of AU PAIR GIRLS runs 79:32 (PAL). A large part of the sex scene between Ricky and Christa has been censored. There are several obvious cuts after he says, "Who cares chicko". This scene is the most explicit in the film, so I would assume it made up the bulk of the footage that Blake Films pre-cut in 1972.

This scene is described in more detail at DVD Compare, where they look at the UK (cut) and US (uncut) Jezebel/Salvation DVDs. The footage of Anita on the mirror, and Christa smoking a joint are in the Australian Rampix tape. Even though the UK DVD also censors the Ricky and Christa sex scene, it still runs longer than the Rampix version.

Rampix was a UK label that was released here in the early 80s through Gold Lion Video. Others in the series included MONIQUE (1969), INTMATE GAMES (1976), PERMISSIVE (1970), THE SEX THIEF (1973), and ZETA ONE (1970). All have the same cover art as the UK releases. Presumably, the UK tape of AU PAIR GIRLS was the same as ours. The Classification Board’s database list most of these Rampix tapes as being resubmitted by TAG Video in 1984.

Daybill image courtesy of moviemem.com

 

    

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Autopsy

Directed by Armando Crispino / 1973 / Italy / IMDb

In January 1980, House of Dare had to remove 44s of "excessive violence" from AUTOPSY to gain an 84m R-rated theatrical release.

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Axe

aka California Axe Massacre

Directed by Frederick R Friedel / 1977 / USA / IMDb

Between 1981 and 1982, Regent Trading cut AXE from 67 to 66m for an R-rating.

 

 

K&C Video version

K&C Video were responsible for the tape release, and their print ran 64:16. This compares with 64:49 for the old uncut UK tape on the Video Network label.

 

Thanks to Chris for the conformation of the cuts.

The K&C print of AXE is censored in the scene where Lisa murders Lomax as he attempts to rape her.

In the K&C print, we see Lisa bring the scalpel down on Lomax's neck. What is missing is the view onto the back of Lomax’s bloody neck as Lisa cuts into it. The censorship is easy to identify as the K&C print goes from a screaming Lomax, to a shot of Lisa lying on the bed. At the same time, the music also jumps.

The cut scene lasts around 20s.

The other scenes that I would have suspected of being censored, the death of Aubrey (8m), the humiliation of the checkout girl (14m), and the death of Steele (58m) all looked uncut.

 

 

Platinum Video version

The censors also viewed AXE in 1985, when applicant C.White presented the video under the title of CALIFORNIA AXE MASSACRE. This 63m (63:26), release was rated R and put out by Platinum Video.

Thanks again to Chris for the conformation of the cuts.

The Platinum Video print of AXE is also censored, but in a different way to the K&C version. The death of Lomax is in this version, and did not look cut.

The only cut that I really noticed was the death of Steele. The build up is present with Lisa trying to grab the axe, but the chopping that follows is missing. This is a strange scene to cut as Steele’s death takes place entirely off screen. This was complete in the K&C version.

The Platinum version does not have the 15s Box Office International intro that was present in the K&C tape.

In addition, the retitling has been done by adding the computer generated words, THE CALIFORNIA and MASSACRE either side of the original AXE title.

 

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Azumanga Daioh

Directed by Nishikiori Hiroshi / 2002 / Japan / IMDb

This film has never had problems with the Australian censors. It is included as an example of classification policy.

 

The Japanese animation AZUMANGA DAIOH: ENTRANCE - CHILD HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT/ OSAKA TODAY AS WELL/ NYAMO/ A FUN PROFESSION/ SUMMER BREAK was classified on June 22, 2004 with an MA15+ (Adult Themes) rating.

 

On July 8, 2004 Madman posted the following on their message boards.

Well thought I'd might let you all a little heads up. Azumanga Daioh has been given the rating of MA by the OFLC. It was quite a shock to us as we were expecting a PG or heck even a G rating for this title!

Reasons for the MA (Adult Theme) was due to Kimura Sensei's actions in Episode 4 - Pool! Pool! Pool! Unfortunately because of his perverse on what is considered to be minors and "pathetic" antics, this stepped over the guidelines and were the reasons given for the MA rating.

 

Thanks to Matthew W for the following information on this title.

I thought you'd like to know about a recent decision by the OFLC. Madman Entertainment had "Azumanga Daioh: Entrance" classified by the OFLC and they gave it an MA15+ which surprised the hell out of the company since they were expecting it to get a PG at the most. The title is a Japanese animated comedy focusing on a group of young high school girls and follows their everyday life, some which is a little surreal. The main problem the OFLC seems to have had is with the antics of one of the teachers; Kimura, who makes a comment that the students should wear more revealing swimsuits (or words to that effect, I haven't seen the show in a little while). During the entire season of the show he occasionally makes remarks like this.

The OFLC took offence to this as the girls are all under 18. There is no sex, nudity, violence (except that of the mild cartoon variety), or any real adult themes. There are no explicit discussions about sex or anything of that nature during the show. Any sexual content is of a very innocent nature and is really restricted to girls telling each other they have "big boobs" or girls blushing when they're talking about what a kiss tastes like (kind of a common cliché in Japanese pop culture of this sort).

The show with the same version of the English dub and subtitles has been classified PG and 12 in the UK by the BBFC without any cuts. The US company that released it placed a suggested rating of 13+ on the cover of the DVD (it was not rated by the MPAA). It's a really odd decision which a lot of long time fans of the show are totally bewildered by it. There is a discussion going on about the classification on the Madman messageboards.

I've watched the "offending" episode again, (the "Pool! Pool! Pool!" segment of episode 4) . What actually happens is that while the girls are having a P.E. lesson at the pool with their female gym teacher, Miss Kurosawa, Mr Kimura appears and suggests they should play Basketball in their swimsuits (which are of the typical Japanese High School one piece dark blue variety - very unflattering) in the gym. He then suggests that perhaps it's better that they're wet before they play. Miss Kurosawa is slightly annoyed but lets him stay. She eventually throws him out when he makes an unflattering remark about her. He then pleads to swap lessons with her, but she just ignores him.

The lecherous teacher is a common type of character in Japanese animation and comics. These characters are almost always perceived as an annoyance and used as comic relief and are not depicted as some sort of sexual predator, nor does the character ever take on these roles.

Watching the episodes again, I'm even more puzzled by the OFLC's decision. Since Mr Kimura's behaviour gets slightly worse during the course of the show, will future volumes be rated R18+ or even RC? When did Australia become so conservative? Even the BBFC gave the show PG and 12 ratings, and it's exactly the same version that's being released in Australia. It's fairly disturbing, and I don't understand how a simple little cartoon like this cause the OFLC to give it such a high rating.

 

 

Appeal withdrawn

The following information from the OFLC's 2004-2005 Annual Report shows that Madman Entertainment did indeed consider appealing to the Review Board, but eventually decided against it.

Classification Board & Classification Review Board Annual Report
2004-2005

Page 91
Classification Review Board
Applications withdrawn

During the course of the year, the Classification Review Board received a number of applications that were later withdrawn. A determination is not made on withdrawn applications, yet a considerable amount of time is spent by the Convenor and the secretariat on these applications.

Table 22: Applications to the Classification Review Board withdrawn
Title: Azumanga Daioh
Media: Computer game
Review applicant: Madman Entertainment
Reason for withdrawal: Commercial decision

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Next Films: Anatomy of Hell (2004)

 

 

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