Film Censorship: B #2

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The Beyond

Directed by Lucio Fulci / 1981 / Italy / IMDb

Anticipating problems with the Censorship Board, Greater Union Film Distributors pre-cut THE BEYOND before submission. This 2276.69 meter (83:13) print, described as 'pre-censor cut version', was rated R in May 1982.

In February 1985, Palace was given the same rating for another 83m videotape print. The exact runtime for the Palace Explosive tape was 81:46, around two minutes shorter than uncut prints.

 

 

Seized by customs

There are two customs confiscation to report for THE BEYOND.

In October 1991, it was part of a package of fifteen tapes that were seized by the Australian Customs Service. They were forwarded to the Office of Film and Literature Classification (OFLC) who found them to be:

"…prohibited pursuant to Regulation 4A(1A)(a)(iii) of the Customs (Prohibited Imports) Regulations"

 

Another report comes from 2002/2003 with a copy of the US Anchor Bay DVD tin being seized.

 

 

THE BEYOND: Palace Explosive Video (cut) vs. Siren DVD (uncut)

In November 2004, Siren Visual Entertainment released an uncut 83:47 DVD of THE BEYOND.

The following is a comparison between it and the cut Palace Explosive tape. It is not an exact check, so there may be some small cuts that have been missed. The time quoted refers to the point in the DVD where footage was censored from the tape release.

Note that the Siren DVD begins with a shot of the hotel with over which 'Louisiana 1927' is shown. It is missing a brief 1-2 second shot of the Hotel sign that should come before. This is present in the Palace Explosive tape.

 

SCHWEICK'S DEATH
Schweick is dragged to the basement. The Palace tape then removes three shots at 4:20, 4:25, and 4:30 of him being whipped with the chain and his bloody wounds. Each time we only see the shots of those doing the whipping. The scene resumes with him being picked up.
The Palace tape shows the first nail being hammered into his wrist. It cuts at 5:06 to remove the sight of blood weeping from the wound. It resumes with a shot of his face before the second nail is hammered in.

 

JOE'S EYE GOUGE
The Palace tape shows the start of the scene where Joe's eye is gouged out. It cuts at 17:30 to remove the sight of blood coming from his eye socket.

 

SPIDER ATTACK
This is the longest cut in the Palace tape. Beginning at 49:50 it removes the entire scene of the spiders tearing at the Librarian's lip, nose, eye, and tongue.

 

MARTHA'S EYE POP
Censored at 57:35, the entire shot of Martha's eye being pushed out by the nail.

 

EMILY'S THROAT RIP
The dog is shown attacking Emily's throat. It cuts at 63:52 as blood begins to appear. The scene continues with the dog attacking the side of her head, the biting off of her ear, and the slow motion blood flow.

 

JILL'S EXPLODING HEAD
Censored at 78:40, the entire shot of the top of Jill's head being shot off.

 

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Beyond the Darkness

Directed by Joe D'Amato / 1979 / Italy / IMDb

BEYOND THE DARKNESS was part of a package of fifteen tapes that were seized by the Australian Customs Service in October 1991. They were forwarded to the Office of Film and Literature Classification (OFLC) who found them to be:

"…prohibited pursuant to Regulation 4A(1A)(a)(iii) of the Customs (Prohibited Imports) Regulations"

 

Joe D'Amato's EMANUELLE IN AMERICA (1976) and EMANUELLE AND THE LAST CANNIBALS (1977) were both heavily cut by the Australian censors, and his CALIGULA: THE UNTOLD STORY (1981) was issued in a soft version on video. There is also a report of ANTHROPOPHAGOUS: THE BEAST (1980) being taken by customs.

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The Big Boss 

Directed by Wei Lo / 1971 / Hong Kong / IMDb

Note: We have assumed this film is THE BIG BOSS (1971). However, it may be FIST OF FURY (1972) as THE CHINESE CONNECTION was an aka for that film. Please e-mail us if you can confirm which one used THE BIG BOSS as a theatrical title in Australia.

 

In May 1973, a 2895.00-meter (105:31) print of THE BIG BOSS was banned because of 'excessive violence'.

MGM/BEF Film Distributors made a successful appeal to the Films Board of Review, and in July 1973, it was passed with an R-rating.

In April 1974, a 2874.57-meter (104:47) print, under the title THE CHINESE CONNECTION, was passed with an M-rating. The Film Censorship Board stated:

Formerly known in the longer version as THE BIG BOSS; reconstructed and reclassified at importer’s request.

Again, the applicant was MGM/BEF Film Distributors.

At the time, the Australian market for martial arts films favored an M-rating. Titles were often censored down to achieve such a classification.

 

In January 1981, a 2816.69-meter (102:40) print was passed with an M-rating. It was awarded for violence, which was described as being:
Frequency: Frequent
Explicitness/Intensity: Medium
Purpose: Gratuitous

The Mandarin Cinema was the applicant.

 

 

Video and DVD releases

Communications and Entertainment had a 94m tape passed with an M-rating in May 1985. This was released on their Star Video label.

The following month, Pacific Seven had 95m tape passed with an M-rating.

Both of these classifications were awarded for the same reasons as the 1981 submission.

 

In September 2004, a DVD of THE BIG BOSS was passed with an M (Medium level violence) rating.

Universal Pictures Video was the applicant.

 

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The Big Bust Out

aka Lo, Monaca, Tre Bastardi e Sette Peccatrici

Directed by Ernst R. von Theumer / 1972 / Italy–West Germany / IMDb

In December 1978, an 2468.70-meter (89:59) print of LO, MONACA, TRE BASTARDI E SETTE PECCATRICI was censored by 04.00-meters (00:08) for an R-rating. The cuts were made to remove 'excessive violence'.

Cinema Italia was the applicant.

 

JUNGLE WARRIORS (1984), another Ernst R. von Theumer film, also had censorship problems in Australia.

 

Thanks to Mat for this information.

In 1973, Roger Corman removed 20m from LO, MONACA, TRE BASTARDI E SETTE PECCATRICI, and retitled it THE BIG BUST OUT. The version submitted to the Australian censor in 1978 was the full Italian version, I viewed the shorter 70:28 (NTSC) Corman cut.

The censored 8 seconds of 'excessive violence' may have either come from the scene at 47m where a naked Nadia is whipped by the dwarf, or more likely, at 63m where Sister Maria’s is tormented and cut by one of the sadistic thugs.

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The Big Doll House

Directed by Jack Hill / 1971 / Philippines-USA / IMDb

In October 1971, an 8539-feet (95:53) print of THE BIG DOLL HOUSE was banned because of 'indecency'. MGM/BEF Distributors made an unsuccessful appeal to the Film Board of Review in November 1971.

In August 2004, THE BIG DOLL HOUSE was passed with an MA15+ (Adult themes; Drug use, Medium level sex scene; Medium level violence) rating. Umbrella Entertainment released it on DVD.

In 2008, Umbrella re-released it as part of a four disc WOMEN IN PRISON DVD box set. It included the sequel, THE BIG BIRD CAGE (1972), as well as WOMEN IN CAGES (1971), and THE ARENA (1974).

 

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The Big Snatch

Directed by Byron Mabe - Dan Martin / 1971 / USA / IMDb

In November 1977, a 2194.50-meter (79:59) print of THE BIG SNATCH was banned because of 'indecency and indecent violence'. Regent Trading Enterprises were the applicant.

In May 1982, a censored 1645.80-meter (59:59) was passed with an R-rating. It was awarded for sex, which was described as being:
Frequency: Frequent
Explicitness/Intensity: Medium
Purpose: Gratuitous

14th Mandolin was the applicant.

 

Thanks to Simon for this information.

Something Weird’s print of THE BIG SNATCH runs 80:25 and appears to be uncut.

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The Black Alley Cats

Directed by Henning Schellerup / 1973 / USA / IMDb

A 2231.04 meter (81:33) print of THE BLACK ALLEY CATS was submitted to the Censorship Board in January 1980 by Blake Films. It was awarded an R-rating for sex, which were described as:
Frequency: Frequent
Explicitness/Intensity: Medium

The censors claim it was passed with an R-rating without eliminations.

In August 1985, the censors reconsidered, when the same distributor had the 80m version banned for 'gratuitous sexual violence'. It is possible that this was being rated for release by Palace Explosive Video, as Blake Films were one of the distributors behind the label.

 

Thanks to Matt G for this review of the film.

The Something Weird VHS released in the US runs 79:33 which is a couple of minutes shorter than the 81:33 that you quote. Not sure why this is, as there are no obvious cuts, and the sex is quite graphic. I would guess that our censors would have had problems with the opening scene (2-7mins) where the girls are raped by a group of guys. This is the most obvious example of 'gratuitous sexual violence'.

Other possibilities include at 31-34min when the Doctor and his wife rape one of the gang, and maybe the scene at 67-68mins where the Doctor has sex with one of the girls when he is supposed to be treating her.

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The Black Angels

Directed by Laurence Merrick / 1970 / USA / IMDb

During the early 80s, there was no law that compelled distributors to have video tapes classified. For a period, the Censorship Board simply viewed the tapes and passed them as 'Special Condition', the definition of which was:

That the film/tape will not be exhibited in any State in contravention of that State's law relating to the exhibition of films.

The Prestige Video release of THE BLACK ANGELS was passed in January 1984 with such a warning.

 

In February 1984, it became law for all video tapes to be classified. The censors began the slow task of reviewing all the titles that had been released up until that time. They finally got to the BLACK ANGELS in November 1984. The 81m Prestige Video VHS was Refused Classification due to 'explicit and gratuitous sexual violence'. Despite the ban, the film remained on the shelves of many video stores.

The Prestige Video tape ran 81:45, and was preceded by the U.S. MPAA R-rating card.

The offending scene takes place at approximately the 68m mark of the film. A girl is abducted from the street by two men in car. The take her to a warehouse where they chain her up and rip open her top. One of the men holds a knife to her breasts. The scene ends with her screaming, the sound of which continues over the following scene of a biker couple kissing. It is unclear if this is how the film should be, or if it has been done to mask any cuts.

 

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Black Deep Throat

Directed by Guido Zurli / 1976 / Italy / IMDb

A 'pre-censor cut version' of BLACK DEEP THROAT running 2342.59 meters (85:37) was rated R in May 1979. This version went on to have a theatrical release in Australia.

1981 saw an 86m videotape twice Refused Registration. The first applicant was L&M Imports in August, followed by Meridien Electronics in November. The ban was due to some of the sex scenes, which were described as:
Frequency: Frequent
Explicitness/Intensity: High
Purpose: Gratuitous

Around the same time, King of Video released the film to video. This print ran 82:20 and definitely had some of the sex scenes edited. The running time would seem to indicate that it is the same as the 'pre-censor cut version' passed in May 1979. Note that despite the title seemingly promising it, the film was never shot as hardcore.

 

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Black on White

Directed by Jorn Donner / 1968 / Finland / IMDb

In June 1971, an appeal was made against the eliminations made to a 6833-feet (75:55) print of BLACK ON WHITE. No decision was made, as the Film Board of Review described it as being 'apparently incomplete'. At the time SOA (equivalent to the M-rating), was the highest classification available.

 

In April 1972, Filmways appealed against the decision of the Censorship Board to pass a cut version of BLACK ON WHITE. The Film Board of Review agreed that the 8582-feet (95:21) print should be modified, and in June 1972, 76-feet (00:50) was removed for an R-rating. The cuts were made to remove 'indecency'.

 

A 2605.00-meter (94:57) print of BLACK ON WHITE was again passed with an R-rating in August 1977. The applicant was the National Film Theatre of Australia.

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Blindman

Directed by Ferdinando Baldi / 1971 / Italy-USA / IMDb

In June 1972, a 9064-feet (100:43) print of BLINDMAN was banned because of 'excessive violence'. It was then censored down to 2508.50-meters (91:26), but in October 1972, this too was banned.

In December 1972, the Film Board of Review overruled the Censorship Board, and passed a 2549.34-meter (92:55) print with an M-rating. 20th Century Fox went on to release it theatrically.

 

An 101:16 Italian language version of BLINDMAN premiered on SBS in 2002.

Image courtesy of moviemem.com

 

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Blood Frenzy

Directed by Hal Freeman  / 1987 / USA / IMDb

BLOOD FRENZY was part of a package of fifteen tapes that were seized by the Australian Customs Service in October 1991. They were forwarded to the Office of Film and Literature Classification (OFLC) who found them to be:

"…prohibited pursuant to Regulation 4A(1A)(a)(iii) of the Customs (Prohibited Imports) Regulations"

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The Bloody Fists

Directed by See-Yuen Ng / 1972 / Hong Kong / IMDb

In July 1972, a 2926.08-meter (106:39) print of THE BLOODY FISTS was banned because of 'excessive violence'. After being censored down to 2326.25-meters (84:27), it was passed with an M-rating in January 1973.

During the early 70s, martial arts film distributors favoured M-ratings for their releases. In this case, fewer cuts would have presumably been necessary had the aim been an R-rating

Chingman and Sons Australia released it theatrically.

 

 

Banned and censored videotapes

In April 1982, a 90m tape of THE BLOODY FISTS was banned because of violence, which was described as being:
Frequency: Infrequent
Explicitness/Intensity: High
Purpose: Gratuitous

J&P Video Hire was the applicant.

 

In July 1982, Risis Ethnic Video Services had a 94m 'reduced version' passed with an R-rating. It was awarded for violence, which was described as:
Frequency: Frequent
Explicitness/Intensity: Medium
Purpose: Gratuitous

We believe this tape was the cut Ocean Shores release.

 

 

Excessive violence in THE BLOODY FISTS

Thanks to Matt for this information.

THE BLOODY FISTS is certainly one of the more violent early martial arts films. It would be hard to point out any scenes that would have caught the censor’s eye, as the film consists of almost non-stop fighting. There is one scene of sexual violence at 75m, when one of the Japanese fighters strips the Chin San's sister against her will, and is later caught having sex with her.

The widescreen print that I viewed ran 97:30.

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Bloody Friday

Directed by Rolf Olsen - Lee Payant / 1972 / Italy–West Germany / IMDb

In July 1974, a 962.25-meter (87:41) 16mm print of BLOODY FRIDAY was censored by 9.14-meters (00:50) for an R-rating. The cuts were made to remove 'indecency'. Anjohn International were the applicant.

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Boxcar Bertha

Directed by Martin Scorsese / 1972 / USA / IMDb

In August 1972, a 2491.13-meter (90:48) print of BOX CAR BERTHA was censored by 39.92-meters (01:27) for an R-rating. The cuts were made to remove 'excessive violence'.

Roadshow Distributors were the applicant.

 

 

Video and DVD releases

In February 1984, an 88m video was passed with an R-rating. Roadshow Home Video released it on tape.

BOX CAR BERTHA was classified again in August 2005. This time, the MGM Home Entertainment DVD was passed with an R18+ (High level violence) rating.

 

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Bride of Frank

Directed by Steve Ballot / 1996 / USA / IMDb

There is a confirmed customs confiscation from 1998 of this low-budget shot on video feature. This Dutch Media Madness release was taken due to a scene where Frank entices a girl into his truck, bashes her head with a metal bar, and then runs her over with the truck.

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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Britt Blazer

Directed by Marty Rensokoff / 1970 / USA / IMDb

In January and February 1981, a 656.50-meter (59:49) 16mm print of BRITT BLAZER was banned because sex, which was described as being:
Frequency: Frequent
Explicitness/Intensity: Medium
Purpose: Gratuitous

It was also refused because of 'sexual violence'.

The first applicant was Esquire Films, and the second was 14th Mandolin.

 

14th Mandolin received an R-rating for a censored 647.23-meter (58:58) 16mm version in August 1981. It was awarded for sex, which was described as being:
Frequency: Frequent
Explicitness/Intensity: Medium
Purpose: Gratuitous

Sexual violence was not mentioned, so presumably this had been censored.

14th Mandolin released BRITT BLAZER on their King of Video label.

 

 

BRITT BLAZER: The censored 'sexual violence'

Thanks to Simon for this information.

Something Weird’s 1996 tape of BRITT BLAZER runs 59:58. The censored minute of 'sexual violence' must have come from the sequence where Nick rapes Denise. She is shown tied to the bed, as he enters the room and removes his clothes. At 30:30, she begins to resist his advances, so he slaps her around the face before raping her.

The whole film is just an endless sequence of soft-core sex, with the flimsiest of plots.

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Bronze Head and Steel Arm

Directed by Sheng-en Chin / 1972 / Taiwan / IMDb

In January 1973, a 2530.00-meter print of (92:13) of BRONZE HEAD AND STEEL ARM was banned because of 'excessive violence'. A censored 2331.48-meters (84:59) version was passed with an M-rating in April 1974.

We assume fewer cuts would have been necessary had an R-rating been the goal. At the time, distributors of martial arts films preferred the M-rating.

Cypress and Sons Company was the applicant

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The Brood

Directed by David Cronenberg / 1979 / Canada / IMDb

In March 1980, Everand Films had a censored version of THE BROOD passed with an R-rating for theatrical release. The film was submitted to the censors with a length of 2509.92 meters (91:44), it lost 31.1 meters (01:08) of 'excessive violence' to gain the rating.

The first Australian video release was in the early 80s courtesy of the Intervision label. We suspect this is the same as the censored UK Intervision tape.

THE BROOD had more trouble in March 1983 when Risis Ethnic Video had a 93m tape Refused Classification.

A second tape was issued by CBS/Fox Video in 1984. This was the 85m cut version and was listed by the censors as being passed with an R-rating.

There was a third tape release, this time from Force Video.

 

Universal Pictures released an 87:41 print of THE BROOD on DVD in Australia in October 2004. Unfortunately, it was sourced from a cut print.

Movie-Censorship documents what was missing from this version.

 

In December 2012, a 151m DVD of THE BROOD was passed with an R18+ (Horror violence) rating. The submission was described as being the 'uncut version'.

Umbrella Entertainment will be releasing the film on DVD and Blu-ray in March 2013.

 

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Next Films: B #3

 

 

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