Film Censorship: I

I, a Woman No. 2

Directed by Mac Ahlberg / 1968 / Denmark / IMDb

In December 1971, a 7163-foot (79:35) version of I, A WOMAN NO. 2 was banned because of 'indecency'. Filmways Australasia was the applicant.

The Idiots

aka Dogma 2 "The Idiots"

Directed by Lars von Trier / 1998 / Denmark / IMDb

Palace Films had a 115m 35mm print of THE IDIOTS passed with an R18+ (Adult themes; Medium level sex scene) rating in July 1999.

An orgy sequence featuring actual sex was pre-censored before the film was submitted for rating. It was this version that Palace Films released theatrically and that Roadshow released on VHS.

THE IDIOTS: The censored footage

The censored Roadshow tape ran 109:04 and was missing the following.

Before - The group role around naked in the garden. The subtitles say "Yes, Susanne" "Okay, I'll take these off too"

CENSORED AT 72:25 (24s missing) - The group are shown having sex. An erection, and two shots of penetration are shown.

After - The camera pans up to a shot of the girl sitting on the window ledge.

This was a very lazy cut by Palace Films. The controversial material does not last anywhere near the 24 seconds that were removed. The version that played on SBS (see below) was more carefully censored. Some of the orgy sequence could be seen, and only the penetration/erection footage was removed.

The cover of the Roadshow tape incorrectly claims that THE IDIOTS was BANNED IN THE USA. They would have been more truthful if they had said CENSORED IN AUSTRALIA.

ROMANCE and Actual Sex in R18+

Soon after the release of THE IDIOTS, the film ROMANCE was banned by the Classification Board, and then passed by the Review Board. This overturned the long held belief that real sex could not be seen in an R-rated feature. It was no doubt with this in mind that the World Movies Pay-TV channel premiered the uncut version of THE IDIOTS, despite the film (at that moment) never having been passed in full.

In March 2003 the film received an SBS premier. Due to the restrictions placed on the screening of R18+ rated features on TV, the film had to be edited back to an MA15+. Full credit to Margaret Pomeranz who introduced the film and warned potential viewers that it had been necessary for SBS to make one cut. The print ran 109:16 and was missing the erection and penetration scene. This compares with 109:31 for the uncut print that screened on World Movies.

Uncut DVD release

The Australian DVD debut took place in March 2005 courtesy of Umbrella Entertainment. This was despite it not being officially rated (as DOGMA 2: "THE IDIOTS") until September 2005. This uncut release was awarded an R18+ (High Level Themes, High Level Sex Scenes).

The Idiots - Roadshow [au] VHS The Idiots - Umbrella Entertainment [au] DVD

The Iguana with the Tongue of Fire

Directed by Riccardo Freda / 1971 / France-Italy-West Germany / IMDb

In August 1972, a 2624.00-meter (95:54) print of THE IGUANA WITH TH TONGUE OF FIRE was banned because of 'indecency and excessive violence'.

Filmways Australasia censored 27.12-meters (00:59) of 'excessive violence' and were awarded an R-rating in February 1973. This 2604.80-meter (95:12) version was submitted as L'IGUANA DI FUOCO.

Thanks to Matt for this information.

New Entertainment World DVD (Germany) 91:43

These are the main scenes of 'excessive violence' that may have been trimmed for the Australian release of THE IGUANA WITH THE TONGUE OF FIRE.

05:00 – The first victim has acid thrown in her face (a very fake looking effect), and her throat cut.

39:30 – Norton has a flashback to him beating a prisoner, who eventually shoots himself in the head. The suicide is shown for a second time at 53:30.

74:30 – Mandel the chauffer has his throat cut.

89:30 – The bloody face of the killer is shown after he jumps from a widow and lands on a car.

The censor also mentioned 'indecency' as a reason for initially banning the film, but only 'excessive violence' was listed as being removed when it finally received an R-rating. The 'indecency' consists of two very tame scenes of couples kissing (at 30:00 and 78:00) where they are shown naked from the waist up. In addition, beginning at 85:00, there are several topless shots of Norton's daughter.

Ilsa, She Wolf of the SS

Directed by Don Edmonds / 1975 / Canada / IMDb

ILSA, SHE WOLF OF THE SS was banned twice in 1975 when Filmways Australasia submitted an 87m 35mm print. They eventually censored it down to 77m, but this too was banned in November 1976. An appeal to the Review Board failed so the film went unseen theatrically in Australia.

In October 1983 Torino Video had an 86m videotape Refused Registration.

ILSA in Australia

The censors have only ever passed one of the ILSA series for release in Australia.

An 87m videotape of ILSA, HAREM KEEPER OF THE OIL SHEIKS was passed in August 1982. This was an Italian language release and was classified with an R-rating under the title ILSA DE BELVA DEL DESERTO.

Jess Franco's unofficial sequel, GRETA THE MAD BUTCHER (aka ILSA THE WICKED WARDEN) was banned by the censor in October 1977.

The ILSA series and customs

In January 2005 there is a report of customs delaying delivery of the Anchor Bay ILSA Box set. The titles in the shipment were SHE WOLF OF THE SS, HAREM KEEPER OF THE OIL SHEIKS, and THE WICKED WARDEN. The package was eventually delivered with a letter informing that they had been delayed because they were suspected of falling within the scope of Regulation 4A of the Customs (Prohibited Imports) Regulations 1956.

In the Cut

Directed by Jane Campion / 2003 / Australia - USA - UK / IMDb

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

Sony Pictures Releasing had a 119m 35mm print of IN THE CUT passed in September 2003 with an R18+ (High Level Sex Scenes, Medium Level Violence) rating.

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment was awarded the same rating in March 2004 for a DVD of the film, though it was Columbia Tristar Home Entertainment who released the film on disc.

This was quite a controversial title as it contained an explicit scene of (fake) fellatio. So although it was not 'Actual Sex', it still looked very convincing.

IN THE CUT: Sex and the R-rating

The following is taken from the REPORT ON THE REVIEW OF THE OPERATION OF THE 2003 GUIDELINES FOR THE CLASSIFICATION OF FILMS AND COMPUTER GAMES. It includes information about the classification of this title.

REPORT ON THE REVIEW OF THE OPERATION OF THE 2003 GUIDELINES FOR THE CLASSIFICATION OF FILMS AND COMPUTER GAMES

Prepared by Kate Aisbett, Entertainment Insights
December 2004

Executive Summary
Review process
A review of the first twelve months’ operation of the Guidelines for the Classification of Films and Computer Games 2003 (the 2003 Guidelines) was promised by the former Attorney General, the Hon Daryl Williams AM QC MP, to ensure that the decisions made under the 2003 Guidelines align with those made under the Guidelines for the Classification of Films and Videotapes – Amendment No. 3, 2000, and Guidelines for the Classification of Computer Games – Amendment No. 1, 1999 (the previous guidelines). The review of the 2003 Guidelines has been conducted and is the subject of this report.

The principal object of the review is to assess whether the combining and recasting of the previous guidelines into the 2003 Guidelines has had the effect of changing the level of content that falls into the various classification categories for film and games.

7 Examination of Board decision reports

7.6.1 Actual Sex
In the Cut was another example of an R18+ classified film with brief depictions of actual sex content classified in the first year of the operation of the 2003 Guidelines. This was a high budget Hollywood studio film directed by Jane Campion and starring Meg Ryan. The scene was described in the Board report:

At 8.50 minutes there is a brief close-up of explicit fellatio, with the female lips seen around the shaft of the male’s penis… at 9.10 there is another brief close-up of explicit fellatio.

The Board report explains the decision in relation to the actual sex scene as: In the Board’s opinion, the general rule provided for in the R classification is sufficiently flexible to allow limited actual sexual activity in a mainstream film if it is not gratuitous and is appropriately situated within a mature and serious work aimed at an adult audience. (The Board notes that the X classification is a special and legally restricted category which contains only sexually explicit material and that the content of this film does not accord with the content parameters for the X classification).

… The brevity of the two explicit shots, their treatment within a dimly lit and shadowy setting and the oblique close-up camera angle (which all helped reduce the impact).

Attachment D – OFLC responses to titles referred to in the report
In The Cut
On 29 August 2003, the Board classified the film In The Cut R18+ with the consumer advice ‘high level sex scenes, medium level violence’. The Board noted in its report that:

A New York teacher, Frannie Avery, witnesses a sexual act in a bar. Shortly afterward she is questioned by a detective, James Malloy, about a brutal killing that has taken place in her neighbourhood. The pair begin a sexually charged affair as the lonely and confused Frannie increasingly comes to believe that Malloy is the killer (due to a tattoo he has in common with the perpetrator). After Frannie’s sister, Pauline, is murdered the serial killer’s identity is revealed.

… The classifiable elements are high level sex scenes and medium level violence, neither of which exceeds a high viewing impact.

… The Board notes the wording in the classifiable element paragraph relating to sex in the Guidelines at the R classification category which state: ‘Sexual activity may be realistically simulated; the general rule is ’simulation, yes - the real thing, no.’ In the Board’s opinion, the general rule provided for in the R classification is sufficiently flexible to allow limited actual sexual activity in a mainstream film if it is not gratuitous and is appropriately situated within a mature and serious work aimed at an adult audience. (The Board notes that the X classification ‘is a special and legally restricted category which contains only sexually explicit material’ and that the content of this film does not accord with the content parameters for the X classification.)

The Board is of the view that while this film is likely to be offensive to some sections of the adult community, it is not offensive to the extent that it warrants an RC classification. For the following reasons the Board is able to accommodate the film within the legally restricted R classification: The brevity of the two explicit shots, their treatment within a dimly lit and shadowy setting, and the oblique close-up camera angle (which all help to reduce the impact).

The Board also believes that the sex scenes are contextually justified by the framework of the plot and characterizations within a seriously intentioned adult film, and are not gratuitous in their treatment. In the Cut is a restrained adaptation of a literary work of the same name by author Susanna Moore, and the director, Jane Campion, is a widely respected and serious director of films intended for a mature audience, with such previous credits as The Portrait of a Lady, Holy Smoke and The Piano.

Foxtel's censorship of R-rated films

The film premiered on Foxtel's Showtime Channel in 2005 in an MA15+ version that toned down the fellatio scene. This was due to R-rated content not being allowed on Pay TV channels such as Showtime. So called narrowcast channels such as World Movies are allowed to screen R-rated content.

In the Cut - Columbia Tristar [au] DVD

Inhumanities 2: Modern Atrocities

Directed by Wesley Emerson / 1989 / USA / IMDb

The inappropriately named Family Home Entertainment had a 76m VHS of INHUMANITIES 2: MODERN ATROCITIES Refused Classification in 1990. This shockumentary was another in a long line of examples of the genre to fall foul of the Australian censors.

In April 1991 Family Home Entertainment appealed against the decision; here is what the Board of Review had to say.

Inhumanities 2 is a compilation of newsreel footage of atrocities, murders, natural disasters, aircraft accidents, and other spectacles involving violent death or extremes of human suffering. Much of the footage has been shown previously on television, where this kind of material is distressingly familiar; some of it, so the Board was told, had not been seen before. The extracts seem to have been chosen solely for their shock value and strung together at random. There is a commentary of more than the usual banality and sententiousness. The Film Censorship Board determined by majority that the video should be refused classification because of its prolonged and relished depictions of violence and cruelty.

The applicant, Family Home Entertainment Ltd argued that because the material had already been shown on television it should not be restricted on video; it was an honest and unvarnished depiction of certain harsh realities , admittedly unpleasant but none the less part of real life. Similar videos were available in other countries and at least on (The Worst Crimes of the 20th Century) had been circulated in Australia. Inhumanities 2 was no more shocking than much of the material regularly seen by TV audiences and should not be banned. The applicant offered to remove from the video any portions which the Board found especially offensive.

The Board of Review was unanimous in concluding that the video had no documentary or artistic value. We acknowledged that viewing such material might be a necessary part of training police officers, rescue workers or others in similar occupations, but felt in this case that such considerations were not relevant. We were in no doubt that Inhumanities 2 was intended to exploit a prurient appetite for violence, and that the depictions of killing, corpses, death and putrefaction was meant to be relished and enjoyed.

Nor were we impressed by the argument that most of the footage had already been shown on TV. The depiction of atrocities in bona-fide news programs could, in our view. be justified (within limits), especially when the events were of topical interest. But the repetition and concentration of such depictions ran the risk of trivialising the events and desensitising viewers' reactions. There is a body of evidence to suggest that when violence is made to seem routine-or worse, an acceptable form of entertainment-emotional reactions are dulled. What ought to be normal and humane responses to the suffering of others-pity, shock, compassion, indignation-are diminished by familiarity and over-exposure. To some extent this is inevitable in a violent world, and no member of the Board would argue that people should be sheltered from the knowledge of ugliness and cruelty. (Given the growing diligence and intrusiveness of the media there is little chance that they will be) But seemliness and a decent respect for the feeling of others demand that human suffering should not be gloated on or exploited by others for gain. The Board of Review accordingly upheld the decision of the Film Censorship Board to refuse to classify the video Inhumanities 2

11 April 1991

New Zealand release

Family Home Entertainment did succeed in getting the film through the New Zealand censors. A 76:11 VHS was passed with an R18-rating in January 1990, while a 70:33 VHS of the first INHUMANITIES was passed with an R18 in October 1989.

Initiation

Directed by Denis Heroux / 1970 / Canada / IMDb

In May 1972, an 8653-feet (96:09) print of INITIATION was censored by 230-feet (02:33) for an R-rating. The cuts were made to remove 'indecency'. Filmways Australasia was the applicant.

In August 1987, Roadshow Home video had a 90m tape passed with an R-rating. It was awarded for sex, which was described as being:
Frequency: Infrequent
Explicitness/Intensity: Medium
Purpose: Gratuitous

Image courtesy of moviemem.com

Initiation (1970) - Filmways Australasia [au] Daybill

Inmu: DVD Box Set

aka Inmu: Feast of Victims

Directed by Misumi Ran / 1999 / Japan / IMDb

There is a confirmed customs confiscation of this hentai DVD Box Set from 2002. The reasons given were:

"The goods are considered by the Office of Film and Literature Classification to fall within Sub Regulation 4A1(d) of the Customs (Prohibited Imports) Regulations."

This box set of Japanese Hentai from NuTech Digital consisted of two DVDs. Disc one contained the episodes FIRST NIGHT and SECOND NIGHT, whilst disc two has THIRD NIGHT and FOURTH NIGHT.

Inmu 2: DVD Box Set

1st and 2nd Night aka Fruit Flesh Feast Of Shame
3rd and 4th Night aka The Wandering Flesh Slave

Directed by Takeshi Yamaguchi / 2001 / Japan / IMDb

There is a confirmed customs confiscation of this hentai DVD Box Set from 2002. The reasons given were:

"The goods are considered by the Office of Film and Literature Classification to fall within Sub Regulation 4A1(d) of the Customs (Prohibited Imports) Regulations."

This box set of Japanese Hentai from NuTech Digital is made up of four episodes. These are titles FIRST NIGHT: ILLUSION, SECOND NIGHT: EXCESSIVE LOVE, THIRD NIGHT: THE SHADOW CARD, and FOURTH NIGHT: DROWNING IN SUMMER.

Inquisition

Directed by Jacinto Molina / 1976 / Spain / IMDb

Thorn-EMI Screen Entertainment had an 88m videotape of INQUISITION Refused Classification in November 1985. The reason given for the ban was 'gratuitous violence, cruelty'.

Thanks to Matt for this review of the likely reasons for the ban.

It is very easy to guess which scenes caused INQUISITION to be banned. Like MARK OF THE DEVIL (also originally banned in Australia), that other famous witch-finder film, this features scenes of women being tortured to extract confessions. The print that I viewed was uncut and ran 89:24. There are apparently two versions of the torture scenes, a clothed one, and a nude one. The print under review was the nude version, though who knows which one Thorn-EMI submitted to the censors.

From 26:00 to 28:00 there is a shot of a topless women being stretched on a rack, followed by a second girl having her chest cut by a blade on a wheel

From 39:00 to 41:30 there is the infamous scene of the topless women being burnt with hot coals, followed by her nipple being cut off.

Although it was never resubmitted, it would have been very easy for Thorn-EMI to remove these scenes and get an R18+ rating. Speaking of Thorn-EMI, what the hell were they doing in 1985 submitting this obscure title? Today an uncut version would easily score an R-rating.

Intimate Games

Directed by Tudor Gates / 1976 / UK / IMDb

In July 1977, a 2699.6-meter (98:40) print of INTIMATE GAMES was banned because of indecency. It was awarded an R-rating in November 1977 after being censored down to 2386.41 (87:13). Blake Films released this version theatrically.

INTIMATE GAMES: Censored DVD

In August 2011, Beyond Home Entertainment released INTIMATE GAMES on DVD as part of their BEST OF BRITISH collection. This was the same as the UK Odeon Entertainment DVD.

The running time was 80:17 (PAL), or 83:38 when converted to NTSC. This was approximately fifteen minutes shorter than the July 1977 submission to the Australian Censorship Board, and nearly four minutes shorter than the November 1977 R-rated version. Beyond Home Entertainment put the original R-rating on the cover.

Daybill image courtesy of moviemem.com

Intimate Games (1976) - Blake Films [au] Daybill Intimate Games (1976) - Beyond Home Entertainment [au] DVD

Intimate Stranger

Directed by Allan Holzman / 1991 / USA / IMDb

A VHS of INTIMATE STRANGER is listed as being banned in 1993 in a print that ran 92m. On July 27, 1993 an 85m censored version was passed with an MA15+ (Medium Level Coarse Language, Sexual References) rating. However the only release that appeared was an R18+ (Medium Level Sex Scenes and Low Level Violence) rated print which was released by Home Cinema Group. The exact running time of this VHS was 92:00 and it appears to be uncut. Note that details of the R18+ and RC prints no longer seem to be listed in the censor's database.

TV screening and DVD release

The Optus Movie Extra channel was screening this up until early 2004. We have no further details of the version or running time.

Rainbow Entertainment / Hollywood DVD released the film to DVD in August 2005. The cover has the film rated as M (Medium Level Coarse Language, Sexual References). This would appear to be a fake classification.

Thanks to Miles for this information.

Being the huge Debbie Harry fan that I am I had to track down the DVD release to go next to my VHS copy. The DVD runs 91:53 compared to 92:00 for the VHS. This is because the DVD is missing the South Gate Entertainment card at the start, and a few seconds of the opening credits. To think, I was expecting unseen naked footage of Debbie!

Intimate Stranger - Home Cinema Group [au] VHS Intimate Stranger - Rainbow Entertainment-Hollywood DVD [au] DVD

Intruder

Directed by Scott Spiegel / 1988 / USA / IMDb

INTRUDER was first Refused Classification in April 1989 in a print running 84m. The reason given for the ban was violence, which were described as:
Frequency: Frequent
Explicitness/Intensity: High
Purpose: Gratuitous

CIC-TAFT Video censored the tape down to 83m and was awarded an R18+ (Frequent Violence) rating in October 1989. The version that was eventually released was heavily cut and ran only 79:57.

It finally received an uncut Australian release in October 2009 on the Big Sky Video label. Thanks to Craig S for confirming that it runs 83:53 and is the same as the U.S. Wizard Entertainment DVD.

INTRUDER: The censored scenes

Thanks to Matt for this comparison.

Excuse the pun, but the CIC TAFT tape is butchered, and is missing over four minutes of gore. Here is a comparison between it and the Big Sky Video DVD.

Times refer to the approximate point in the DVD, which contains footage missing form the VHS. There may be other shots that I have missed.

Schnittberichte.com has screen grabs from the even more censored German tape, though many of the cuts match the Australian tape.

Censored CIC-TAFT VHS – 79:40 (minus Paramount logo)
Uncut Big Sky Video DVD – 83:50

Note that the times match perfectly until the first murder.

Cuts are as follows

38:00 – Shot of spike going into eye of storeowner.

42:00 – Shot of Joe slowly falling to the floor after he has been stabbed in the head.

45:00 – Stabbing of the checkout girl has been shortened, especially the blood spray.

47:00 – Bob getting his head crushed in the press has been censored. All shots of the head crush are missing.

48:30 – Randy hanging up with a hook through his face.

52:40 – After Dave falls down the ladder there is a missing shot of storeowner with bleeding eyes.

53:30 – Dave’s death on the bandsaw where his face is cut in two has been removed. This is the biggest cut in the Australian tape. In the censored version, he is put on the bandsaw and the scene ends.

56:10 – Jennifer discovers Randy’s hanging body. The shot of Randy with a hook through his face (same as 48:30) has been removed.

57:25 – Another shot of Randy’s body has been removed as Jennifer pulls the door closed, and fights the killer with a hook. The part where she pulls his body against the door, to stop the killer getting in, has been toned down.

58:30 – The head falling off the body as it comes down the conveyor belt with Jennifer screaming.

58:55 – Totally missing is a long scene where Jennifer finds Dave’s bandsaw cut head in the fridge. The Australian tape goes from her running down the corridor, and cuts directly to the cops arriving at the door.

68:50 – The scene where the bread delivery guy is stabbed in the back has been toned down.

70:10 – The killer holding up the severed head and kissing it, and grabbing the knife in his hand.

71:25 – The killer hitting Craig with the severed head.

74:10 – The scene where Craig chops the killer with a machete has almost all been removed.

Intruder - CIC-TAFT Video [au] VHS Intruder - Big Sky Video [au] DVD

Island of Perversion

aka Devils in Mykonos

Directed by Nico Mastorakis / 1975 / Greece / IMDb

ISLAND OF PERVERSION was first banned by the censors in May 1978 under its alternate title DEVILS IN MYKONOS in a print running 106m. The distributor E.Pertsinidis, censored it down to 101m, but this too was banned in May 1979. No Australian theatrical release took place.

This was finally released in Australia in the early 80s on the Showcase Video and Video Classics labels under the title ISLAND OF PERVERSION. The Video Classics tape was reviewed in February 1984, and the 102:35 uncut print was awarded an R-rating. Thanks to Stephen F for the cover scan.

Video Classics released ISLAND OF PERVERSION on tape in 1985.

Island of Perversion - Showcase Video [au] VHS Island of Perversion - Video Classics [au] VHS