American adult movies from 1971 that have been cut or banned in Australia.
The X-rating, for hardcore sex, was introduced in February 1984.
All About Sex of All Nations
Directed by Kemal Horulu / 1971 / USA / IMDb
In February 1975, a 2468.00-meter (89:58) print of ALL ABOUT SEX OF ALL NATIONS was banned because of ‘indecency’.
The applicant was A. De Zauerain.
New distributor, same outcome
In May 1977, a censored 2086.60-meter (76:03) version was also refused. Again, the reason was ‘indecency’.
A second cut print was eventually passed with an R-rating in October 1977. It ran only 1837.80-meters (66:59), but still lost a further 11.5-meters (00:25) because of ‘indecency’.
This version, missing over 23-minutes of footage, was released theatrically by Seven Keys Films.
Review
Mike reports
Vinegar Syndrome – DVD as ALL ABOUT SEX – 72:01
A pseudo sex-education film which claims to offer information on sexual practices from different cultures, all of which are illustrated in an unsimulated fashion on screen. The promised global perspective is restricted to the occasional aside about sexual positions currently favoured by Danes or the Japanese, and all of the performers are New York porn actors.
There is some ambiguity about the runtime of the film as the first Australian submission was around 5 minutes longer than any known version, and the extant print runs 17 minutes shorter. But the censorship issues are apparent regardless. The Film Censorship Board had been happy to pass real sex in an educational context in films such as SEXUAL FREEDOM IN DENMARK (1970) in 1974. They were also very familiar by 1975 with films such as ALL ABOUT SEX OF ALL NATIONS which merely pretended to have lessons to teach viewers.
The film is presented by a man in a suit who never claims to be medically qualified. His credentials are inferred from his sitting behind a desk with some framed certificates on the wall and being surrounded by encyclopaedias. The performers in the sex scenes are porn regulars such as Harry Reems and Tina Russell and the stock muzak will be familiar to viewers of adult films of the era. The main musical theme is shared with the soft porn film IN HOT BLOOD (1968). It claims to be based on recent medical research but it clearly is not. The tone s also slightly peculiar in that it tells viewers to have as much sex as they like, but also to be very careful about doing it with strangers as it can lead to sexually transmitted diseases.
Another possible problematic scene is a 10-minute orgy that occurs when the performers from the earlier sex scenes get together. This is softcore but vigorous and there are plenty of close-ups. The presenter tells us that this kind of swingers’ orgy is recommended by doctors.
The Film Censorship Board doubtless regarded it all as just another porn film and refused to accept the hardcore.
Further reading
For more censored Kemal Horulu, see the database entry for THE VIRGIN AND THE LOVER (1973).
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 was the applicant.
Picked-up by 14th Mandolin
In May 1982, a censored 1645.80-meter (59:59) version 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.
Review
Mike reports
Something Weird Video (us) – VHS – 80.31
A maniac called Bart (Harry Chest) abducts five women off the street, and along with his henchman, takes them to his hideout in the desert where he sexually abuses them.
In 1977, the Censorship Board would have objected to the many scenes of softcore sex between the abductor and his captives which are of necessity non-consensual. The ‘indecent violence’ referred to likely involve three scenes.
1. One of the women is punished by being beaten on the bare buttocks repeatedly with a stick.
2. Another is tied naked to the bonnet of a truck with the radiator cap removed and is burned when the engine is revved repeatedly
3. The women eventually turn the tables on their captors and both the maniac and his henchman have their genital regions attacked with a large pair of pliers.
Even if all of this material was pre-cut from 14th Mandolin’s 1982 submission, there would still be a fair amount of sex as the captives find time to make love to each other too.
Further reading
For more censored Dan Martin, see the database entry for THE MERMAID (1973).
Censorship U.S.A.
Directed by Alan Roberts / 1971 / USA / IMDb
In July 1979, a 2128.00-meter (77:34) print of CENSORSHIP U.S.A. was censored by 55.00-meters (05:00) for an R-rating. The cuts were made to remove ‘indecency’.
Lestrig Trading was the applicant.
Censored DVD
Matt reports.
After Hours Cinema (us) – 2012 DVD – 40.27
Unfortunately, this was missing nearly half of its running time. All of the sex had been removed, but what remains is still interesting.
Through interviews with the public, adult book store and cinema owners, filmmakers and performers, it provides a good overview of the rapidly changing censorship situation just before the release of DEEP THROAT (1972).
Further reading
For more censored Alan Roberts see the database entry for PANORAMA BLUE (1974).
The Erotic Adventures of Pinocchio
aka Pinocchio
Directed by Corey Allen / 1971 / USA / IMDb
In March 1977, a 2112.00-meter (76:59) print of PINOCCHIO was censored by 63.5-meters (02:19) for an R-rating. The cuts were made to remove ‘indecency’.
Regent Trading Enterprises was the applicant.
Video releases
In the early 1980s, K&C Video released a 72:37 (PAL) version of PINOCCHIO on tape. The title on the box was THE EROTIC ADVENTURES OF PINOCCHIO.
Video Excellence received R-ratings for two 72-minute VHS in September 1987 and June 1989. The latter has consumer advice of ‘Frequent sexual activity’.
The July 1989, Koala Marketing received an R (Frequent sexual activity) for another 72-minute VHS. They issued it on their Xtasy label.
Review
Mike reports
Unknown source – 74:30
Gepetta (Monica Gayle) carves Pinocchio (Alex Roman) out of a block of wood and thinks he’s the most beautiful wooden man she’s ever seen. After Pinocchio has been bought to life by the fairy godmother (Dyanne Thorne) he decides that sex with Gepetta would be a good idea. A local brothel owner Jo Jo (Eduardo Ranez) persuades him that since Gepetta is a virgin, he should become more sexually experienced before sleeping with her. Pinocchio has sex with all the women at the brothel and then becomes the star attraction in a special event where he makes love to many women in succession.
The runtime of the version I viewed is slightly shorter than the one submitted by Regent Trading Enterprises in 1977 so it’s difficult to be sure about the cuts made by the Film Censorship Board. But it’s hard to imagine which scenes the Board had problems with.
The plot demands that Pinocchio has great sexual stamina and can have very vigorous sex with one woman after another. But all of these sex scenes are sped up in comedic fashion and are played off facial reactions with no visible nudity. They are very far from realistic, and even less so since they appear in a fantasy story.
There is also a running joke about Pinocchio having a large and permanent erection and he finds it difficult to move around without knocking over furniture. This is the fairy godmother’s punishment for Pinocchio having so much casual sex. But the erection is always hidden under clothing, bedsheets or other objects and is never seen, not even in outline.
Overall THE EROTIC ADVENTURES OF PINOCCHIO is an extremely tame softcore film with very limited nudity and when sex takes place it’s usually shot from the shoulders upwards or hidden by objects or other people. Unless the slightly longer Australian submission contained some stronger content it’s difficult to see why it needed to be cut by over 2 minutes.
Oddly I can’t find any US ads for this until 1976, after which it played with both X and R ratings, most often R. The only description I can find of the X-rated version, ‘upper female nudity, suggestive poses and suggestive talk’, does not make it sound explicit.
The Godson
Directed by William Rotsler / 1971 / USA / IMDb
In February 1982, an 89-minute tape of THE GODSON was censored to remove ‘sexual violence’.
It was then awarded an R-rating for sex, which was described as being:
Frequency: Frequent
Explicitness/Intensity: Medium
Purpose: Gratuitous
The applicant was K&C Video, who released it on their Starbase Video sub-label.
Uncut version
Simon reports.
Something Weird (us) – 2003 DVD – 91:28
The ‘sexual violence’ in THE GODSON is not particularly graphic.
At 11:30, Marco (Jason Yukon) threatens one of the hookers by grabbing her breasts and twisting her nipples. A similar scene takes place at 85:30 where the gangster rival has a topless girl strung up by her arms. He twists her nipples to make her scream and draw Marco’s attention. The scene ends at 89:30 with Marco shooting the girl in the chest.
Apart from a couple of brief shots in the opening and closing credits of a gun being run over a woman’s breast, that is it for the ‘sexual violence’. Presumably, some of this was trimmed from the Starbase Video release.
Love in Hot Pants
Produced by Triumph Films / 1971 / USA / IMDb
In November 1979, a 56-minute videotape of LOVE IN HOT PANTS was banned because of ‘indecency’.
C. Morley was the applicant.
Love, Yolanda
Directed by Charles Webb / 1971 / USA / IMDb
In December 1973, a 969.00-meter (88:18) 16mm print of LOVE, YOLANDA was banned because of ‘indecency’.
A censored 847.00-meter print (77:11) lost a further 49.98-meter (04:33) before being awarded an R-rating in July 1974. The cuts were again made to remove ‘indecency’. This submission was described as a ‘second reconstructed version’.
Garron International was the applicant.
Melbourne – You have to see this film!
The following text is taken from an admat that ran in The Age newspaper in June 1976. After talking up how explicit the film was, it undermines it all by admitting that it had been banned by the Australian Censorship Board and was therefore censored.
June 1976
The Roughest Hottest movie to hit this town. Word of mouth on a picture like this spreads like wildfire – get in and see it now before the house full signs start to go up. This picture was made by the same guy [Lowell Pickett] who made LEARNING TO LOVE (Barrell) and if you tried to see that picture and kept finding a ‘House Full’ sign up – you’ll know why this picture went to a larger theatre and you’ll know why we still expect ‘House Full’ signs. LEARNING TO LOVE is an almost hard core ‘Hot’ smash hit movie and tens of thousands of Melbournites agree as they flocked to see it. But LOVE YOLANDA is something else again. The film was originally shot as a hard core sex feature and is by far a Rougher Hotter film and we expect this town will literally buzz with the word of mouth it generates – if you see it and don’t talk about it, it’s very possible you’ve been left speechless – some people could be shocked or offended by scenes from this film. Please understand this fact before attending a screening – if in doubt, please do not attend. If you liked LEARNING TO LOVE you’ll ‘LOVE YOLANDA’.LOVE YOLANDA is the grand-daddy of all erotic cinema. Produced in 1971 and released in San Francisco and New York. It took on tremendous proportions and at year-end was No 324 on Variety’s list of top grossing films for the whole of the United States, all this from just two city releases.
Shortly after this the film’s producer and director was arrested on charges of obscenity connected with the film. The San Franciscan district attorney alleged the film was pornographic but the local juries took a lot of convincing and on both times that the case was heard (the second was a retrial) the juries were undecided and ‘Hung’.
During all the legal process that want on the film was withdrawn from the screen but because of the lack of court success the district attorney informed the producers that there would be no further harassment, the film then went on to financial success after success (e.g. the film ran 26 weeks at the 55th St Playhouse in New York). It became one of the most successful ‘Skin Flicks’ ever to be made in ‘Beaver Valley’ San Francisco and was perhaps the most successful until the release of DEEP THROAT.
The Australian censor banned LOVE YOLANDA in 1973 because of alleged hard core pornography in sections of the film – the uncut version is still banned.
– Garron International admat
Further reading
LEARNING TO LOVE (1975), the other film mentioned in the June 1976 admat, was another Garron International release that was also produced by Lowell Pickett.
See the separate entry for this title in Film Censorship Database No. 1.
The Man from S.M.U.T
Directed by Marvin H. Lincoln – George Rubine / 1971 / USA / IMDb
In September 1978, a 2304.00-meter (83:59) print of THE MAN FROM S.M.U.T was censored by 34.8-meters (01:16) for an R-rating.
The cuts were made to remove ‘indecency’.
14th Mandolin, the applicant, went on to release it on their King of Video label.
This played at Melbourne’s Club Cinema in November 1978, February and March 1980, May 1981 and September to November 1982.
Nympho Cycler
Directed by Edward D. Wood Jr. / 1971 / USA / IMDb
In May 1981, a 654.70-meter (59:39) 16mm print of NYMPHO CYCLER was banned because of sex, which was said to be:
Frequency: Infrequent
Explicitness/Intensity: High
Purpose: Gratuitous
A 515.59-meter (46:59) ‘reconstructed version’ lost a further 17.00-meter (01:36) before being awarded an R-rating in September 1981. The extra cuts were to remove sex, which was still described as being the same level as the previous submission.
Once censored, in the R-rated version it was found to be:
Frequency: Frequent
Explicitness/Intensity: Medium
Purpose: Gratuitous
14th Mandolin, the applicant, went on to release it on their King of Video label.
Banned on video
In August 1982, a 58-minute tape of NYMPHO CYCLER was again refused because of sex, which was said to be:
Frequency: Infrequent
Explicitness/Intensity: High
Purpose: Gratuitous
Intercontinental Video was the applicant. This may have been an import of the UK pre-cert tape released on the Dapon label.
Review
Mike reports
Alpha Blue Archives (us) – 2014 DVD – 51:41
Misty (Casey Larrain) feels neglected Francis (Edward D. Wood Jr.), her husband. She often rides her motorbike, sometimes topless, around the countryside to take her mind off it. Eventually she leaves home and is picked up by a male biker with whom she has a brief fling. They eventually join up with a biker gang.
It’s difficult to pin down the cuts required by the Film Censorship Board as the extant version from Alpha Blue Archives (ABA) is eight minutes shorter than the one submitted in Australia. But the following scenes doubtless caused problems.
Francis occasionally pimps out Misty to his work colleagues. We see one such encounter where the softcore sex is fairly enthusiastic and the man is visibly aroused throughout. It lasts 03:34 in the ABA version.
After they’ve joined the biker gang, Misty and her pick-up find a secluded spot and make out. This scene includes brief mutual masturbation, vigorous thrusting, and visible arousal. The sex may have been unsimulated, but as often in Ed Wood’s films, the camera angle makes it difficult to be sure. It lasts 04:42 in the ABA version.
Francis is annoyed that his wife has left him and sends some more bikers to bring her back. They tie her to a bed and rape her quite graphically. It lasts 04:22 in the ABA version.