American adult movies from 1971 that have been cut or banned in Australia.
The X-rating, for hardcore sex, was introduced in February 1984.
Roseland
Directed by Fredric Hobbs / 1971 / USA / IMDb
In November 1973, a 2523.13-meter (91:58) print of ROSELAND was censored by 56.00-meters (02:02) for an R-rating. The cuts were made to remove ‘indecency’.
Regent Trading Enterprises was the applicant.
Censored rerelease
14th Mandolin had a censored 2221.00-meter (80:57) version passed with an R-rating in January 1979.
Video release
In the early 1980s, K&C Video issued ROSELAND on tape.
Please e-mail us if you can confirm which version this tape contains.
Sexual Freedom USA
aka Red, White and Blue
Directed by Beverly Sebastian – Ferd Sebastian / 1971 / USA / IMDb
In March 1975, a 2621.58-meter (95:33) print of SEXUAL FREEDOM USA was censored by 189.20-meters (06:53) for an R-rating. The cuts were made to remove ‘indecency’.
Australian Film Hire was the applicant.
Theatrical rerelease under original title
In September 1982, 14th Mandolin re-submitted the film as RED WHITE AND BLUE.
This 2249.26-meter (81:59) ‘pre-censor cut version’ was passed with an R-rating. It was awarded for sex and language, which were stated as being:
Frequency: Frequent
Explicitness/Intensity: Medium
Purpose: Justified
Video release
K&C Video released the film on tape in the early 1980s as SEXUAL FREEDOM USA.
Please e-mail us if you can confirm which version this tape contains.
A censored censorship documentary
Matt reports.
Something Weird Video (us) – VHS – 80:14 (NTSC)
RED WHITE AND BLUE is an engaging watch for anyone interested in censorship. It has the tagline ‘An in-depth study of censorship, obscenity and pornography in America’. There are similarities to SEXUAL LIBERTY NOW (1971), as it also covers the 1967 ‘President’s Commission on Obscenity and Pornography’ and looks at how sexual morals changed during the late 1960s and early 1970s.
There are numerous explicit and hardcore shots throughout which would have undoubtedly been included in the nearly seven minutes of footage removed from the original Australian theatrical release. Interestingly, Something Weird Video’s tape runs around 15-minutes shorter than the original submission.
The retitling to SEXUAL FREEDOM USA appears to have only been done in Australia. This was possibly to cash in on the success of SEXUAL FREEDOM IN DENMARK (1970) which was passed uncut the previous year.
Sexual Liberty Now
Directed by John Lamb / 1971 / USA / IMDb
In December 1974, a 2075:00-meter (75:38) print of SEXUAL LIBERTY NOW was banned because of ‘indecency’.
Columbia Pictures were the applicant.
Birth of the hardcore film
Matt reports.
After Hours Cinema [us] – DVD – 64:08 (NTSC)
SEXUAL LIBERTY NOW is John Lamb’s follow up to SEXUAL FREEDOM IN DENMARK (1970). The original film ‘white coated’ the hardcore footage as a sex education film. SEXUAL LIBERTY NOW does no such thing and shows its true colours in the precredit sequence, with an ultra-close-up penetration shot. From then on, the blowjobs, cumshots and general hardcore do not let up.
Instead of a sex education film, it attempts to tell the story of the 1967 ‘President’s Commission on Obscenity and Pornography’. Their findings, in 1970, gave birth to American hardcore cinema. There is a brief nod to Lamb’s previous film, with a look at how the legalisation of hardcore in Denmark failed to destroy society.
The numerous hardcore sequences are there to illustrate what can now be shown and ask what all the fuss was. This includes a pool sex scene starring John Holmes, which the IMDb says is taken from John Lamb’s ZODIAC RAPIST (1971).
From 39 to 51-minutes, we are shown vintage (looks like 1920s to 1940s) stag films, including an early fisting scene. This is meant to demonstrate that porn has always been part of filmmaking. Following this comes 5-minutes of edited highlights from the German sex cartoon SCHNEEFLITTCHEN HINTER DEN SIEBEN BERGEN 1.TEIL. Online reviews list this as a 1975 production, but the fact that it appears here shows that it is a few years older. Following the animation, it is back to the hardcore until the end.
As with the first film, I would have preferred more on the history of adult film censorship in the USA and less of the sex. The interviews with morals campaigners Charles Keating and Father Morton A. Hill show that some things never change.
Columbia Pictures must have been encouraged with SEXUAL FREEDOM IN DENMARK (1971) being passed with an R-rating. Unfortunately, six months later, SEXUAL LIBERTY NOW banned. I can see no way that the censor could have done anything else as it would be extremely difficult to remove so much hardcore. It also lacks the sex-education fig leaf of the first film.
This After Hours Cinema DVD is missing nearly 15-minutes of footage. The version that Vinegar Syndrome had on their Exploitation.TV streaming service (closed July 2018) was reportedly complete.
A Touch of Sweden
Directed by Joseph F. Robertson / 1971 / USA / IMDb
In October 1977, a 2298.40-meters (83.47) print of A TOUCH OF SWEDEN was banned because of ‘indecency’.
A censored 2002.00-meter (72:58) print was submitted later in the same month. It lost a further 15.3-meters (00:33) because of ‘indecency’, before being R-rated.
Blake Films released it theatrically.
Window of Passion
Directed by Unknown / 1971 / USA / IMDb
In February 1981, a 635.00-meter (57:52) 16mm print of WINDOW OF PASSION was banned because of sex, which was said to be:
Frequency: Frequent
Explicitness/Intensity: High
Purpose: Gratuitous
14th Mandolin was the applicant.
Woman of Vengeance
Directed by Unknown / 1971 / USA / IMDb
In March 1975, a 603.50-meter (54:59) 16mm print of WOMAN OF VENGEANCE was banned because of ‘indecency’.
A.Davidson was the applicant.
1980s resubmission
In February 1981, a 627.70-meter (57:12) 16mm print was banned. This time it was for sex, which was found to be:
Frequency: Infrequent
Explicitness/Intensity: High
Purpose: Gratuitous
Astral Distributing Company was the applicant.
The Young Hitchhikers
Directed by Unknown / 1971 / USA / IMDb
The National Classification Database provides no information other than the title. Therefore, we presume the IMDb link refers to the same film.
In October 1981, a 548.50-meter (49:59) 16mm print of THE YOUNG HITCHHIKERS was censored by a further 2.5-meter (00:14) before being awarded an R-rating.
The extra cuts were made to remove sex, which was described as being:
Frequency: Infrequent
Explicitness/Intensity: High
Purpose: Gratuitous
The sex in the R-rated version was said to be:
Frequency: Frequent
Explicitness/Intensity: Medium
Purpose: Gratuitous
14th Mandolin was the applicant.
Two video releases
14th Mandolin issued THE YOUNG HITCHHIKERS first on their Video Budget label and then on King of Video.
101 Acts of Love
aka Language of Love (101 Acts of Love)
Directed by Eric Jeffrey Haims / 1971 / USA / IMDb
In March 1976, a 1896.00-meter (69:06) print of 101 ACTS OF LOVE was banned because of ‘indecency’.
Columbia Pictures were the applicant.
X-rating allows hardcore to pass
A 72-minute videotape passed with an X-rating in July 1984. It was awarded for sex, which was found to be:
Frequency: Frequent
Explicitness/Intensity: High
Purpose: Gratuitous
This was followed in August by a censored 54-minute tape, which was passed with an R-rating. The sex was now described as being:
Frequency: Frequent
Explicitness/Intensity: Medium
Purpose: Gratuitous
In both cases, 14th Mandolin was the applicant.
Their Pink Video label lists it on the rear of the CANDY GOES TO HOLLYWOOD (1979) release. To cash-in on the 1969 Swedish educational film, it is identified as LANGUAGE OF LOVE (101 ACTS OF LOVE).
Further reading
Eric Jeffrey Haims also directed THE JEKYLL AND HYDE PORTFOLIO (1971). It was passed by the Film Censorship Board with an R-rating in October 1982.
That tape, issued by Intervision, is now possibly the most sought after Australian video release. Local and overseas tape collectors have been known to pay hundreds of dollars for a copy.
For more censored Eric Jeffrey Haims, see the database entry for THE MISS LAYED GENII (1973).