American adult movies from 1972 that have been cut or banned in Australia.
The X-rating, which legalised hardcore sex, was introduced in February 1984.
It’s Francy’s Friday
Directed by Curt Ledger / 1972 / USA / IMDb
In April 1975, a 2590.00-meter (94:24) print of IT’S FRANCY’S FRIDAY was passed with an R-rating.
It was described as being a ‘short version’. This may indicate that Blake Films were worried about it being banned.
Review
Mike reports
Something Weird Video (us) – DVD – 95:03 (97:29 with promotional material)
Francy (Alisha Fontaine) grows up with neglectful parents and a sexually voracious mother, which we’re told explains her extreme sexual promiscuousness as an adult. After sleeping around for most of the running time she eventually settles down with a man and understands true romance.
IT’S FRANCY’S FRIDAY looks more like a 1968 film than one made in 1972, which is partly because it’s shot in black and white (apparently for artistic rather than budgetary reasons) and also because of the chasteness of the sex scenes. It’s softcore throughout; the sex is very tame and fleeting full frontal female nudity. There is no full frontal male nudity and men often keep their underwear on during the sex scenes.
If the Something Weird DVD is complete, it means the ‘short version’ prepared by Blake Films was missing around 00:40. This presumably focuses on the scenes involving a younger Francy which the film is keen to argue lead to her alleged nymphomania as an adult. There are four scenes which might have seemed problematic:
1. We see Francy’s parents having sex in bed and this is intercut with completely innocent images of a young Francy (Barbara Lynn Janosko) lying in her own bed. The point of this scene seems to be that her parents are neglecting her.
2. Young Francy gets out of bed, comes downstairs and through the bannister sees her mother having sex with three of her father’s friends. The effect is achieved by editing and there’s no reason to believe she was ever in the same place as the sex scene.
3. A more likely candidate for cuts is a scene when the teenage Francy (a clearly over 18 Alisha Fontaine,) has sex with an older man on the grass. She is on her way home from school, wearing pigtails and deliberately acting in an immature way. There is limited nudity in this scene.
4. A year later, we see Francy having sex with four men wearing masks on the same patch of grass. They strip her but leave when they realise her age.
Love, Swedish Style
Directed by Maurice Smith / 1972 / USA / IMDb
In April 1975, a 2275.40-meter (82:56) print of LOVE, SWEDISH STYLE was censored by 18.20-meters (00:40) for an R-rating. The cuts were made to remove ‘indecency’.
Natan Scheinwald Productions was the applicant.
Banned in Queensland
On 17 September 1976, the censored R-rated version of LOVE, SWEDISH STYLE was prohibited by the Queensland Films Board of Review.
The distributor was Natan Scheinwald.
Review
Mike reports
Peekarama (us) – DVD – 79:30
Inga (Karen Ciral) travels from Sweden to become a maid for a Detroit car designer. She has sex with him, his wife, and many of their friends and even attracts the interest of a Hollywood film director. She thinks she has finally found the man of her dreams, but he turns out to have some very odd sexual proclivities.
For most of the runtime it plays as a very tame sex comedy with mild and brief sex scenes. Things change at the 74-minute mark, when Inga’s dream man takes her to a party where he arranges for her drink to be spiked. When she wakes up, to her surprise she is in a coffin and all of the other guests are naked and engaged in an orgy. Inga is sexually assaulted by a man while still lying in the coffin. This scene lasts for just over a minute and contains sex which is the strongest in the film, some of which might have been unsimulated. It seems likely that this scene was toned down by making the 00:40 of cuts mentioned by the Film Censorship Board.
Love’s Vicious Circle
Produced by Otto. De La Croche / 1972 / USA / IMDb
In March 1981, a 606.60-meter (55:16) 16mm print of LOVE’S VICIOUS CIRCLE was banned because of sex, which was said to be:
Frequency: Frequent
Explicitness/Intensity: High
Purpose: Gratuitous
A 548.50-meter (49:59) ‘reconstructed version’ was passed with an R-rating in July 1981. The sex was now:
Frequency: Frequent
Explicitness/Intensity: Medium
Purpose: Gratuitous
14th Mandolin released it theatrically and on their King of Video label.
Mid-1980s resubmission
In December 1984, a 48-minute videotape of LOVE’S VICIOUS CIRCLE was passed with an R-rating. The sex was once more described as:
Frequency: Frequent
Explicitness/Intensity: Medium
Purpose: Gratuitous
The applicant was again 14th Mandolin. They may have released it on one of their adult labels such as Pink Video or Blue Angel.
Review
Mike reports
Historic Erotica (us) – DVD as PLEASURE BEFORE BUSINESS – 61:07
Three businessmen are attending a conference, and after work they return to their hotel room and ask room service to send up some hookers. The first woman to arrive is Medea (Samantha McLaren) but others turn up later and eventually each man is paired with a woman or two. Their sex scenes are intercut with each other, and eventually they join up for a seven person orgy. There seems to be no real plot beyond that and any which did exist has been lost to time as the currently available (2026) print finishes part way through the orgy.
The Historic Erotica DVD begins with a badly photographed scene of two women engaged in softcore intercourse on a sun lounger. Since they don’t appear later and this incident is never referred to again, it can’t be ruled out that this is a stray piece of footage which has crept in from elsewhere. Removing this would leave a runtime of around 57-minutes, not far off the length of the initial Australian submission. There are US newspaper ads for a version of LOVE’S VICIOUS CIRCLE which ran 48-49 minutes. That was presumably a softcore version and more or less the same as the one eventually passed by the Film Censorship Board.
All the men have trouble performing sexually at various points, so in what is supposed to be a hardcore film we see oral sex with clearly flaccid penises, scenes which were intended to show penetration but ultimately don’t, and insert shots of different actors entirely when ejaculation is needed. Amateurish though it is, it was sufficiently popular with US audiences that it was still playing in adult cinemas there as late as 1979.
Mondo Erotica
Produced by J. Carlyle / 1972 / USA / IMDb
In August 1976, a 2312.90-meter (84:18) print of MONDO EROTICA was banned because of ‘indecency’.
A 1600.20-meter (58:19) ‘reconstructed version’ was passed with an R-rating in December 1976 following the removal of a further 62.20-meters (02:16) of footage.
This was following an appeal to the Films Board of Review, who decided to ‘Register “R” with eliminations’.
In all cases, Briad Film Productions were the applicant.
Having served as Deputy Chief Censor during this period, Janet Strickland was quoted shortly after her September 1979 promotion to Chief Censor describing MONDO EROTICA as one of the five worst banned films. It is hard to know why this particular title made her list.
Banned in Queensland
On 13 July 1977, the censored R-rated version of MONDO EROTICA was prohibited by the Queensland Films Board of Review.
The distributor was Briad Film Productions and Mutual Film Distributors.
Review
Mike reports
Other Cinema Digital (us) – DVD – Trailer only
Featured in THE SUBJECT IS SEX (2004)
It isn’t clear if MONDO EROTICA survives, but luckily the trailer does. The centrepiece is a room full of naked male and female bodies engaged in various acts of softcore copulation. An announcer tells us that we’re about to see an ‘unorthodox documented history of eroticism’ based on a study of six cultures (Greece, Rome, Persia, India, China and Japan), which will be contrasted with the ‘cinema sex of now’. It seems very likely this refers to the room full of naked people we’ve already seen, and that the other six cultures are to be represented by ancient artwork and pieces of sculpture. We see a piece of sexually explicit Chinese wall art, some X-rated classical pottery, a sphinx reclining on what appears to be a carved erect penis, and we’re told that we will see orgies, rape, comedy and horror, communal sex, fetishes and sadomasochism among other things. While these images are shown in the foreground the 1970s American orgy is in full swing in the background. While this is going on, a married couple are heard on the soundtrack debating whether what is being shown is art or pornography.
Briad & Mutual
Briad Film Productions and Mutual Film Distributors may be connected as they also shared the release of MRS. STONE’S THING (1970).
The press sheet for MONDO EROTICA locates the latter at 76 William St, Sydney.
The Morning After
Directed by Sidney Knight / 1972 / USA / IMDb
In January 1975, a 2089.10-meter (76:09) print of THE MORNING AFTER was banned because of ‘indecency’.
Roadshow Distributors was the applicant.
Review
Mike reports
Unknown source – 75:15
John (Patrick Wright) lives with his sister Gay (Jean Parker). He comes home to find her murdered and sets out to interview everyone who knew her in order to find the killer. The acting standards vary from good to abysmal, but it’s quite a reasonable murder mystery overall.
The sex is mainly hardcore, mixed with a few softcore scenes. We see flashbacks to several sex scenes involving Gay, a live sex show, and the sexual adventures of John’s business partner. John has to have sex himself in order to convince a friend of Gay’s to give him the information he needs. One thing the sex scenes have in common is they would be far too strong for the mid 1970s. It wouldn’t be a surprise if none of them were deemed acceptable by the Film Censor-hip Board.
Other problems may have been the shots early in the film of Gay’s bloody corpse which the killer had posed in an overtly sexualised position. The final scene reveals the killer’s identity to be her drunken, abusive father (Dandy Thomas) who took offence when she tried to seduce him. He stabs her repeatedly in a frenzy after she strips seductively in front of him and demands he sleep with her.
Further reading
For more censored Sidney Knight, see the database entry for SEXUAL CUSTOMS IN SCANDINAVIA (1972).
Personals
Directed by Armand Weston / 1972 / USA / IMDb
In September 1979, a 2095.80-meter (76:23) print of PERSONALS was banned because of ‘indecency’.
A censored 1865.00-meter (67:59) print lost a further 11-meters (00:24) before being awarded an R-rating in December 1979. The cuts were made to remove ‘indecency’
Video release
Following a theatrical run, 14th Mandolin issued PERSONALS on their King of Video label.
The tape runs 64:31 (PAL) and is censored of all of the hardcore footage.
Sex and the Office Girl
Directed by Ron Clark / 1972 / USA / IMDb
In April 1974, a 2071.73-meter (75:31) print of SEX AND THE OFFICE GIRL was banned because of ‘indecency’.
House of Dare waited until October 1977 before submitting a 1742.60-meter (63:31) ‘reconstructed version’. Unfortunately, this too was Refused Registration because of ‘indecency’.
An unsuccessful appeal was made to the Films Board of Review in December 1977.
Australian premiere
In April 1982, K&C Video had a 66-minute version of SEX AND THE OFFICE GIRL passed with an R-rating. It was awarded for sex, which was described as being:
Frequency: Frequent
Explicitness/Intensity: Medium
Purpose: Gratuitous
Although it is not noted, a comparison with the April 1974 running time indicates that this was a modified version.
K&C Video released the film on their Go Video sub-label.
Review
Mike reports
Media Home Entertainment (us) – VHS – 76:07
A company wins a lucrative contract, but to fulfil it they will all need to stay in the office over the weekend. Josh (Lee Kori), the boss, offers to hold a party after they’ve finished their work, But the party begins much earlier than that and turns into an orgy of alcohol-induced depravity. One of the employees, Barbara (Mary Worthington), is a virgin who isn’t interested in sex and just wants to get on with her work. The other employees and the boss decide to teach her a lesson by raping her.
It’s astonishing that anyone took a chance on submitting this film at any point in the 1970s. The sex is softcore and although fairly frequent, it’s not necessarily all that graphic. The problem is that so little of it is consensual. Barbara is sexually assaulted on four different occasions by various co-workers in scenes which often last several minutes. In the final two of these she is seen to be enjoying the experience. These scenes also contain a fair amount of violence, humiliation and screaming. The other employees treat her discomfort as all part of the fun, and are keen to have their turn first; they even draw cards to determine the running order. The other workers are shown to be aroused by the rape scenes and they also indulge in regular self-serving dialogue exchanges to justify the rape and downplay the harm it’s causing. The boss, for example, tries to defend his role because he’s suffering stress caused by his wife being too sexually demanding.
Even if all the sexual violence were cut, as perhaps House of Dare did in their ‘reconstructed version’, you’re still left with a film which portrays sexual violence in a flippant manner and comes close to suggesting that it’s all part of a woman’s sexual development. It plays as a rape-revenge film without any revenge.
Sexual Customs in Scandinavia
aka Sex Customs in Scandinavia
Directed by Sidney Knight / 1972 / USA / IMDb
In December 1974, a 2163.47-meter (78:51) print of SEX CUSTOMS IN SCANDINAVIA was banned because of ‘indecency’.
An unsuccessful appeal was made to the Films Board of Review in February 1975.
In May 1975, a ‘second reconstructed version’ running 1592.10-meter (58:02) was censored by a further 134.40-meter (04:53) before receiving an R-rating. This submission was under the SEXUAL CUSTOMS IN SCANDINAVIA title.
Blake Films was the applicant.
Review
Mike reports
Vid-X-Pix (us) – DVD – 77:33
A pseudo sex education film in which a chain-smoking psychologist, Dr Ingrid Petersen, explains some of her recent cases and suggests sexual positions which viewers might be interested in trying.
A far from convincing white-coater which suggests we should approach sex in the healthy, Scandinavian way, but tries far too hard to persuade us that it’s not really American. Director Sidney Knight uses the alias Sid Knigtsen, various US porn stars hide under Scandinavian pseudonyms in the credits, and a narrator pops up from time to time with a very fake-sounding Swedish accent. Although it does make some educational points, it’s very likely the Film Censorship Board saw through the subterfuge and treated it as a porn film rather than a documentary like LANGUAGE OF LOVE (1969).
After the initial ban, it’s likely that Blake Films simply cut the hardcore. The additional cuts demanded by the Board might well be to the story of Ulma (Angelica Bender), a girl whose parents are concerned by her compulsive masturbation. After being assured by the doctor that it’s perfectly healthy, she masturbates quite graphically and in close-up for several minutes. This isn’t hardcore but it was likely much too enthusiastic for 1975.
Banned in Queensland
On 3 February 1976, the censored R-rated version of SEXUAL CUSTOMS IN SCANDINAVIA was prohibited by the Queensland Films Board of Review.
The distributor was Roadshow.
Sexuality USA
Directed by Eddy Karek-Las / 1972 / USA / IMDb
In November 1974, a 2297.72-meter (83:45) of SEXUALITY USA was banned because of ‘indecency’.
This decision was confirmed by the Films Board of Review in December 1974.
The applicant was listed as United American Pictures. This may be an error, as they are actually the production company.
There is no entry in the National Classification Database, but a censored version, running time unknown, appears to have received an R-rating sometime in 1975
The one-sheet poster lists Briad Film Productions as the distributor, while the daybill has Minnows Films.
Banned in Queensland
On 30 September 1975, SEXUALITY USA was prohibited by the Queensland Films Board of Review.
The distributor was Briad Film Productions.
Superstud
Directed by T.M.C. / 1972 / USA / IMDb
In January 1975, a 1848.00-meter (67:21) print of SUPERSTUD was banned because of ‘indecency’.
Roadshow Distributors was the applicant.
Review
Mike reports
Alpha Blue Archives (us) – DVD – 62:40
Four friends meet in a strip club to discuss their lack of luck with women. Each has a woman they are unsuccessfully trying to attract. They make a bet that their ‘superstud’ friend Sean (Michael Kearns) can’t have sex with all four women over a weekend. This fairly shaky plot is the pretext for Sean to bed every female character in the film in succession.
The sex is softcore but vigorous and enthusiastic, and the sex scenes last for minutes at a time. There are very few breaks, and even when Sean isn’t having sex we see him thinking about the sex he’s had previously. He even takes time out for a threesome with two women who weren’t part of the bet.
If the amount and intensity of simulated sex wasn’t enough, there is also zero character development for any of the women in the film (they are even referred to collectively as ‘Sean’s women’ in the opening credits) and they are really only there to enable the bet to take place.
Banned in Queensland
On 5 June 1979, SUPERSTUD was prohibited by the Queensland Films Board of Review.
The distributor was Roadshow.
For any attempted distribution in Queensland, a movie must first have a rating from the Film Censorship Board. It is unclear what is going with this title, as the National Classification Database does not list a censored version as ever being rated.
Swinging Both Ways
Directed by Stephen C. Apostolof / 1972 / USA / IMDb
In September 1976, a 2230.80-meter (81:19) print of SWINGING BOTH WAYS was banned because of ‘indecency’.
Roadshow Distributors were the applicant.
In February 1984, an 80-minute video was passed with the newly introduced X-rating.
K&C Video was the applicant. We doubt this tape was ever released.
Review
Mike reports
Unknown source as DROP OUT WIFE – 81:58
The plot centres on a married couple whose relationship is becoming dull and unfulfilling. They decide to try swinging. The husband gives it up quite quickly, but the wife, Peggy (Angela Carnon), persists in picking up strangers for sex until almost the end of the film when she regrets leaving behind her family life and hopes her husband will have her back.
It’s quite obvious why this film was banned – the sex takes up around 70-80% of the running time and is as graphic as softcore can be, featuring full male and female nudity, vigorous thrusting and some extremely explicit language at times. We see several sex scenes between husband and wife before they decide to try swinging, an 11-minute orgy involving 20 people and many changes of partners and positions, and multiple scenes of casual sex between Peggy and one-night stands. There are threesomes, foursomes, and all of these scenes last for several minutes.
Other plot points intrude at times, but never for very long. Peggy’s husband assaults her causing a miscarriage, but within 30 seconds of screen time we see them happily having sex again, and she becomes extremely distressed at one point about not seeing her children any longer, but only for around a minute before she goes out and picks up a stranger in a bar. The next sexual encounter is never too far away.
Further reading
For more censored Stephen C. Apostolof, see the database entry for THE COCKTAIL HOSTESSES (1973).
Thigh High in Sex
aka Savage Connection
Directed by Antony Weber / 1972 / USA / IMDb
In May 1976, a 2057.25-meter (74:59) print of THIGH HIGH IN SEX was banned because of ‘indecency’.
A 1967.00-meter (71:42) ‘reconstructed version’ was also Refused Registration for the same reason in May 1977.
Roadshow Distributors were the applicant.
Retitled, resubmitted & rated
In May 1982, a 2057.25-meter (74:59) print was passed with an R-rating under the title SAVAGE CONNECTION.
It was awarded for sex, which was described as being:
Frequency: Frequent
Explicitness/Intensity: Medium
Purpose: Gratuitous
Blake Films were the applicant.
SAVAGE CONNECTION was released on tape in the mid-1980s by Palace Vibrant Video.