American adult movies from 1976 that have been cut or banned in Australia.
The X-rating, for hardcore sex, was introduced in February 1984.
Sex Wish
Directed by Victor Milt / 1976 / USA / IMDb
In April 1978, a 2107.90-meters (76:50) print of SEX WISH was banned because of ‘indecency’.
A 1994.6-meter (72:42) ‘reconstructed version’ was refused for the same reason in January 1979.
GH Photography was the applicant.
MUFF vs. the Classification Board
In 2007, SEX WISH was programmed to play at the eighth Melbourne Underground Film Festival (MUFF).
September 2007
Zebedy Colt Double feature: SEX WISH and THE FARMER’S DAUGHTER.Two short features (absolute 70s erotica classics) from Zebedy Colt aka Edward Earle Marsh. SEX WISH features a cool electronic soundtrack as Zebedy plays a rapist who breaks into women’s homes with a bag of unusual tricks. Zebedy’s performance is truly bizarre…
Then comes THE FARMER’S DAUGHTER – clocking in at one hour in length, it’s sort of an erotic version of LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT. Look out for cheap and nasty sex scenes about home invasion, incest and violation. There’s also an early appearance from comedian and political commentator Spalding Gray getting up to no good… This is true Psychopathology, raw 70s style!
9 pm, Saturday 29 September at Loop
– The Melbourne Underground Film Festival
The SEX WISH screening was scrapped after the Classification Board’s Amy Wooding refused to grant film festival exemptions to it and six other features.
For more information regarding this case, see ASHLEY AND KISHA: FINDING THE RIGHT FIT (2007) in Film Censorship Database No. 1.
Review
Mike reports
Unknown VHS – 79:53
A murderer and rapist (Zebedy Colt) is terrorising New York City. Among his many victims is Faye (C.J. Laing) whose fiance Ken (Harry Reems) decides to track him down.
SEX WISH is clearly inspired by DEATH WISH (1974), although in terms of the gratuitousness of the sexual violence it has much more in common with the still to be made DEATH WISH II (1982). It is hard to imagine why GH Photography picked up the rights to this film in 1978, as it clearly never stood a chance with the Film Censorship Board. It seems very likely that their first submission precut the hardcore, but it is obvious that the problems ran far deeper than that. There are three scenes of rape and murder in the film.
1. The killer forces his way into Faye’s apartment, after which he makes her to strip, tapes her mouth, handcuffs her, rapes her with a vibrator, whips her causing bleeding and then cuts her throat with a rapier. This scene lasts for 11-12 minutes and likely none of it would be acceptable to the Board. Even the aftermath of Faye’s naked corpse covered in blood would have been too strong.
2. The killer calls at a couple’s house and forces them to strip at gunpoint and have sex. When the man tries to overpower him, he murders him with the rapier, then sexually assaults and murders the woman. Finally, he castrates the man with the rapier (off screen). This entire 13 to 14 minute sequence is shot in real time and would have been unlikely to pass the Board in any form.
3. When the killer is on the verge of being caught he abducts a woman off the street, takes her to a warehouse, ties her up, sexually assaults and kills her. This scene lasts three minutes and would have been completely unacceptable to the Board.
GH Photography’s second submission of 72:42 likely trimmed the worst of the rape scenes but that was never going to be sufficient. Any viable Australian release would presumably have been only slightly over an hour and would not have included any of the aforementioned scenes of sexual violence and murder.
Sip the Wine
Directed by Dan Caldwell / 1976 / USA / IMDb
In October 1976, a 2322.87-meter (84:40) print of SIP THE WINE was banned because of ‘indecency’.
Garron International was the applicant.
Banned in Queensland
On 17 June 1977, SIP THE WINE was prohibited by the Queensland Films Board of Review.
The distributor was Garron International.
Rated on appeal
In February 1979, a 2282.00-meter (83:11) print was censored by 66.40-meters (02:25) and awarded an R-rating. The cuts were made to remove ‘indecency’.
The Film Censorship Board noted that they had originally rejected it, but the Films Board of Review had overturned the decision and authorised it to be registered ‘R’ with eliminations.
The applicant is unknown.
Review
Mike reports
Unknown VHS – 86:44
Michael (James Whalen) and Virginia (Anni Long) are lovers who separate and go their own ways. Eventually they meet up again and Virginia finds that Michael has become a porn director. She overcomes her reservations about his new career and they get back together.
The majority of the hardcore occurs in the filming of the porn movie which Michael is directing. That aside, the sex is quite tame and infrequent and it’s plot-driven to a large extent. The initial submission was likely the complete version and was no doubt banned because of the hardcore.
The 1979 US R-rated version ran 83-minutes and was missing the hardcore sex. It appears that was the print resubmitted in Australia the same year.
Tanya
Directed by Nate Rodgers / 1976 / USA / IMDb
In October 1978, a 1920.10-meter (69:59) print of TANYA was censored by 1.90-meters (00:04) for an R-rating. The cuts were made to remove ‘indecency’.
14th Mandolin was the applicant.
Review
Mike reports
Unknown DVD – 78:40
Tanya is one of a number of 1970s US adult films inspired by the Patty Hearst kidnapping. It centres on Charlotte (Maria Arnold), a young woman from a rich family, who is abducted for ransom by the Symphonic Liberation Army and kept in their hideout in the ‘Oakland Ghetto’. The SLA are an anti-capitalist group and after living with them for a while Charlotte starts to believe in their philosophy and joins them, symbolised by her changing her name to Tanya.
The sex in TANYA is strictly softcore but reasonably explicit at times. The 14th Mandolin submission was nine minutes shorter than the complete version. Although some of the sex would have been stronger than the Film Censorship Board would have permitted in 1978, it seems unnecessary to have precut quite so much.
A couple of possibilities for the further 00:04 of cuts mandated by the Board are as follows.
1. The sex in TANYA is all consensual and although Charlotte/Tanya has been abducted, she has sex with her kidnappers enthusiastically and voluntarily. There is only one moment of sexual threat at 17:00 when Cinque (B.B.Hinds), the leader of the group, tries to intimidate by her by unzipping his trousers and showing her his flaccid penis. The camera zooms in on it twice lasting a total of 00:04.
2. A police officer (Patrick Wright) stumbles across the SLA’s hideout and the group shoot him dead. While debating what to do with his body, one of the female members of the gang undoes his flies and pretends to fellate him for a few seconds. There is no nudity or sexual detail in this scene but he is definitely no longer alive.
Tapestry of Passion
Directed by Alan Colberg / 1976 / USA / IMDb
In September 1981, a 1884.80-meter (68:42) print of TAPESTRY OF PASSION was banned because of sex. It was said to be:
Frequency: Frequent
Explicitness/Intensity: High
Purpose: Gratuitous
The running time indicates that it had been precensored before submission.
A 1756.94-meter (64:02) ‘reconstructed version’ was passed with an R-rating in December 1981. The sex was now described as being:
Frequency: Frequent
Explicitness/Intensity: Medium
Purpose: Gratuitous
14th Mandolin, the applicant, released on their King of Video label.
Behind the scenes at 14th Mandolin
May 29, 1982
The sex film is now established enough to have its own stars and series. John C. Holmes, the Robert Redford of porn (his definitive works were FANTASM and FANTASM COMES AGAIN) plays a private eye as Bogart was never quite required to do in TAPESTRY OF PASSION’ (‘She Required His Services … But She Got More Than She Bargained For!!’ says the cassette cover blurb).TAPESTRY started life as hard core, but took enough cuts to warrant an R rating in Australia and is now the top-selling cassette with King of Video, a Melbourne-based distribution company with a turnover of over $1 million. The managing director who does not want to be named, as he is involved in other businesses said they began trading with 60 per cent horror and Kung Fu cassettes, but switched to R-rated movies because they were so much in demand. Now more than 100 adults-only titles make up two-thirds of his sales to video shops and libraries.
– The lust for video sex shows
– theage.com.au
Cut video
In July 1986, a 62-minute ‘edited version’ of TAPESTRY OF PASSION was passed with an R-rating. The sex was again said to be:
Frequency: Frequent
Explicitness/Intensity: Medium
Purpose: Gratuitous
Video Excellence submitted the film on tape.
Temptations
aka I Feel it Rising
Directed by Bill Milling / 1976 / USA / IMDb
In October 1981, a 2190.20-meter (79:50) ‘pre-censor cut version’ of TEMPTATIONS was banned because of sex, which was said to be:
Frequency: Frequent
Explicitness/Intensity: High
Purpose: Gratuitous
AZ Associated Theatres was the applicant.
Banned UK pre-cert
A 79-minute tape was Refused Registration for the same reasons in January 1982.
The applicant, Anjohn International, submitted it as I FEEL IT RISING. This may have been an imported tape, as it was under this title that UK pre-certs were released on the Intercity and Poseidon labels.
Censored & Refused
AZ Associated Theatres resubmitted the film in a 2063.00-meter (75:12) ‘reconstructed pre-censor cut version’.
In February 1982, it was banned yet again, with the sex being at the same level as the October 1981 decision.
Failed appeal
In May 1982, Anjohn International made an unsuccessful appeal to the Films Board of Review.
Their video, under the title I FEEL IT RISING, remained banned in Australia.
Twice censored & R-rated
TEMPTATIONS was finally passed with an R-rating in September 1982.
This 2036.00-meter (74:13) print, submitted by AZ Associated Theatres, was referred to as the ‘second reconstructed pre-censor cut version’.
The sex was described as being:
Frequency: Frequent
Explicitness/Intensity: Medium
Purpose: Gratuitous
Video releases
In February 1984, a 79-minute tape of TEMPTATIONS was passed with an R-rating. It was submitted by Video Classics, who went on to release it as part of their Movies at Midnight range.
This was presumably a precensored version.
It was later rereleased on Palace Vibrant Video.
Through the Looking Glass
aka L’Inferno Di Una Donna
Directed by Jonas Middleton / 1976 / USA / IMDb
In August 1977, a 2252.60-meters (82.06) print of THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS was banned because of ‘indecency’.
The film was produced in both hardcore and softcore versions. It is safe to presume this was the latter.
A censored 2085.00-meter (76:00) print was passed with an R-rating in October 1977.
Blake Films released it theatrically.
Banned import
In October and November 1983, the 79-minute videotape was Refused Registration because of sex, which was described as being:
Frequency: Infrequent
Explicitness/Intensity: High
Purpose: Gratuitous
The applicants were A.M. Alessi Films and Video and Phoenix Video Centre.
This was an import of the Italian L’INFERNO DI UNA DONNA tape on the CVR Realvision label.
The Film Censorship Board described it as being the ‘reduced version’.