American adult movies from the 1960s that have been cut or banned in Australia.
The X-rating, for hardcore sex, was introduced in February 1984.
Man and Wife: An Educational Film for Married Adults
Directed by Matt Cimber / 1969 / USA / IMDb
In June 1977, a 1853.00-meter (67:32) print of MAN AND WIFE: AN EDUCATIONAL FILM FOR MARRIED ADULTS was censored by 17.50-meters (00:39) for an R-rating.
The cuts were made to remove ‘indecency’.
Lestrig Trading was the applicant.
Banned in Queensland
On 31 March 1978, the censored R-rated version of MAN AND WIFE: AN EDUCATIONAL FILM FOR MARRIED ADULTS was prohibited by the Queensland Films Board of Review.
The distributor was Lestrig Films.
Review
Mike reports
Something Weird Video(us) – VHS – 65.00
One of Matt Cimber’s white coaters from the period when hardcore wasn’t fully established as legal in the US and the showing of real sex required some redeeming social merit. A narrator describes the action while a rather bored looking couple take us through a sequence of increasingly unlikely sexual positions.
The Film Censorship Board’s cuts would clearly have been to the hardcore.
30:05-30:42 Real penetration is seen in the section ‘Face to face position – man supine’.
52:02-52.04 The camera gets too close and presumably unintentionally shows real penetration for 00:02 in the section ‘Rear entry position – man supine’.
It’s interesting to speculate as to why the Film Censorship Board cut the hardcore when they had passed it in a sex education context in October 1973 in LANGUAGE OF LOVE (1969) and June 1974 in SEXUAL FREEDOM IN DENMARK (1970). It’s quite possible they were less convinced on this occasion by the filmmakers’ intentions. Although it’s claimed on screen in the opening credits that what we are about to see is based on speaking to real medical experts, the narrator doesn’t wear a white coat and doesn’t claim to be a doctor. The fact that the sex is almost continuous and takes up 55 minutes of the film may also have played a role.
White-coater censorship
At the same time, Lestrig Films also had to censor Matt Cimber’s HE & SHE (1970) for an R-rating. This was yet another of his ‘white-coaters’.
Night of the Vibrator
Directed by Unknown / 1969 / USA / IMDb
In February 1982, a 548.50-meter (49:59) 16mm print of NIGHT OF THE VIBRATOR was censored by 24.50-meters (02:13) for an R-rating.
The cuts were made to remove sex, which was said to be:
Frequency: Infrequent
Explicitness/Intensity: High
Purpose: Gratuitous
In the censored R-rated version it was:
Frequency: Frequent
Explicitness/Intensity: Medium
Purpose: Gratuitous
14th Mandolin was the applicant.
Pleasure Cruise
Produced by Leonard Kirtman / 1969 / USA / IMDb
In June 1981, a 1617.50-meter (58:57) print of PLEASURE CRUISE was censored by 4.30-meters (00:09) for an R-rating.
The cuts were made to remove sex, which was said to be:
Frequency: Infrequent
Explicitness/Intensity: High
Purpose: Gratuitous
The R-rating was awarded for sex, which was:
Frequency: Frequent
Explicitness/Intensity: Medium
Purpose: Gratuitous
…and for violence, which was:
Frequency: Infrequent
Explicitness/Intensity: High
Purpose: Gratuitous
Filmways Australasia Distributors was the applicant.
Further reading
For more censored Leonard Kirtman, see the database entries for 6-9 THE DAILY DOUBLE (1970), CHRISTY (1975) and SEX WISH (1976).
Riverboat Mama
Directed by Bob Favorite / 1969 / USA / IMDb
In May 1978, a 2084.00-meter (75:58) print of RIVERBOAT MAMA was censored by 17.40-meters (00:37) for an R-rating. The reason given for the cuts was ‘indecency’.
The applicant, 14th Mandolin, released it on their King of Video label in the early 1980s.
Review
Mike reports
Something Weird Video (us) – 76:48
Maude is a farmer’s daughter who tries to escape her boring life by boarding a riverboat which she hopes will take her to the bright lights of the city. Little does she know that the boat is a front for a white slavery racket. She plots with the female slaves to overthrow the slave owners.
The sex is very tame and surely wouldn’t have posed many problems for the Film Censorship Board in 1978. The only even potentially problematic scene occurs when the women are trying to acquire weapons to take over the boat. They strip one of the men, tie him to the bed, and try to persuade him to tell them where the guns are kept. He is initially reluctant so Maude threatens to smother him to death by sitting on his face. From the moment she flashes her vagina, through the face-sitting, and until he ‘surrenders’ lasts approximately 00:35. The ‘smothering’ is hidden by her dress and the actors seem to be having fun with the scene so there is no real sense of threat. But otherwise the rest of the sexual activity in the film is mild and consensual.
Slaves of Love
Directed by Charles Nizet / 1969 / USA / IMDb
In June 1972, a 6926-feet (76:57) print of SLAVES OF LOVE was Refused Registration because of ‘indecency’.
An appeal by Roadshow Distributors to the Films Board of Review failed in January 1973.
A 1655-meter (60:19) ‘reconstructed version’ was finally passed with an R-rating in August 1973.
Theatrical rerelease
In July 1979, a 2007.94-meter (73:11) ‘reduced version’ was passed with an R-rating.
The applicant, Blake Films, went on to release it theatrically.
What indecency?
Matt reports.
VHS – 74:27 – Appeared to be uncut
If it were not for the inclusion of some very tame softcore, then SLAVES OF LOVE would almost play like a nudie-cutie film. I cannot believe the censor found sixteen minutes to remove in 1972. Even less clear is how we still had a censored version in 1979.
Further reading
See also the database entry for Charles Nizet’s THE RAVAGER (1970).