Movies from Denmark that were cut or banned in Australia.
Pre-November 1971 decisions are here.
Danish Blue
Directed by Gabriel Axel / 1968 / Denmark / IMDb
In March 1972, a 2625-foot (72:55) 16mm print of DANISH BLUE was banned because of ‘indecency’.
This appears to have been pre-cut as the full version should run 91-minutes.
Filmways Distributors were the applicant.
Pornography in Denmark
Simon reports.
This documentary covers the censorship that existed in Denmark just before they legalised pornography. At the time, restrictions existed on mixing sex and violence, so spanking and bondage were problematic.
The Danish print that I viewed ran 88:08 (PAL) and some still images were obscured with the word ‘censur’ over the top. The sex scenes are very mild, with only the briefest shots of male nudity. Maybe our Film Censorship Board did not approve of the way their profession was being mocked.
Something Weird Video released an English dubbed DVD-R under the title SEX AND THE LAW. It reportedly runs only 58-minutes.
Without a Stitch
aka Anatomy of a Virgin
aka 18 Carat Virgin
aka Die Jungfrau von 18 Karat
aka Uden en trævl
Directed by Annelise Meineche / 1968 / Denmark / IMDb
In September 1972, a 2555.14-meter (92:59) print of WITHOUT A STITCH was Refused Registration because of ‘indecency’.
Lyra Films submitted it under the West German title DIE JUNGFRAU VON 18 KARAT.
It was resubmitted by Consolidated Exhibitors in March 1973 as UDEN EN TRAEVL. This 2934.00-meter (106:57) print was also banned because of ‘indecency’. It is unclear if, or by how much, this version had been cut as the running time is far longer than any other listed.
An appeal to the Films Board of Review failed in April 1973.
In August 1974, a 2501.50-meter (91:11) ‘reconstructed version’ was passed with an R-rating.
Lyra Films resubmitted as ANATOMY OF A VIRGIN, however their daybill poster titles it 18 CARAT VIRGIN.
Naked Danes
Matt reports.
Scanbox (dk) – DVD – 94:32 (25fps) as UDEN EN TRÆVL
The softcore sex is surprisingly strong for a 1968 production, so it is easy to see how it could still have problems in early-70s Australia. Anne Grete Nissen remains naked for much of the running time.
Quiet Days in Clichy
Directed by Jens Jørgen Thorsen / 1970 / Denmark / IMDb
In January 1974, a 2346.96-meter (85:33) print of QUIET DAYS IN CLICHY was censored by 35.05-meters (01:16) for an R-rating. The cuts were made to remove ‘indecency’.
Blake Films released it theatrically.
Uncut DVDs
In November 2005, Stomp Visual had an uncut version passed with an R18+ (High level sex scenes) rating. This disc was a direct port of the 2002 American DVD from Blue Underground.
Umbrella Entertainment rereleased QUIET DAYS IN CLICHY in 2011. The DVD ran 90:33 and was uncut.
The disc includes the Blue Underground extra, DIRTY BOOKS, DIRTY MOVIES (2002). Barney Rosset talks about running Grove Press, the film version of TROPIC OF CANCER (1970) and the American censorship problems of QUIET DAYS IN CLICHY and I AM CURIOUS (YELLOW) (1967).
Further reading
Another Henry Miller novel, TROPIC OF CANCER (1970), was filmed at the same time as QUIET DAYS IN CLICHY.
See the separate entry for this title in our Film Censorship Database No. 1.
Threesome
Directed by Brandon Chase / 1970 / Denmark / IMDb
In January 1973, a 2515.00-meter (91:40) print of THREESOME was banned because of ‘indecency’.
The following month, the decision was confirmed by the Films Board of Review.
A censored 2420.00-meter (88:12) print was eventually passed with an R-rating in September 1973.
Columbia Pictures were the applicant and MGM-BEF Film Productions released it theatrically.
Dear Irene
aka Kære Irene
Directed by Christian Braad Thomsen / 1971 / Denmark / IMDb
In May 1972, a 9100-feet (101:06) print of DEAR IRENE was banned because of ‘indecency’.
The Sydney Film Festival was the applicant.
The following month, the Films Board of Review overturned the ban and registered it for ‘screening at Sydney and Melbourne Film Festivals only’.
It was classified under the title KAERE IRENE.
Theatrical release
In May 1973, a 2638.00-meter (96:09) print of DEAR IRENE was censored by 3.96-meters (00:09) for an R-rating. The cuts were made to remove ‘indecency’.
The submitted running time is five-minutes shorter than the Sydney Film Festival print.
Studio Films were the applicant.
Swedish Fly Girls
Directed by Jack O’Connell / 1971 / Denmark – USA / IMDb
In December 1972, a 2832.20-meter (103:14) print of SWEDISH FLY GIRLS was censored by 15:50-meters (00:34) for an R-rating.
The cuts were made to remove ‘indecency and incitement to drug abuse’.
Seven Keys was the applicant.
The problem content
Matt reports.
98:47 (PAL)
Indecency – This consists of some very tame softcore action.
Incitement to drug abuse – At 32:00, 47:30 and 58:00, Christa is shown smoking marijuana with a pipe. This type of scene was common in many films of the time, so it is hard to believe that the Censorship Board could have applied this rule consistently.
Video release?
Roadshow Home Video had a 98-minute version passed with an R-rating in September 1985.
It was awarded for sex, which was described as being:
Frequency: Infrequent
Explicitness/Intensity: Medium
Purpose: Gratuitous
It is unclear if they ever issued this tape.
The Sinful Dwarf
Directed by Eduardo Fuller / 1973 / Denmark / IMDb
In July 1974, a 2530-meter (92:13) print of THE SINFUL DWARF was Refused Registration because of ‘indecency’.
It was passed with an R-rating in November 1974 following the removal of 255-meters (09:17) of footage.
Filmways was the applicant.
Why so censored?
Matt reports.
92:15 (NTSC) – International version
It is very easy to see why the Australian version ended up with over 9-minutes of missing footage. There are numerous shots of gratuitous nudity and a general air of sleaze throughout the film.
The plot concerns a mother and her dwarf son who keep girls drugged and captive in their attic where they prostitute them out. Some of the more problematic scenes that would have been prime candidates for the censor’s scissors include the following.
24:00 approx. – Naked girl is injected by the dwarf.
40:00 approx. – A client visits girls and has sex.
50:00 to 51:30 approx. – Mrs Lash injects a naked girl.
55:00 to 55:30 approx. – The dwarf whips a naked girl.
70:00 to 71:00 approx. – The dwarf chains up the girlfriend of the writer.
76:00 to 79:00 approx. – A client visits girls and has sex.
83:00 approx – The dwarf puts his walking cane up one of the girls.
Some combination of the above would have made up the bulk of the missing 9-minutes.
In 2009, Severin Films released a 96-minute hardcore version on DVD in America. They also issued the 92-minute softcore ‘International version’, which was the print that was picked up for distribution in Australia.
Harry H. Novak in Australia
December 1974
CP: Have Filmways got any other films that they consider sufficiently artistic to be unsuitable for the Star or the Albany, but which are encountering censorship problems?RW – No. We do have NOTORIOUS CLEOPATRA, COUNTRY CUZZINS and THE SINFUL DWARF from Harry Novak banned. They are probably a little bit above the Star, probably Roma material.
CP – Is Filmways fighting these decisions?
RW – Not really, what can you do to fight? LANGUAGE OF LOVE was an intelligent medical film that you can fight on appeal constructively, but these?
– Robert Ward, Dendy Filmways
– Cinema Papers No. 4
Banned in Queensland
On 28 July 1977, the censored R-rated version of THE SINFUL DWARF was prohibited by the Queensland Films Board of Review.
The distributor was Filmways.
The Keyhole
Directed by Paul Gerber / 1974 / Denmark / IMDb
In July 1975, a 2468.70-meter (89:59) print of THE KEYHOLE was banned because of ‘indecency’.
This was confirmed by the Films Board of Review in August 1975.
A ‘reconstructed version’ running 2166.00-meter (78:57) was passed with an R-rating in November 1975.
Consolidated Exhibitors were the applicant.