The movies of Eberhard Kronhausen and Phyllis Kronhausen that have been cut or banned in Australia.
Freedom to Love
Directed by Eberhard Kronhausen – Phyllis Kronhausen / 1969 / West Germany / IMDb
In May 1976, a 2606.00-meter (94:59) print of FREEDOM TO LOVE was censored by 108.20-meters (03:56) for an R-rating. The cuts were made to remove ‘indecency’.
Regent Trading Enterprises were the applicant.
Reason for cuts
Matt reports.
Something Weird Video [us] – 1997 VHS – 84:31
Approximately half the running time of FREEDOM TO LOVE is made of short stories that are used to illustrate a subject. They include a young mechanic who meets a girl who turns out to be 15-years old, a lesbian teacher who is spied on having sex by two of her pupils and a woman who cannot orgasm with her boyfriend and who eventually has an abortion. All contain softcore sex, which may have been cut by our censor.
The final story concerns a couple who are taken to a swinger’s party, which ends in five-minutes of group sex. This contains hardcore footage, which would have been removed from the Australian print.
Also included is 02:30 clip from the infamous animation EVEREADY HARTON IN BURIED TREASURE (1929) and a visit to a Copenhagen sex shop. The censor may have cut the former as it contains cartoon scenes of bestially and the latter because hardcore porn magazines such as Color Climax are openly shown.
The remaining running time is more interesting, especially to readers of your site, as it looks at sexual liberation and censorship. Some of the interviews include Playboy’s Hugh Heffner, Kenneth Tynan, (producer of OH! CALCUTTA!), Hans Henrik Brydensholt (Danish Department of Justice) and the BBFC’s John Trevelyan.
Video release
In the early 1980S, K&C Video released FREEDOM TO LOVE on tape.
Please e-mail us if you can confirm if this was the uncut or censored R-rated theatrical version.
Why?
Directed by Eberhard Kronhausen – Phyllis Kronhausen / 1971 / Denmark / IMDb
In January 1975, a 2500.00-meter (91:08) print of WHY? was banned because of ‘indecency’.
This version appears to have been pre-cut before submission.
Consolidated Exhibitors was the applicant.
Danish, Swedish & Italian versions
Ole reports.
It is unfortunate to hear that the Danish film HVORFOR GØR DE DET? (1971) was banned by your Censorship Board. Here is some background information that I found during my research.
First, this seems to be a very hard title to currently [2014] view. The easiest way is to track down a torrent of a censored Italian VHS that was released on the Videottanta label. It has been dubbed in Italian, but English fansubs have been added. The film goes under the title UNA DONNA E LA SUA…CALDA BESTIA, which translates as A WOMAN AND HER WARM BEAST.
The first 61-minutes UNA DONNA E LA SUA…CALDA BESTIA consists of interviews and footage of various people who perform in Copenhagen’s live sex shows. This includes hardcore footage, an S&M stage show and a recreation of a scene where Effie Schou recalls being raped by a gang of racists.
From 61 to 78-minutes, the film visits the notorious Bodil Joensen on her Danish farm. She recalls her childhood, talks about her current life renting out boars and stallions to local farmers and her relationship with her family and boyfriend. It includes footage of goats and horses mating, with Bodil only becoming involved when she is shown touching a bull’s penis and caressing its testicles.
From 78-minutes to the end, we revisit the sex performers as they talk about their life.
The tape runs 82:22 (PAL) or 85:47 (NTSC), which would make it around five-minutes shorter than the print seen by your Censorship Board.
The database of the Danish Film Institute has more information, including stills and a promotional program. They also claim the running time to be 105-minutes. One image shows a naked Bodil masturbating next to the bull. This is repeated in the program, which also includes other naked shots, including one of her holding the bull’s penis between her open legs. None of this is included in UNA DONNA E LA SUA…CALDA BESTIA, in fact, in that version Bodil remains fully clothed. Also missing from the tape is the sequence where she reportedly performs with her dog.
The Swedish Film Institute has an entry in their database under the title VARFÖR GÖR DOM DET?, which confirms the 105-minute running time. This print was banned in April 1971, before being censored down to 99-minutes in August 1971, which allowed viewing by anyone 15 or above. The footage that was removed included Bodil caressing the bull’s genitals and the subsequent bestiality, an entire section of Bodil with the dog and the rape of Effie Schou.
Presumably, the Australian Censorship Board would not have approved of the hardcore sex, Bodil Joensen’s bestiality sequences and maybe the gang rape. However, the 91-minute print appears to have already been missing around 14-minutes before it was even submitted.
Phyllis and Eberhard Kronhausen wrote the book THE SEX PEOPLE: THE EROTIC PERFORMERS AND THEIR BOLD NEW WORLDS (1973). As well as looking at American adult performers, they also write about their directorial efforts.
The chapters ‘Bodil – The Animal Lover’ and ‘Effie and Marianne – The Lesbian Couple’ cover their filming of WHY? (AKA WHY DO THEY DO IT?).
The chapter titled ‘The Hottest Show in Town – Our Sex-Circus Comedy’ focuses on the making of their 1974 follow-up feature.
The Hottest Show in Town
Directed by Eberhard Kronhausen – Phyllis Kronhausen / 1974 / Denmark – Switzerland / IMDb
In July 1975, a 2734.00-meter (99:39) print of THE HOTTEST SHOW IN TOWN was banned because of ‘indecency’.
A censored 2277.50-meter (83:01) version was again refused for ‘indecency’ in August 1979.
The following month, the Films Board of Review’ confirmed the decision.
It was finally passed with an R-rating in April 1981. The 2231.04-meter (81.19) print was described as being a ‘reconstructed pre-censor cut version’.
In all cases, the House of Dare was the applicant.
