The movies of Erwin C. Dietrich that have been cut or banned in Australia. He directed some of these under the name Michael Thomas.
For titles that he produced, see Directed by Jess Franco in the Film Censorship Database No. 1.
Higher and Higher
aka I Am a Groupie
Directed by Erwin C. Dietrich / 1970 / Switzerland – West Germany / IMDb
In June 1973, a 2413.00-meter (87.57) print of HIGHER AND HIGHER (I AM A GROUPIE) was Refused Registration because of ‘indecency and incitement to drug abuse’.
CIC was the applicant.
Refusal reasons
Matt reports.
Ascot Elite [ch] – DVD as ICH- EIN GROUPIE – 74:50
This version is thirteen-minutes shorter than the one banned by the Censorship Board. The sex is softcore but relatively explicit for a film made in 1970. It includes a scene (41:00) where an unwilling Rita and Vicky are molested by Hells Angels. All of this would be enough to explain the ‘indecency’ ruling.
The censor’s claim of ‘incitement to drug abuse’ is easy to understand. Drug use is shown throughout the film, which is possibly the reason it was never resubmitted in a cut form. The most contentious scenes would have included Stewart showing Vicky how to smoke a joint (04:00), Vivian injecting heroin (08:00), Vicky, Vivian and two of the band preparing a joint and smoking a pipe (16:00) and Vicky taking LSD (61:00).
Beginning at 66:30, there is a three-minute sequence showing Vivian cooking heroin and injecting herself and Vicky. This is all demonstrated in great detail and is equal to anything in THE PANIC IN NEEDLE PARK (1971) that the censor had cut a couple of years earlier.
The non-stop drug taking leads to Vicky having a bad trip, freaking out and running naked through the streets. She is eventually killed by a car that, very graphically, runs her over. The film ends with a shot of her naked and bloody body lying on the road. Not exactly an ‘incitement to drug abuse’.
Girls on the Make
Directed Erwin C. Dietrich / 1972 / Switzerland – West Germany / IMDb
In January 1976, a 2188.00-meter (79:45) print of GIRLS ON THE MAKE was censored by 26.2-meters (00:57) for an R-rating.
The cuts were made to remove ‘indecency’.
Blake films were the applicant.
The poster features their usual addition of a bra to conceal naked breasts.
Review
Mike reports
Unknown DVD as BLUTJUNGE VERFÜHRERINNEN 2 (German language, no English subs) – 78:23
Manfred (Manfred Greve) is a scriptwriter who has many sexually exciting scenarios which he would like to have filmed. He describes them to his secretary, Renate (Rena Bergen), to see if she likes them. We see them all acted out on screen.
GIRLS ON THE MAKE is the second in a trilogy of sexy vignette films that have no real connection apart from their titles. Neither THE YOUNG SEDUCERS (1971) nor THE YOUNG SEDUCERS 3 (1972) had issues with the Film Censorship Board. The latter was retitled CALENDAR GIRLS in Australia.
THE YOUNG SEDUCERS 2 became GIRLS ON THE MAKE in Australia and required 00:57 of cuts as it is slightly stronger than the other two. These may have come from the following scenes.
36:14 to 36:33 – A naked woman who has previously been fondling herself quite tamely suddenly sees a picture of Elvis Presley on her wall and starts to masturbate fairly vigorously for 00:19.
46:54 to 47:23 – We are shown a cinema audience, some members of which are groping each other. They are watching a clip from CHAMPAGNE FUR ZIMMER 17 (1969), Erwin C. Dietrich’s earlier crime movie. It shows a murderer (Herbert Fux) seducing a topless woman on a beach. He moves very quickly from fondling her breasts to strangulation and pouring sand into her mouth to suffocate her.
66:22 to 66:29 – A woman is hitchhiking and is picked up by a lorry driver and his colleague. The woman has sex with both men in turn repeatedly and the pace of the sex scenes picks up as the road signs show them getting closer to their destination of Hamburg. They start at 650km away, and the strongest scene is shown just before we see a sign indicating it is only 8km away. The humping at this stage is much faster than before and clear softcore genital contact can be seen.
Banging in Bangkok
Directed by Erwin C. Dietrich / 1975 / Switzerland / IMDb
In February 1977, a 1724.70-meter (62:52) print of BANGING IN BANGKOK was banned because of ‘indecency’.
An appeal to the Films Board of Review failed in March 1977.
In both cases, Blake Films was the applicant.
Self Service Girls
Directed by Erwin C. Dietrich / 1975 / Switzerland – West Germany / IMDb
In January 1976, a 2035.40-meter (74:11) print of SELF SERVICE GIRLS was banned because of ‘indecency’.
An appeal to the Films Board of Review failed in March 1976.
It was refused again because of ‘indecency in August 1978, this time in a heavily censored 1386.00-meter (50:31) ‘soft version’.
In all cases, Blake Films were the applicant.
Review
Mike reports
Unknown source as MADCHEN DIE SICH (SELBST) BEDIENEN – 71:36 (English dubbed)
A man spends some time in a sex shop putting coins into a peep-show machine. We see all eight film loops which he views. Vignette titles below are mine.
SELF SERVICE GIRLS really has no plot whatsoever and the peep-show machine is just a framing device to allow the audience to see eight sexual vignettes. The clips have nothing in common other than being way too strong for Australian censorship standards of the mid-1970s, and the situation is made worse by the extremely graphic language used by the participants. Blake Films may have thought they were getting something much like the episodic SEX REPORT films, which were very common in the early to mid 1970s. However, SELF SERVICE GIRLS is much stronger than those and is one of Erwin C. Dietrich’s most graphic efforts from that era. It is extremely surprising that Blake Films appealed against the initial ban and not surprising at all that the Film Censorship Board even refused a version that had been cut by over 20 minutes. It seems that cuts of around 30 minutes would have been required to make SELF SERVICE GIRLS acceptable to the Board and by that stage, there would have been almost no sex remaining.
The Bowling Alley
A group of sleazy men and one woman (Rita Waldenberg) are playing ten pin bowling. Their initial approach of grabbing her bottom pays off and she decides to service four of them separately in the changing room. The first man has explicit softcore sex with her while the dubbing track provides a running commentary – ‘You’re hard already, You bitch it’s hard since I saw your ass, Is it big enough for you?, It’s getting red already, I’m gonna break your fucking ass, you love that in your big cunt, take it, take it all’, etc. The second, third and fourth men’s encounters are much the same. She is evidently still not satisfied as she fingers herself quite graphically. Hardly any of the sex in this scene would have survived and the language might not have helped. (Predicted cuts = 03:52)
Medical Malpractice
A man is being operated on and a nurse (Christa Free) tells us that, ‘he’ll never be a man like the others again’. She decides to offer her assistance by creeping into his room late at night and interrupting his convalescence by making him grope her breasts and vagina before she sits on his face and makes him perform cunnilingus. (Predicted cuts = 00:22)
The Sauna
A naked man is lying in a sauna when a naked woman enters and tries to attract his attention. Her chat-up technique is fairly direct – ‘If you tried to rape me no-one would hear, I’m all hot and horny, I must have some cock, Is your cock broken? Are you faggot? My pussy needs some juice now, I ought to smash your face, I should have been a dyke…’ She leaves the sauna and on returning the man has an erection hidden under a towel. She arouses him with her foot while she masturbates with her legs spread. It turns out that the woman is a sculptor. She takes the man home to her flat, fellates a dildo, gives the man a blowjob (hidden by a statue), then sculpts a model of his erect penis (‘this clay model is making my pussy itch!’). Suitably aroused they have very graphic sex accompanied by equally strong language. He tells her at one point that he is going to ‘fuck her until her ass falls off’. (Predicted cuts = 04:15)
Mile High Club
A male aeroplane passenger gropes a stewardess and she is sufficiently impressed to invite him to the staff quarters. They have very exuberant sex in a range of positions. (Predicted cuts = 02:07)
The Horny Projectionist
A man (Eric Falk) is watching silent porn films on a home projector. We see him viewing nearly the entire hardcore cartoon EVEREADY HARTON IN BURIED TREASURE (1929), before he changes reels and shows us the equally hardcore PETIT CONTE DE NOEL (1920) which features a woman fingering herself before being surprised by the arrival of Santa Claus. Luckily, she’s been a good girl because Santa has bought her a dildo which she tries out with great enthusiasm. While this is going on the man’s neighbour has arrived home and can hear the films playing. She becomes sexually excited as a result, although it is not clear why as the films are silent and all she can hear is the musical soundtrack. The man peeps through a hole in the wall while she masturbates graphically in close-up. She then joins the man in his flat and they have extremely graphic sex on a sheepskin rug while the vintage French porn film plays in the background. It is hard to see how any of this scene would have been acceptable. (Predicted cuts = 11:06)
The Violinist
A man (Claude Martin) is playing the violin when his female neighbour arrives home and is aroused by the music. She rolls over the floor and masturbates violently for some time. The man at the peep-show machine tells us that he ‘would have liked to see her get raped by the violin’. (Predicted cuts = 00:51)
Neighbours
A man can’t sleep because he can hear his neighbours having extremely vocal sex. He decides to get even with them by making a recording in which he pretends to have sex himself, complete with moaning, screaming and graphic language, and playing it whenever they are at home and he is out. It turns out that his neighbours are even more turned on by this and have even more explicit sex as a result. In the end, the male neighbour anally rapes his wife for being too aroused by the recording and not enough by him. (Predicted cuts = 04:08)
Good Vibrations
A naked woman pleasures herself very graphically with a vibrator for some time. Our voyeur tells us ‘If I could put my cock through the machine, what a cunt!, come on cunt, push it!’. (Predicted cuts = 03:10)
Virgins on the Run
Directed by Erwin C. Dietrich / 1978 / Switzerland / IMDb
In June 1981, a 2231.04-meter (81:19) print of VIRGINS ON THE RUN was censored by 26.40-meters (00:57) for an R-rating.
The cuts were made to remove sex, which was found to be:
Frequency: Infrequent
Explicitness/Intensity: High
Purpose: Gratuitous
Following the censorship, it was described as being:
Frequency: Frequent
Explicitness/Intensity: Medium
Purpose: Gratuitous
Filmways Distributors was the applicant.
Videotape release
Video Classics issued VIRGINS ON THE RUN on their Filmways Home Video sub-label.
It was awarded an R-rating in February 1984. The running time is reportedly much shorter than the 85-minutes listed in the National Classification Database.
The cover image is of Harlee McBride, taken from YOUNG LADY CHATTERLEY (1977).
Review
Mike reports
Unknown VHS as GIRLS AFTER MIDNIGHT – 70:47
The plot follows the sexual adventures of a number of young women at a boarding school in the Swiss countryside. They divide their time between sleeping with the teachers, each other, any man who passes by and imagining their own erotic fantasies.
VIRGINS ON THE RUN has essentially the same plot as Erwin C. Dietrich’s UNTAMED SEX (1979) and AMOROUS SISTERS (1982), both of which had their own Australian censorship problems. However, this one is much slower and tamer than those. It has no real story or characterisation and is really just one sexual encounter after another.
Since the version I viewed ran around ten minutes shorter than the one seen in Australia it’s difficult to be sure about what exactly the Film Censorship Board took exception to. One scene, which may have caused problems, is a sexual fantasy in the mind of one of the girls (unidentified actress). She imagines herself naked and with her hands tied to a wheel while a knife thrower propels knives very close to her breasts and vagina. This is not especially plausible as if you look closely; she has been replaced by a mannequin. This lasts approximately 00:50.
Untamed Sex
Directed by Erwin C. Dietrich / 1979 / France – Switzerland / IMDb
In April 1981, a 2482.03-meter (90:28) print of UNTAMED SEX was censored by 38.5-meters (01:24) for an R-rating.
The cuts were made to remove sex, which was described as being:
Frequency: Infrequent
Explicitness/Intensity: High
Purpose: Gratuitous
The R-rating was awarded for sex, which was:
Frequency: Frequent
Explicitness/Intensity: Medium
Purpose: Gratuitous
Filmways released the film theatrically.
Banned in Queensland
On 4 March 1982, the censored R-rated version of UNTAMED SEX was prohibited by the Queensland Films Board of Review.
The distributor was Filmways Australasian Distributors.
Review
Mike reports
Unknown DVD as SIX SWEDISH GIRLS IN A BOARDING SCHOOL – 90:49
Six girls, most of whom are not Swedish, attend a boarding school in the Swiss countryside. When not experimenting sexually with each other they try their luck with their teacher, the gym coach, any visiting tradesmen and even the occasional peeping tom.
UNTAMED SEX is rather tame and doesn’t include a great deal of sex, with the main focus being on male and female nudity, mostly the latter. There is also very little in the way of plot or character development, and the girls wear tops with their names on so that the viewer can distinguish them.
Roughly, half of the 01:24 of cuts required by the Film Censorship Board would have been to occasional close-ups of female genitals being fondled. Cuts would likely also have been needed to a group sex scene in which two plumbers, who were called in to fix the showers, are abducted by the girls and hidden in their dormitory until the evening.
A stronger scene occurs earlier, when a peeping tom (Roman Huber) is spying on two of the girls while they are sunbathing. They spot him and decide to teach him a lesson. Selma (Elsa Maroussia) chloroforms him and while he is unconsciousness, they strip him naked. Lil (Danielle Troger) pretends to masturbate him and then cuts off his penis with a penknife. However, the masturbation and castration are hidden by Selma’s head and the penis seems perfectly intact slightly later in the scene.
Further reading
In 1982, the sequel, SWEDISH SEX SERVICE (1980), was also censored in Australia.
Swedish Sex Service
Directed by Erwin C. Dietrich / 1980 / Switzerland / IMDb
In September 1982, SWEDISH SEX SERVICE was passed with an R-rating.
The 2705.14-meter (98:36) print was cut by 46.4-meters (01:41) because of sex, which was said to be:
Frequency: Frequent
Explicitness/Intensity: High
Purpose: Gratuitous
The sex in the censored R-rating was:
Frequency: Frequent
Explicitness/Intensity: Medium
Purpose: Gratuitous
The daybill image of a topless woman was censored by the addition of stars over the nipples.
Filmways Australasia released it theatrically.
Video release
In February 1984, Video Classics had an 85-minute tape passed with an R-rating. It was released on their Filmways label.
Stephen F. reports.
The cover states a runtime of 98-minutes (approx.), but runs only 84:07 (PAL). It seems slightly cut, with one jump, but appears for the most part uncut.
Despite the print being PAL, it is significantly shorter than the one passed in September 1982. Interestingly, most online sources list a running time nowhere near 98-minutes. Whatever the story, the Filmways tape appears to be censored.
Further reading
In 1981, the prequel, UNTAMED SEX (1979), was also censored in Australia.
The Women of Inferno Island
aka Caged Women
Directed by Erwin C. Dietrich / 1980 / Switzerland / IMDb
In November 1982, a 2534:00-meter (92:22) print of THE WOMEN OF INFERNO ISLAND was Refused Registration.
It was banned because of sex, which was described as being:
Frequency: Infrequent
Explicitness/Intensity: High
Purpose: Gratuitous
In March 1983, Filmways censored the film down to 2139:54-meters (77:59) and received an R-rating. It was awarded for sex, which was now described as being:
Frequency: Infrequent
Explicitness/Intensity: Medium
Purpose: Gratuitous
This print, censored of fourteen-minutes, went on to be released theatrically by Filmways.
Highly gratuitous sex
Matt reports.
Ascot Elite [ch] – DVD as CAGED WOMEN – 88:21 (PAL)
This should not be confused with Jess Franco’s 1975 WiP film of the same name that was also banned in Australia. Erwin C. Dietrich was also involved in that earlier work and Eric Falk played a prison guard.
It is easy to see why the censor refused it in 1982, but less clear is why it lost fourteen-minutes for an R-rating. As can be expected of a woman in prison film, it is full of sex and nudity, but in this case, contains far less violence than similar works. Although the sex is not hardcore, it goes to the high end of softcore with its numerous close-up shots of vaginas and female masturbation.
There are many sex scenes, but these are the most explicit shots that would have no doubt been snipped by the censor.
06:00 – Carla lies naked with her legs open and masturbates in front of Marco.
12:30 – A man runs his hand over Lisa’s vagina.
17:30 to 17:45 – Four soldiers hold a naked girl by her arms and legs, while another (fully clothed) soldier rapes her. This is the only real example of sexual violence in the film. In all the other scenes, the girls are portrayed as enjoying the sex.
26:51 to 26:55 – The Doctor puts his finger in the prisoner’s vagina. This is probably the most explicit shot in the movie.
38:45 – Close up of the guard masturbating the prisoner.
Amorous Sisters
aka Julchen und Jettchen
Directed by Erwin C. Dietrich / 1982 / Switzerland / IMDb
In July 1982, a 2207.00-meter (80:27) print of JULCHEN UND JETTCHEN was banned because of sex, which was described as being:
Frequency: Infrequent
Explicitness/Intensity: High
Purpose: Gratuitous
Under the title AMOROUS SISTERS, a censored 2084.68-meter (75:59) version was passed with an R-rating in February 1983. The sex was now found to be:
Frequency: Frequent
Explicitness/Intensity: Medium
Purpose: Gratuitous
The daybill image of a topless woman was censored by the addition of stars over the nipples.
Filmways Australasia released it theatrically.
Review
Mike reports
Full Moon (us) – DVD – 79:46 (English dubbed)
Despite the posters for AMOROUS SISTERS using the tagline ‘Twenty lovely ladies in the funniest naked romp of all time’, there are actually only seven women in the film. Julchen (Brigitte Lahaie) and Jettchen (Flore Sollier) are two of only six students at a girls’ school. There they are taught by the libidinous but frustrated Mademoiselle Blanche (Barbara Moose). Most of the lessons seem to focus on sex education and Mademoiselle Blanche is very willing to demonstrate this by showing the young women her own sexual organs. When a display of male anatomy is needed, she calls on a rain coated flasher who she met in the woods.
AMOROUS SISTERS is at the higher end of the softcore range in that although the sex is not very vigorous there are very frequent close-ups of female genitals being fondled. Quite a lot of the cuts required by the Film Censorship Board would have been to these scenes.
The only other scene that may have caused problems occurs when one of the girls asks the school librarian if she can see the collection of adult literature. He shows her into a room that has several framed black and white photos of explicit sexual activity on the wall. These photos are in view while they are talking. When they subsequently become aroused by them and have sex, the camera pans periodically from the actors to focus on the photos. This scene would likely have accounted for around 02:40 of the 04:28 of cuts made by Filmways Australasia.
At one point Mademoiselle Blanche takes the girls into the countryside to see nature and they encounter some very graphic footage of two horses copulating. This material was extracted from THE BEAST (1975). Presumably, this would not have posed a problem for the Film Censorship Board as they didn’t require it to be cut from THE BEAST itself, even though, here, the girls and their teacher are clearly turned on by watching it.