The movies of Jean Rollin have been cut or banned in Australia. He directed some of these under the name Michel Gentil.
See also, TERROR OF THE VAMPIRES (1971) in the Film Censorship Database No. 2.
Requiem for a Vampire
aka Dungeon of Terror
aka Virgins and The Vampire
Directed by Jean Rollin / 1971 / France / IMDb
In December 1973, a 1876.00-meter (68:23) print of REQUIEM FOR A VAMPIRE was passed with an R-rating under the title VIRGINS AND THE VAMPIRE.
This was Harry Novak’s heavily censored version that his company, Box Office International, had released in the US. The Film Censorship Board, incorrectly, lists him as the producer.
Warner Bros was the applicant.
Censored VHS
In August 1985, a 64:40 video passed with an R-rating under the title DUNGEON OF TERROR.
It was awarded for sex, which was described as being:
Frequency: Frequent
Explicitness/Intensity: Medium
Purpose: Gratuitous
…and for ‘sexual allusions’
The applicant, Platinum Video, released it on tape.
The running time indicates it was missing nearly 20-minutes of footage. It is unclear if this was deliberately removed by the distributor or was a result of them sourcing a censored print.
Despite the cuts, Platinum played up the sex and violence angle with an image of a naked woman with whip marks on her back. This was one of the more confronting covers of Australia’s home-video boom.
An identical print was reissued in the late 1980s on the Video Studio label. The cover art was also the same.
Schoolgirl Hitchhikers
Directed by Jean Rollin / 1973 / France / IMDb
In March 1977, a 2112.00-meter (76:59) print of SCHOOLGIRL HITCHHIKERS was passed with an R-rating after 51.8 meters (01:53) of footage was removed.
The cuts were made to eliminate ‘indecency and excessive violence’.
This print went on to have a theatrical release courtesy of Regent Films.
Video releases
In the early 1980s, K&C Video twice issued SCHOOLGIRL HITCHHIKERS on tape. The print was in poor condition and ran 73:31.
The first release was a generic plain cover.
The second is their better-known design.
The whipping of Jackie (34:00) is an obvious target for censorship; however, it is difficult to judge if it was cut without viewing an full version.
Les Demoniaques
aka “Demoniacs” Revenge of the Virgins
aka Les Demoniaques (Revenge of the Virgins)
Directed by Jean Rollin / 1974 / France / IMDb
In March 1977, a 2770.00-meter (100:58) print of LES DEMONIAQUES lost 63.5-meters (02:18) of footage for reasons of ‘indecency’.
Regent Trading Enterprises released it theatrically.
The poster title was “DEMONIACS” REVENGE OF THE VIRGINS.
Video release
In the early 1980s, Starbase Video released it on tape with a cover title of DEMONIAQUES (REVENGE OF THE VIRGINS).
This 94:30 (PAL) video was presumably the same as the censored theatrical version.
Censored footage
Matt reports.
The Starbase Video release contains footage not found on the Image Entertainment/Redemption DVD. It is available on the Dutch Encore Entertainment DVD, but only as an extra.
The Starbase tape appears to contain everything that is in the Image DVD. This makes me believe that the 02:18 of cuts made to the 1977 theatrical version all came from these extra scenes. I was unable to obtain an accurate time for the Starbase version as my tape was damaged.
The review at DVD Compare lists these four deleted sex scenes. My comments follow.
Scene 1
‘After a brief fight with young sailor, and Le Bosco and Paul, the sailor goes upstairs with the waitress, and they have a ‘good time’ there (3:40 min)’
Starbase Video – This scene lasts 02:55.
Image DVD – Removed at 50:21.
Scene 2
‘Extended sex-scene between Tina and the Captain in the room (6:37 min)’
This extended rape scene was reportedly removed at Jean Rollin’s request.
Starbase Video – Same as the Image DVD.
Image DVD – The sex scene ends at 56:13.
Scene 3
‘Extended scenes of Tina “pleasuring herself” in the scene where they have tied up the girls (6:22 min)’
Starbase Video – Contains 02:55 of footage that is missing from the Image DVD.
Image DVD – Removed at 88:55.
Scene 4
‘This one is also from the same scene as the earlier, but this time there is a “hardcore shot” included, where you can see the close-up of Tina´s private part (probably shot with the other actress) (1:52 min)’
Starbase Video – Does not include any ‘hardcore shot’.
Fly Me the French Way
Directed by Jean Rollin / 1974 / France / IMDb
aka Bacchanales sexuelles
In January 1977, a 2780.90-meter (101:22) print of FLY ME THE FRENCH WAY was banned because of ‘indecency’.
Regent Trading Enterprises was the applicant.
The Seduction of Amy
Directed by Jean Rollin / 1975 / France / IMDb
In August 1985, a 48-minute tape of THE SEDUCTION OF AMY passed with an R-rating.
This was followed in November 1985 by a 48-minute 35mm print.
This version had been precut by 14th Mandolin to remove all hardcore footage. It was released on their Pink Video/Essex Video label double-billed with SEX PLAY, a German sex-comedy short.
The extensive censorship saw them include the following explanation at the start of the tape.
1985
Due to Government Censorship the movie you are about to see has been severely edited.Because of the shorter running time, this cassette contains a double feature.
To register a complaint please write to your local or Federal Member of Parliament or write direct to the Censorship Office, 7th Floor, 222 Pitt St, Sydney, NSW 2000.
– 14th Mandolin’s warning to viewers
– The Seduction of Amy, Pink Video
Hardcore VHS refused
In 1986, a 67-minute print was banned by the Film Censorship Board.
During this time, Pink Video was releasing many titles in both R and X-rated versions. In this case, they were presumably aiming for the latter classification.
Matt reports.
A French-language version, presumably taken from a VHS, is available online under the original title PHANTASMES. It runs 83:53 SECAM (87:22 NTSC approx.). By 1986, a combination of sex and violence would have had a problem in an X-rating. This may explain why 14th Mandolin precut this submission.
