The softcore and hardcore movies of Joe Sarno that have been cut or banned in Australia. He directed some of these under the name Karl Andersson.
The X-rating, for hardcore sex, was introduced in February 1984.
Daddy, Darling
Directed by Joseph W. Sarno / 1970 / Denmark – USA / IMDb
In November 1971, an 8586-feet (95:24) feet print of DADDY, DARLING was banned because of ‘indecency’.
A censored 8286-feet (92:04) version was passed with an R-rating in April 1972.
In both cases, Consolidated Exhibitors was the applicant.
Review
Mike reports
Retro Seduction Cinema (us) – DVD – 94:49
Katya (Helli Louise) is a sexually confused 19 year-old woman who has an unnaturally close relationship with her widowed father (Ole Wisborg). Before this can go too far, she is introduced to lesbianism by her teacher and her girlfriend and has a brief fling with an artist, Lena (Lisa Henningsen). She tries reigniting a past relationship with her ex-boyfriend Lars (Søren Strømberg), before falling into the arms of her father’s new girlfriend and soon to be wife Svea (Gio Petré). Unsatisfied with any of these relationships she leaves home with a suitcase as the credits roll.
Despite its relatively sleazy plot, DADDY DARLING is quite restrained in terms of sexual content with most love scenes being played off facial reactions or shot in shadows. The strongest occurs when Katya seduces her future stepmother and the two have sex on a bed while naked for around 01:30. However, this scene is shot from a distance with the only lighting being from candles and objects between the camera and the bed obscure the view. A scene earlier on in which Katya imagines having sex with her father has much less impact than it might have as only shoulders and faces are seen and there is an obviously younger stand-in used for the father.
The length of the Film Censorship Board’s cuts would suggest that they removed almost all of the sexual contact, tame though it is. These cuts were applied in the very early days of the R-rating in 1972 and presumably wouldn’t have been required a year or two later.
The Seduction of Inga
Directed by Joseph W. Sarno / 1971 / Sweden – USA / IMDb
In December 1973, a 2423.00-meter (88:19) print of THE SEDUCTION OF INGA was censored by 47.85-meters (01:45) for an R-rating.
The cuts were made to remove ‘indecency’.
MGM-BEF Film Distributors were the applicant.
Review
Mike reports
Unknown source – 87:17
Inga (Maria Liljedahl) is penniless and living in a rundown boarding house somewhere in Sweden. Unable to pay the rent, she narrowly avoids being pimped out by her landlady and finds a job working for a writer, Stig (Lennard Lindberg). He seduces her despite not having got over his former girlfriend Greta (Inger Sundh). While he’s overseas meeting his editor, Inga tries a relationship with an amateur guitarist Rolf (Tommy Blom) who even writes a romantic ballad about her. She is unable to choose between the writer, Rolf and Greta, who also seems attracted to her. Eventually, she decides to move away with Rolf even though she’s convinced that any relationship will inevitably fail.
THE SEDUCTION OF INGA focuses far more on relationship dynamics than the sexual content, which is infrequent and brief. Nevertheless, all of the intimate scenes involving Inga go just a little too far for 1973 standards at times and there are more close-ups then the Film Censorship Board would have been comfortable with. The other possible censorable episode occurs towards the end when Greta comes back into Stig’s life and is annoyed that her place has been taken by Inga. When Stig subsequently dies in a car crash (off screen) Greta blames Inga and strips her and threatens her with a broken bottle. No violence takes place but the menacing of a naked Inga may have been an issue. The threat doesn’t last long, however, and the two women decide to have sex instead.
Bibi: Confessions of Sweet Sixteen
Directed by Joseph W. Sarno / 1974 / Sweden – Switzerland – West Germany / IMDb
In November 1974, a 2606.00-meter (94:59) print of BIBI: CONFESSIONS OF SWEET SIXTEEN was banned because of ‘indecency’.
A ‘reconstructed version’ 2386.00-meter (86:58) version was passed with an R-rating in April 1976.
MGM BEF Film Distributors were the applicant.
Banned in Queensland
On 30 March 1979, the censored R-rated version of BIBI: CONFESSIONS OF SWEET SIXTEEN was prohibited by the Queensland Films Board of Review.
The distributor was G.U.O. (Film Distributors).
Confessions of a Young American Housewife
Directed by Joseph W. Sarno / 1974 / USA / IMDb
In September 1977, a 2260.00-meter (82:23) print of CONFESSIONS OF A YOUNG AMERICAN HOUSEWIFE was banned because of ‘indecency’.
A reduced 1810.00-meter (65:08) version lost a further 42.4-meter (01:32) before being awarded an R-rating in June 1978.
Natan Scheinwald Productions was the applicant.
Video release
In the early 1980s, K&C Video issued CONFESSIONS OF A YOUNG AMERICAN HOUSEWIFE on their Starbase Video label.
It is unknown if this is the censored R-rated version.
Review
Mike reports
Media Home Entertainment (us) – VHS – 83:08
Carole (Mary Mendum) is married to Eddie (David Hausman), but there’s is not a traditional marriage. They effectively live as a foursome with the couple next door, Anna (Chris Jordan) and Pete (Eric Edwards). Carole’s mother Jennifer (Jennifer Welles) comes to visit. We’re told that her mother is sexually repressed but within five minutes of screen time she’s flirting with the grocery delivery boy (Peter Gallagher) who is half her age. She eventually decides to move half way across the country to be with him, but is the real reason is that she’s embarrassed about the incestuous feelings she has towards her own daughter?
CONFESSIONS OF A YOUNG AMERICAN HOUSEWIFE is a softcore film, but there are some scenes which would have been strong enough to concern the Film Censorship Board in 1977. Almost all of these involve the swinging foursomes who have sex at every opportunity. The most censorable of these occurs early on when three of them decide to arouse Carole by rubbing her breasts and her vagina. They tell her how much she loves her mother’s breasts and must have enjoyed feeding from them when she was younger.
The problematic scenes would have lasted no more than 8-10 minutes, so it is difficult to understand why the distributor reacted to the initial ban by cutting almost 20 minutes. Cuts of that magnitude would have removed all of the sex in the film and more.
A Touch of Genie
Directed by Joseph W. Sarno / 1974 / USA / IMDb
In July 1977, a 1739.90-meter (63:25) print of A TOUCH OF GENIE was banned because of ‘indecency’. This running time indicates that it was cut before submission.
The Films Board of Review upheld the decision in August 1977.
Lestrig Trading (aka Lestrig Films) was the applicant.
Review
Mike reports
Vinegar Syndrome (us) – Blu-ray – 85:50
Melvin (Douglas Stone) runs an antique shop along with his overbearing and sexually adventurous mother (Ultramax). Most of his spare time is spent in the front row of the local porn theatre. One day he rubs a vase, which has remained unsold for some time, which summons up a female genie (Chris Jordan) who grants him five wishes. She hopes that his final wish will be to spend the rest of his life with her but instead he wastes them all on sexual fantasies.
Melvin’s favourite porn stars are Harry Reems, Marc Stevens, Tina Russell and Levi Richards and he longs to have sex as they do in their films. This is represented by the porn actors taking part in the sex scenes, and the person who Melvin is identifying with speaking with Melvin’s voice.
There are three known versions of A TOUCH OF GENIE – the 86-minute complete hardcore version, an 83-minute slightly shorter hardcore version and a 69-minute R-rated cut. It is unclear which one Lestrig Trading started from, but cutting the hardcore from one of the longer versions would leave a running time quite a bit longer than 63 minutes.
Even less clear is why the Film Censorship Board objected to the film as it’s a light-hearted comedy and all of the sex is consensual and separated by long gaps. The sex scenes are reasonably tame and short and when cut for softcore would have been even milder. It’s surprising also that no attempt was made to further cut A TOUCH OF GENIE and resubmit it.
Butterflies
Directed by Joseph W. Sarno / 1975 / West Germany – Sweden / IMDb
In April 1976, a 3154.45-meter (114:59) print of BUTTERFLIES was banned because of ‘indecency’.
A censored 2386.00-meter (86:58) version lost a further 35.70-meters (01:18) of ‘indecency’ before being awarded an R-rating in July 1976.
Consolidated Exhibitors were the applicant.
Caballero Home Video
In February 1984, a censored 74-minute video was passed with an R-rating.
This was followed in September 1984 by a 92-minute tape that was passed with the newly introduced X18+ rating. This was awarded for sex, which was found to be:
Frequency: Frequent
Explicitness/Intensity: High
Purpose: Gratuitous
In both cases, Caballero Home Video was the applicant.
Review
Mike reports
Retro-Seduction Cinema (us) – DVD – 111:40 (Softcore version)
Unknown DVD – 91:00 (Hardcore version)
Denise (Marie Forså) lives a superficially happy life in the countryside with her boyfriend Freddy (Eric Edwards), but she longs to see the world (or at least the nearest city) and finds that Freddy doesn’t want to accompany her. Undeterred, she hitchhikes her way to the bright lights by paying motorists with her sexual favours until she meets Frank (Harry Reems), a rich man who she hopes will help her make her fortune. Despite much enjoyable sex, they part ways when it turns out that Frank is cheating on her with other women.
The original baseline version of BUTTERFLIES is softcore and runs 112 minutes. This was then edited down to a 92 minute hardcore version by using different shots showing explicit penetration, shortening the sex scenes and abbreviating some of the plot points. A further 72 minute softcore was created later by removing the real sex from the hardcore version.
It was almost certainly the original softcore version that was submitted by Consolidated Exhibitors in 1976. It is no surprise that it was banned and needed almost 30 minutes of cuts before being passed with an R rating. Aside from a fairly tame blowjob which she gives to Freddy at the start of the film, the rest of the sex is extremely graphic with fast and vigorous thrusting, clear genital contact and a great deal of moaning and screaming. It’s absolutely clear that real sex was taking place throughout and the explicit action was only blocked by camera angles, body parts or shadows. There are also about 00:20 of footage where real penetration is seen because the shadowing was insufficient, and erect penises appear from time to time. It is very likely that there was little sex left in the R-rated version of 1976.
Nevertheless, because all of the sex in BUTTERFLIES was consensual it was never going to have problems receiving an X-rating in 1984. Presumably the R-rated version of the same year was a cut down version of the hardcore print.
Inside Jennifer Welles
Directed by Jennifer Welles – Joseph W. Sarno / 1977 / USA / IMDb
In July 1978, a 2212.30-meter (80:38) print of INSIDE JENNIFER WELLES was banned because of ‘indecency’. The running time indicates it had been precensored.
A 2043.00-meter (74:28) ‘reconstructed version’ was refused for the same reason in September 1978.
An appeal to the Films Board of Review failed in November 1978.
In all cases, 14th Mandolin was the applicant.
Review
Mike reports
Vid-X-Pix (us) – DVD – 108:31
Jennifer Welles is driven around by her chauffeur and continually notices buildings, streets and other points of interest. Each of these triggers a memory of a previous sexual encounter, which we see, enacted in lengthy and graphic detail.
INSIDE JENNIFER WELLES really has no plot at all. There are no characters, just people to whom sex happens, no one has any character traits and we learn nothing about any of the people involved in the sexual encounters. It is no more than a pretext to show Jennifer Welles in as many sex scenes as possible. We learn how threadbare the plot is early on when the fact that she is being driven around the city reminds her of a previous time when she was being driven in a taxi and didn’t bring enough money. She had to pay the cab driver (Mike De Marco) in kind instead. No sooner is that encounter over than she notices that she’s just passed her dentist’s office, which prompts her to recollect the time she had sex with both the dentist and his secretary.
The film follows that pattern throughout with sex taking up 90% of the running time and each of the scenes lasting 10-12 minutes. They get increasingly explicit as time goes on and the number of participants gradually increases, until her taxi driver finally gets her to her destination which is a country house in which she has an orgy with twelve men.
14th Mandolin removed 28 minutes of footage before their first submission of 1978, and that will all have been hardcore sex. It’s not clear which material they removed for their second submission which was six minutes shorter, but it would hardly have made any difference as it would still have been almost non-stop sex which was way too strong from start to finish.
The sex gets stronger still, such as the encounter with the taxi driver where she starts by observing that he was so hairy that his ‘bristles were like the quills of a porcupine’ before using increasingly graphic language. In a later scene, with someone who is designing the poster for her upcoming film, she tells us in extremely explicit detail about another sexual encounter she had while that sex scene is going on. In a scene, which is played for comedy, Jennifer surprises a film projectionist (Robert Kerman) and gives him oral sex for 10 minutes. They are in a projection room at the time and we can hear the soundtrack of another porn film playing in the background. This is a perfectly conventional adult film but the sound of a horse’s ‘neigh’ has been added to ramp up the sleaze factor.
All About Gloria Leonard
Directed by Gloria Leonard – Joseph W. Sarno / 1978 / USA / IMDb
In May 1980, a 1981.70-meter (72:14) print of ALL ABOUT GLORIA LEONARD was banned because of sex, which was said to be:
Frequency: Frequent
Explicitness/Intensity: High
Purpose: Gratuitous
The running time indicates it had been precensored.
A 1898.18-meter (69:11) ‘reconstructed version’ was passed with an R-rating in September 1980. The sex was now found to be:
Frequency: Frequent
Explicitness/Intensity: Medium
Purpose: Gratuitous
14th Mandolin was the applicant. They released it on their King of Video label.
Banned in Queensland
On 11 December 1981, the censored R-rated version of ALL ABOUT GLORIA LEONARD was prohibited by the Queensland Films Board of Review.
The distributor was 14th Mandolin.
X-rated, R-rated & banned videos
This was followed in December 1983 by a 90-minute tape, which was Refused Registration because of sex, which was:
Frequency: Infrequent
Explicitness/Intensity: High
Purpose: Gratuitous
Video Classics was the applicant.
The X-rating was introduced in February 1984. That month saw both 14th Mandolin, and Video Classics receive that classification for 72-minute tapes. The sex was again found to be:
Frequency: Infrequent
Explicitness/Intensity: High
Purpose: Gratuitous
The Video Classics tape was released on their Xtra Hard label.
14th Mandolin resubmitted the film in January 1985 in what appears to be a precensored version. The 66-minute tape received an R-rating for sex, which was said to be:
Frequency: Frequent
Explicitness/Intensity: Medium
Purpose: Gratuitous
Presumably, this was released on their Pink Video label.
Review
Mike reports
Video-X-Pix (us) – DVD – 110:39
Gloria Leonard is about to retire from her life as a porn actress and is clearing up her office for the last time before starting a new career as owner of an adult magazine business. While packing she notices objects from the past which remind her of prior sexual encounters, all of which we see acted out on screen.
It’s a little difficult to be sure of the cuts details as the version I watched seems to be 20 minutes longer than any known release, but we can be fairly sure that ALL ABOUT GLORIA LEONARD was precut to remove the hardcore before its first submission. A softcore version wouldn’t contain any specific problematic scenes, but it might have been felt that the sex was somewhat too vigorous in general. Another possible area for cuts may have been language as Gloria Leonard tells her sexual partners exactly what she would like them to do next in very graphic terms.
West Australian Police submission
In December 2004, a 141-minute VHS titled EXPENSIVE TASTE – ALL ABOUT GLORIA LEONARD – WA POLICE 65/38707 was banned by the OFLC.
December 2004
– Classification Board
Film 1(a) The film is classified RC in accordance with the National Classification Code, Films Table, 1. (a) as films that ‘depict, express or otherwise deal with matters of sex, drug misuse or addiction, crime, cruelty, violence or revolting or abhorrent phenomena in such a way that they offend against the standards of morality, decency and propriety generally accepted by reasonable adults to the extent that they should not be classified.’
The West Australian Police was the applicant.
Presumably, the second title on the video is Maria Lease’s EXPENSIVE TASTES (1978). This had previously received an X-rating in February 1984 after Blake Films had submitted a 71-minute tape.
Mike reports
ALL ABOUT GLORIA LEONARD should have been a very straightforward X-rating in 2004. EXPENSIVE TASTES on the other hand, centres on a group of ski mask-wearing thugs who invade people’s houses and sexually assault them. Around 41 of the 75 minute running time is taken up by scenes of the gang raping, sexually molesting and humiliating restrained nonconsenting victims. All of the sex in the film is hardcore.