The softcore and hardcore movies of Radley Metzger that have been cut or banned in Australia. He directed some of these under the name Henry Paris.
The X-rating, for hardcore sex, was introduced in February 1984.
See also, CARMEN, BABY (1967), THERESE AND ISABELLE (1968) and CAMILLE 2000 (1969) in the Film Censorship Database No. 2.
Score
Directed by Radley Metzger / 1973 / USA / IMDb
In September 1974, a 2346.00-meter (85:31) print of SCORE was Refused Registration on the grounds of ‘indecency’. The running time indicates it had been precut.
An appeal to the Films Board Review Board failed in November 1974.
A censored 2166.00-meter (78:57) was passed with an R-rating in November 1975.
MGM-BEF Film Distributors were the applicant.
X-rated & R-rated VHS
In June 1991, a 92-minute VHS of SCORE passed with an X (Contains sexually explicit material) rating. Presumably, this was the uncut version.
The adult hardcore market was not what RCA/Columbia/Hoyts Video had in mind, so it was censored and resubmitted. This was classified R (High level sex scenes, Drug use) in May 1992.
The 79:07 (PAL) VHS was issued on their First Release label.
Censored DVD
In November 2004, Umbrella Entertainment had a DVD of SCORE passed with an R (High level sex scenes, Drug use) rating.
They released it as part of a box set titled THE SEXADELIC COLLECTION in April 2005. This also included Radley Metzger’s CAMILLE 2000 (1969) and THE LICKERISH QUARTET (1970).
SCORE was issued as an individual disc in January 2006.
Umbrella’s DVD ran 84:43 and was the same as the censored First Run Features American release. Judging by the running times, the version submitted in June 1991 would appear to be the same as the uncut Audubon tape.
Uncut version vs. Censored version
Marc Morris reports.
Thanks to Brad Stevens for comparing the two releases.
Audubon (us) – VHS – 91:31
First Run Features (us) – VHS – 84:43 – 1976 copyright date under the opening title
All the cuts occur within the same reel. Since full-frontal male nudity and a fairly explicit shot of male masturbation can still be found elsewhere in the film, it seems likely that Metzger was asked specifically to edit this one reel (the first cut involves the reel’s opening shots).
The cuts occur at the following points in First Run Feature’s cassette:
61:09 by 00:20 – Jack (Gerald Grant) removing Eddie’s (Casey Donovan) shoes, with Jack’s penis clearly visible.
61:26 – A few seconds cut from the zoom in to Elvira (Claire Wilbur) between Betsy’s (Lynn Lowry) legs.
65:20 – A single shot of pubic hair removed.
65:23 – Shot of pubic hair shortened by a few frames.
65:42 – The middle of the shot of Jack and Eddie kissing has been removed, eliminating the section in which the camera lingers on a penis.
66:32 – Some lesbianism cut.
66:40 – A 01:35 section has been removed eliminating lesbianism and shots of erect penises.
67:29 – The shot of Eddie sitting on the bed now ends before the camera pulls back, revealing his penis.
67:38 – Very brief shot of Jack between Eddie’s legs cut.
67:42 by 00:47 – Gay sex cut.
67:52 by 00:26 – Hardcore blowjob footage cut.
68:06 – The middle of a shot has been removed, eliminating a blowjob.
68:30 – Shot of pubic hair shortened.
69:14 – Shot of Betsy kissing Elvira’s pubic hair cut.
69:23 – The middle of a shot cut as Eddie strokes Jack’s bottom.
69:33 – Shot of lesbianism and erect penises cut.
69:42 – A few frames of Eddie burying his head between Jack’s legs cut.
69:47 – Shots of bottom fondling cut.
69:50 – Shots of blowjob cut.
69:59 – Shots of Betsy between Elvira’s legs cut.
70:09 – Shots of lesbianism and blow job cut.
70:50 – Shots of gay sex cut.
71:23 – Shots of Elvira penetrating Betsy from behind cut. A 00:02 outtake has been added in order to bridge the cut. The extra footage, which is noticeably scratched, consists of a single close up of Betsy.
72:04 – Shots of lesbianism reflected in a mirror cut.
72:18 – Shots of Elvira penetrating Betsy from behind cut.
72:24 – More shots of Elvira behind Betsy cut.
72:43 – Shots of gay lovemaking cut.
72:51 – Shots of gay lovemaking cut.
73:02 – Shots of gay lovemaking cut.
73:25 – Middle of shot of gay lovemaking cut.
The cuts total 30 in all. Audubon’s tape is cropped from the original 1.85:1 ratio, but this is not too disastrous – it’s still obviously the only acceptable version.
Movie-Censorship also has a comparison, with images, of the two versions.
The Private Afternoons of Pamela Mann
Directed by Radley Metzger / 1974 / USA / IMDb
In June 1976, a 2309.40-meter (84:11) print of THE PRIVATE AFTERNOONS OF PAMELA MANN was banned because of ‘indecency’.
Regent Trading Enterprises were the applicant.
New distributor, same decision
It was Refused Registration again in November 1981. The 2280.60-meter (83:08) print was banned because of sex, which was described as being:
Frequency: Infrequent
Explicitness/Intensity: High
Purpose: Gratuitous
Blake Films were the applicant.
X-rated VHS
A 75-minute videotape of THE PRIVATE AFTERNOONS OF PAMELA MANN was passed with an X (Contains sexually explicit material) rating in August 1997.
The AXIS Group were the applicant.
Review
Mike reports
VCA (us) – DVD – 83:30
Mr Mann (Alan Marlow) is concerned that his wife Pamela (Barbara Bourbon) is having affairs with other men while he is at work so he hires a private investigator, Frank (Eric Edwards), to track her and film her sexual antics. That is the plot as it appears until the last five minutes of the film. The real plot is that Barbara and her husband are sexually aroused by watching footage of Barbara having sex with other people and the private investigator has been employed to capture the recordings they need.
THE PRIVATE AFTERNOONS OF PAMELA MANN is a hardcore film, although there is evidence of a softcore cut existing at some point. Since this softcore version is thought to have been created only in 1977, it follows that the first 1976 submission by Regent Trading Enterprises in must have been the hardcore. It is not at all surprising that this was banned as in addition to around 15 minutes of real sex, the complete version contains two scenes that would have been extremely problematic:
1. Barbara is sitting on a park bench and is abducted by two men (Jamie Gillis and Darby Lloyd Raines) who drive her to a lock-up garage, strip and rape her for 7-8 minutes. After around 1 minute she begins to enjoy the experience. We learn later that the rapists weren’t the strangers they first appeared to be. They are actually the chauffeur and maid who work for the Mann family and the garage they drove Pamela to was at her house.
2. At the end, there is a long sex scene between Pamela and her husband where they are watching the private investigator’s footage. During this, Barbara has flask backs to the earlier sex scenes, including garage rape. Since there are so many intercut sexual sequences, the scene may have been difficult to censor.
In 1976, the strength of the sex scenes in general would have been much too strong even when cut for softcore. By the time of the Blake Films 1981 resubmission, it may have been the aforementioned scenes that posed the main problem.
Neither Regent Trading Enterprises nor Blake Films tried to make cuts and resubmit the film to the Board. The reason may have been that when the necessary cuts had been made to the final sex scene, the film may no longer have made sense as it is then that the plot twist is revealed.
The runtime of the X-rated VHS released in 1997 suggests that the garage rape scene may have been precut.
Naked Came the Stranger
Directed by Radley Metzger / 1975 / USA / IMDb
In October 1976, a 2279.40-meter (83:05) print of NAKED CAME THE STRANGER was banned because of ‘indecency’.
A 1923.20-meter (70:06) ‘reconstructed version’ lost a further 6.50-meter (00:14) before it was awarded an R-rating in October 1977.
In both cases, Regent Trading Enterprises was the applicant.
Banned in Queensland
On 30 August 1979, the censored R-rated version of NAKED CAME THE STRANGER was prohibited by the Queensland Films Board of Review.
The distributor was Regent Trading Enterprises.
R-rated video
NAKED CAME THE STRANGER was released in the early 1980s by K&C Video.
The 67:40 (PAL) running time indicates that it was possibly the R-rated theatrical print.
X-rated videos
In May 1990, Capital Duplicators had an 83-minute VHS classified X (Contains sexually explicit material).
The same rating was awarded again in August 1997, this time to a 73-minute VHS. The AXIS Group was the applicant.
Review
Mike reports
Vid-X-Pix (us) – DVD – 83:28
Gilly (Darby Lloyd Raines) and Billy (Levi Richards) are a married couple who run a radio show but are less of a team in their private lives. He has always had extra marital sex whenever he felt like it but she has always been more chaste. One day everything changes and she starts throwing herself at men. After trying unsuccessfully to arouse a waiter at a masked ball, Gilly improves her technique and Marvin (Alan Marlow), an investment banker, is the lucky recipient of unsimulated oral sex on the top deck of a public bus. After seducing her husband’s secretary Phyllis (Mary Stuart) she decides that monogamy might be best after all.
NAKED CAME THE STRANGER is a hardcore film, and it is clearly the real sex which caused the initial problems for the Film Censorship Board in 1976. After this had been removed by Regent Trading Enterprises, the Board required a further 00:14 of cuts. The most likely candidate for this is an early scene in which Gilly is listening outside a room to Billy and Phyllis having sex. Initially annoyed by this, she becomes aroused after a while and starts rubbing her vagina in close up at 09:54. This goes on for 00:14 before it becomes hardcore.
Another scene which might have been censorable had it been shot differently occurs when Gilly is trying to seduce Marvin and empties sex toys out of her bag. These include a whip, a paddle and a vibrator. They chase each other around his office whipping each other for a couple of minutes. However, this is played for comedy and importantly they remain fully clothed.
The Opening of Misty Beethoven
Directed by Radley Metzger / 1976 / USA / IMDb
In January 1977, a 2208.70-meter (80:30) print of THE OPENING OF MISTY BEETHOVEN was banned because of ‘indecency’. The running time indicates this was a precensored version.
A failed appeal was made to the Films Board of Review in March 1977.
In both cases, Seven Keys was the applicant.
New distributor cuts
In October 1978, a 1751.20-meter (63:50) ‘reconstructed version’ was banned because of ‘indecency’.
New Star Manufacturing and Investment Pty Ltd was the applicant.
Seven Keys are back
THE OPENING OF MISTY BEETHOVEN was passed with an R-rating in September 1983 and again in August 1985. It was awarded for sex, which was found to be:
Frequency: Frequent
Explicitness/Intensity: Medium
Purpose: Gratuitous
In both cases, Seven Keys Video was the applicant. The two 81-minute tapes would have been the modified version.
X-rated VHS
Capital Duplicators had an 84-minute tape passed with an X (Contains sexually explicit material) rating in May 1990.
The same classification was awarded to an 81-minute tape in September 1997. This time, the Axis Group (Aust) Pty Ltd was the applicant.
Review
Mike reports
VCA (us) – DVD – 84:42
Famous sexologist Dr Seymour Love (Jamie Gillis) meets prostitute Misty Beethoven (Constance Money) in a porn cinema while she is fellating an old man who is wearing a Napoleon costume. He decides to make her a famous sex symbol that will win the Goldenrod Girl award (apparently more prestigious than the ‘Cunt of the Year’ prize) and seeks publicity for her sexual adventures. One of these is getting her to seduce gay art gallery owner Lawrence Layman (Ras Kean). Her fame is short-lived and she decides to train the next winner of the competition instead.
THE OPENING OF MISTY BEETHOVEN is a hardcore film in which there are many shots of real sex, all of which are quite brief. Nevertheless, cutting it from the complete 84:42 version would leave a film rather shorter than the 81 minutes of the Australian submissions of the 1970s and 1980s. Therefore, it is possible that theses were of the softcore version, which replaces some of the real sex with alternative dialogue scenes.
There are no specific scenes that would have been problematic for the Film Censorship Board in the 1970s; rather the issue would have been the frequency of the sexual behaviour. It’s basically sex from start to finish and even when it isn’t taking place in the scene, the characters are talking about in graphic detail. It may explain why even the 63-64 minute version submitted in 1978 was too much for the Board.
Since all of the sex is consensual, it makes sense that the softcore version had no problems in being passed with an R-rating in the 1980s, and the hardcore version with an X-rating in the 1990s.