American movies made in 1969, cut and banned before the November 1971 liberalisation of the Australian censorship system.
The Happy Ending
Directed by Richard Brooks / 1969 / USA / IMDb
Date: 07-1970 / Rated: SOA / Length: 10055 feet / Time: 111:43 / Censored by 00:01 / Reason: indecent language
The Honeymoon Killers
Directed by Leonard Kastle / 1970 / USA / IMDb
Date: 03-1971 / Rated: Banned / Length: 9673 feet / Time: 107:29 / Reason: violence and indecency
Post-November 1971 rating
See the separate entry for this title in Film Censorship Database No. 1.
Last Summer
Directed by Frank Perry / 1969 / USA / IMDb
Censored for a ‘Suitable only for Adults’ rating.
Censored footage
Shane Harrison reports
Dailymotion.com – 96:44
See database entry for THE BABYSITTER (1969) for background to ‘Chipp’s Reel’.
Three sequences suffered censorship in Australia. There may have been other cuts not identified.
42:17 – Sandy (Barbara Hershey) and Dan (Bruce Davison) spy on a couple making out in the dunes of Fire Island. Once it becomes apparent that the couple are two men Dan wants to leave but Sandy says she wants to watch. The scene was cut after the genders were revealed, with some footage appearing in ‘Chipp’s Reel’
44:29-50:45 – Sandy, Dan and Peter (Richard Thomas) enjoy smoking dope for the first time. In Australia, over six minutes was removed, with the scene only beginning when the trio decide to shampoo each other’s hair. The whole activity is quite sexual, but with the removal of the dope smoking, Australian audiences had no idea why they appeared wasted.
92:07-93:21 – Sandy and Peter restrain Rhoda (Catherine Burns) as Dan rapes her. The scene jumped from them struggling to the assault finishing. One local critique noted that because of the censorship a friend thought Rhoda was actually murdered. This deletion appeared in ‘Chipp’s Reel’.
In the US, a couple of swear words were deleted, and around 00:10 was removed from the rape scene to bring the initial X-rating down to an R. In the UK, the BBFC censored 00:11 from the rape.
Medium Cool
Directed by Haskell Wexler / 1969 / USA / IMDb
Censored for a ‘Not Suitable for Children’ rating.
Censored footage No. 1
Shane Harrison reports from ‘Chipp’s reel’ viewing.
See database entry for THE BABYSITTER (1969) for background.
01:02 cut of Ruth (Marianna Hill) being chased by John (Robert Forster) around a bedroom while both are naked. Includes flashes of frontal nudity of both sexes.
Through laughter, they utter the words ‘fuck’ and ‘shit’. My notes on the day are difficult to decipher, but they may also utter the ‘C-bomb’.
Censored footage No. 2
February 16, 1970
– Medium Cool review
In fairness to the TIME critic who described MEDIUM COOL as ‘dynamite, the demonstration scenes have been censored into insignificance in Australia. In our version only two demonstrations, including one very minor 10 second sequence of teargas are shown. Naturally the dialogue and love scenes are butchered making MEDIUM COOL’S script even harder to understand.
– Rod Bishop
– Cinema Papers No. 6
Campaign for Action Against Censorship
During 1970, the pressure was building to reform Australia’s censorship system. While Don Chipp (Liberal) was busy preparing the groundwork for the R-rating, activists began to protest at screenings of cut films.
March 1, 1970
Members of the Campaign for Action Against Censorship will consider standing up, during cinema performances to announce which film segments have been cut.They will also step up their campaign of demonstrating outside cinemas where cut films are shown, and of giving audiences leaflets explaining what cuts have been made.
Audiences attending some performances of MEDIUM COOL have been given leaflets by anti-censorship campaigners.
One of the conveners of the Campaign for Action Against Censorship, Mr John Docker, said this week:
“Our efforts at MEDIUM COOL were rather hurried.
“Our first big campaign will take place at Easter when EASY RIDER, minus several cuts, will open in Sydney.
“We shall demonstrate outside the cinema and hope to .persuade the exhibitor to show a slide saying ‘censored’ wherever cuts have been made.
“More direct action — such as standing up and describing the cut scenes — is being considered”
Mr Docker, a university lecturer in English literature said the group would also protest against book censorship.
“Reading from banned books will be held on university campuses.”
He said the Australian “censorship crisis” warranted a body to deal specifically with the question.
– Campaign on film cuts
– smh.com.au
Censored footage No. 3
Information from Mike Richards’ April 1970 viewing of ‘Chipp’s reel’.
April 2, 1974
The cut from Haskell Wexler’s MEDIUM COOL was similarly enjoyable. It involved an amusing bedroom romp between a naked man and his girl ending in some brief fucking.“Jesus”, she shrieks.
– Dirty Pix
“You bastard ., . prick . . . son of a bitch.”
– Mike Richards
– Cinema Papers No. 2
Midnight Cowboy
Directed by John Schlesinger / 1969 / USA / IMDb
Censored for a ‘Suitable only for Adults’ rating.
Censored footage
Shane Harrison reports from ‘Chipp’s reel’ viewing.
See database entry for THE BABYSITTER (1969) for background.
- Numerous scenes where bared breasts wobbled in a collection of subliminal clips from the Warhol party scene and flashbacks of the rape
- The vocal ‘you long-horned bull!’ that follows the sex scene with Cass (Sylvia Miles)
- The sex scene with Shirley (Brenda Vaccaro)
- Flashback of Joe Buck (Jon Voight) having sex with his girlfriend, Annie (Jennifer Salt)
- Shoving a telephone receiver down a client’s mouth
- As he is being sodomized, Joe Buck has a flashback to his mother, Sally (Ruth White), giving him an enema
The enema flashback takes place when Joe Buck and Annie are being raped. Quite a few edits were taken out from this sequence and played in ‘Chipp’s reel’ as quick cuts. The scene was very difficult to follow at the cinema and its edits were quick cuts but laundered throughout the scene.
Post-November 1971 rating
Resubmitted by United Artists and passed with an R-rating in September 1973. The print ran 3095-meters (112:49).
FOR THE FIRST TIME… THE COMPLETE UNCUT R Certificate Version
– Tagline of Australian poster
In November 1984, Warner Home Video received an M-rating for a 113-minute tape.
This was followed in April 2004 by an M (Medium level sex scenes, Adult themes) for MGM Home Entertainment Group and in May 2007 by an M (Moderate sex scenes, Moderate themes) for Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment. Both submissions were for DVD releases.
Number One
Directed by Tom Gries / 1969 / USA / IMDb
Date: 10-1970 / Rated: A / Length: 9450 feet / Time: 105:00 / Censored by 00:01 / Reason: indecency
Post-November 1971 rating
In September 1985, Seven Keys Video received a PG-rating for a 100-minute videotape.
Scratch Harry
aka The Erotic Three
Directed by Alex Matter / 1969 / USA / IMDb
Date: 01-1971 / Rated: Banned / Length: 7896 feet / Time: 87:44 / Reason: violence and indecency
Post-November 1971 rating
In February 1982, Video Classics received an R-rating for an 86-minute videotape. It was submitted under the alternative title, THE EROTIC THREE.
Tale of the Cock
aka Confessions of Tom Harris
Directed by John Derek – David Nelson / 1969 / USA / IMDb
Date: 11-1970 / Rated: SOA / Length: 9184 feet / Time: 102:03 / Censored by 00:13 / Reason: violence
Post-November 1971 rating
In September 1985, the Australian Religious Film Society received an M-rating for a 90-minute videotape. It was submitted under the alternative title, CONFESSIONS OF TOM HARRIS.
They Shoot Horses, Don’t They?
Directed by Sydney Pollack / 1969 / USA / IMDb
Date: 06-1970 / Rated: AO / Length: 11177 feet / Time: 124:11 / Censored by 00:10 / Reason: indecent language
Post-November 1971 rating
In November 1984, Communications and Entertainment received an M-rating for a 120-minute videotape.