American movies made in 1970, cut and banned before the November 1971 liberalisation of the Australian censorship system.
The Kremlin Letter
Directed by John Huston / 1970 / USA / IMDb
Date: 06-1970 / Rated: AO / Length: 10939 feet / Time: 121:33 / Censored by 00:43 / Reason: violence and drugs
Post-November 1971 rating
In February 1984, M-ratings were awarded to CBS/Fox Video for a 117-minute tape and Pioneer Electronics for a 116-minute tape.
Little Fauss and Big Halsy
Directed by Sidney J. Furie / 1970 / USA / IMDb
Date: 06-1971 / Rated: SOA / Length: 8884 feet / Time: 98:43 / Censored by 00:05 / Reason: indecent language
Post-November 1971 rating
In June 2023, Via Vision Entertainment received an M (Nudity and coarse language) rating for an uncut 99-minute Blu-ray.
The Classification Board described the film as ‘…including use of the words “f**k”, “screw”, “bitch”, “whore”, “bullshit”, “ass”, “shit”, “bum”, “damn” and “hell”.’
Presumably, the use of ‘fuck’ was the reason for the June 1971 censorship.
Imprint issued it as part of their DIRECTED BY SIDNEY J. FURIE (1970 – 1978) boxset.
Move
Directed by Stuart Rosenberg / 1970 / USA / IMDb
Date: 10-1970 / Rated: SOA / Length: 8102 feet / Time: 90:01 / Censored by 00:45 / Reason: indecency and indecent language
Post-November 1971 rating
In February 1984, CBS/Fox Video received an M-rating for an 86-minute tape.
Myra Breckinridge
Directed by Michael Sarne / 1970 / USA / IMDb
Date: 08-1970 / Rated: Banned / Length: 8102 feet / Time: 90:01 / Reason: indecency
Date: 09-1970 / Appeal: Against rejection / Length: 8102 feet / Time: 90:01 / Result: Appeal dismissed by Review Board
Post-November 1971 rating
A ‘reconstructed version’ was submitted by 20th Century Fox and passed with an R-rating in March 1972. The print ran 7936-feet (88:10), nearly two minutes shorter than the version that was previously banned.
In the early 1980s, Magnetic Video released the film on tape. This was not submitted to the Film Censorship Board.
A DVD followed in 2005 from Umbrella Entertainment. The cover claims it is M (Medium level coarse language, Sexual references) rated, however, there is no entry in the National Classification Database.
The Owl and the Pussycat
Directed by Herbert Ross / 1970 / USA / IMDb
Date: 11-1970 / Appeal: Against eliminations / Length: 8701 feet / Time: 96:41 / Result: Appeal substantially dismissed by Review Board
Date: 01-1971 / Rated: SOA / Length: 8701 feet / Time: 96:41 / Censored by 02:32 / Reason: indecency and encouragement to drug abuse
Post-November 1971 rating
In August 1984, RCA/Columbia Pictures/Hoyts Video an M-rating for a 96-minute videotape.
The Revolutionary
Directed by Paul Williams / 1970 / USA / IMDb
Date: 04-1971 / Rated: A / Length: 9143 feet / Time: 101:35 / Censored by 00:15 / Reason: indecent language
The Strawberry Statement
Directed by Stuart Hagmann / 1970 / USA / IMDb
Date: 09-1970 / Rated: A / Length: 9159 feet / Time: 101:46 / Censored by 00:38 / Reason: indecent language
The Student Nurses
Directed by Stephanie Rothman / 1970 / USA / IMDb
Date: 04-1971 / Rated: Banned / Length: 7647 feet / Time: 84:58 / Reason: indecency and encouragement to drug abuse
The Traveling Executioner
Directed by Jack Smight / 1970 / USA / IMDb
Date: 11-1970 / Rated: Banned / Length: 8529 feet / Time: 94:46 / Reason: indecency
Date: 03-1971 / Appeal: Against rejection / Length: 8529 feet / Time: 94:46 / Result: Appeal dismissed by Review Board
Zabriskie Point
Directed by Michelangelo Antonioni / 1970 / USA / IMDb
May 1970 / Rated: AO / Length: 9994 feet / Time: 111:03 / Censored by 01:10 / Reason: indecency
Censored footage
Information from Mike Richards’s April 1970 viewing of ‘Chipp’s reel’.
April 1974
– Dirty Pix
Antonioni’s ZABRISKIE POINT, from which was cut one minute and 25 seconds (or 104 feet). The cut scenes showed Mark Frechette and Daria Halpin making love. Shot in a misty slow motion and showing fellatio and cunnilingus, the scene was not at all objectionable by any criterion known to me. It was, to some, quite tasteful.
– Mike Richards
– Cinema Papers No. 2
Post-November 1971 rating
In May 1985, Communications and Entertainment received an M-rating for a 108-minute videotape.