American Films of 1970 – Page 3

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

The Kremlin Letter (1970) - Australian daybill movie poster 1
Daybill via moviemem

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 Strawberry Statement (1970) - Australian daybill movie poster 1
Daybill via moviemem

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
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.

– Dirty Pix
– 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.