American movies made in 1971, cut and banned before November’s liberalisation of the Australian censorship system.
Andromeda Strain
Directed by Robert Wise / 1971 / USA / IMDb
Date: 04-1971 / Rated: A / Length: 11745 feet / Time: 130:30 / Censored by 00:15 / Reason: violence and indecent language
Post-November 1971 rating
In February 1994, Cinema International Corporation received an M (Low level violence) rating for a 126-minute videotape.
Universal Picture Video had a DVD classified with the same rating in August 2003.
Believe in Me
Directed by Stuart Hagmann / 1971 / USA / IMDb
Date: 11-1971 / Rated: SOA / Length: 7889 feet / Time: 87:39 / Censored by 00:37 / Reason: indecent language
The SOA rating was awarded in November 1971, just before the introduction of the new classification system. The daybill poster shows that it was eventually released with an M-rating.
Billy Jack
Directed by Tom Laughlin / 1971 / USA/ IMDb
Date: 08-1971 / Rated: SOA / Length: 10462 feet / Time: 116:15 / Censored by 00:03 / Reason: indecent language
The SOA rating was awarded in August 1971, just before the introduction of the new classification system. The daybill poster shows that it was eventually released with an M-rating.
Censored footage
Shane Harrison reports.
Shout! Factory (us) – Blu ray – 113:55 (NTSC)
BILLY JACK was a massive summer hit in early 1972. After viewing the American PG version, I can confirm it contains low-level bad language such as bullshit, getting balled, sucks, up yours, son of a bitch and shit-brick. There is also one use of the word ‘fuck’ which I believe would have been the source of the indecent language cut. In 1970-71, the MPAA sometimes allowed a one-off utterance of such language at PG.
Censored at 15:20 by 00:03 – A student from the freedom school setting up a discussion scenario says ‘How about if the world is really fucked up’.
Roadshow appears to have submitted the American PG-rated version. This removes nudity in one scene by altering the framing and is the print released on American VHS, DVD and Blu-ray. I do not know which version Warner Home Video issued on Australian VHS in 1987
During the 1970s, the theatrical version played on TV. However, in the 1990s, a different edit began to screen. The scene in question starts as Bernard (David Roya) threatens Miss False Eyelashes (Cisse Cameron) with a knife, cutting her bra open and forcing her to remove it. Billy Jack (Tom Laughlin) turns up and prevents the rape. The cutting off of her bra was originally filmed in mid-shot, revealing her bare breasts.
The MPAA PG version appears to have had the view of her bra removal blown up so that her breasts were out of view. This was not about the matting used to project the film. The scene was instead enlarged with a resultant reduction in clarity.
This was obvious when comparing the VHS release with a tape of the 1990s Australian TV screening. The Shout! Factory Blu-ray is also of the PG-rated version, but the loss in clarity has been corrected.
The blowing up of the scene removed around 30% of the picture information.
Censored at 66:55 by 00:04 – Second view of Miss False Eyelashes removing her bra, blown up to remove view of her bare breasts.
Censored at 67:05 by 00:02 – Miss False Eyelashes with a knife held to her throat, again blown up to remove view of her bare breasts.
Censored at 67:08 by 00:01.5 – Shot of Miss False Eyelashes similarly blown up to stay within the confines of the American PG rating.
Later in 1972, BILLY JACK was doubled billed with SUMMER OF ’42 (1971) in a version that removed over 20-minutes of footage. This was not censorship but was about keeping a double bill’s running time within a commercial-friendly three hours. Given that it was not resubmitted to the censor, I presume this shearing was done by the distributor. I walked out around the 40-minute mark when I realised that a whole subplot, Barbara (Julie Webb) being given a tour of the Freedom School, was missing. The interval was less than an hour away meaning even more footage was going to be removed.
The first Billy Jack film was THE BORN LOSERS (1967). This did not reach Australia until it was classified in May 1970. In that case, the censorship was brutal, with over 17-minutes of footage removed for an AO rating.
Post-November 1971 rating
In May 1987, Corporate Video had a 110-minute VHS passed with an M-rating. The tape was released by Warner Home Video.
B.S. I Love You
Directed by Steven Hilliard Stern / 1971 / USA / IMDb
Date: 06-1971 / Rated SOA / Length: 8866 feet / Time: 98:31 / Censored by 04:28 / Reason: indecency
Cactus in the Snow
Directed by A. Martin Zweiback / 1971 / USA / IMDb
Date: 07-1971 / Rated: SOA / Length: 8166 feet / Time: 90:44 / Censored by 00:03 / Reason: indecent language
Doctors’ Wives
Directed by George Schaefer / 1971 / USA / IMDb
Date: 04-1971 / Appeal: Against eliminations / Length: 9281 feet / Time: 109:07 / Result: Appeal substantially upheld by Review Board
Date: 07-1971 / Rated: SOA / Length: 9235 feet / Time: 102:37 / Censored by 00:17 / Reason: incitement to drug abuse
Glass Houses
Directed by Alexander Singer / 1971 / USA / IMDb
Date: 05-1971 / Rated: Banned / Length: 7898 feet / Time: 87:45 / Reason: indecency
Post-November 1971 rating
In January 1972, Columbia Pictures had a 7923-feet (88:02) print passed with an R-rating. This was slightly longer than the version that was previously banned.
Le Mans
Directed by Lee H. Katzin / 1971 / USA / IMDb
Date: 08-1971 / Rated: G / Length: 10240 feet / Time: 113:47 / Censored by 00:09 / Reason: violence and indecent language
Post-November 1971 rating
In February 1984, CBS/Fox had a 102-minute tape passed with a G-rating.
