Australian movies, cut and banned before the November 1971 liberalisation of the censorship system.
Age of Consent
Directed by Michael Powell / 1969 / Australia / IMDb
The original theatrical release was censored for a ‘Not Suitable for Children’ rating.
Censored footage
Shane Harrison reports.
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (us) – DVD – 106:23 (NTSC)
Surprisingly, AGE OF CONSENT received a family-friendly ‘Not Suitable for Children’ rating. This was despite it containing more sex and nudity than any film previously passed, even those with the higher ‘Suitable only for Adults’ rating.
It did not have as much luck overseas; losing six minutes of footage and being re-scored. In America, the MPAA threatened an X-rating before the bedroom scene was removed, while the BBFC cut some of the nudity and the bedroom scene.
The subject matter of an underage girl’s sexual awakening, as she poses naked for an aged artist, did not bother our censor as long as Cora’s (Helen Mirren) pubic hair was kept out of view. At the time, it was reported that one second had been removed to mask a flash of the offending hair. I saw it in 1969, and the obvious jump cut alerted the audience to where the few frames had been trimmed.
Censored at 89:27 by 00:01 – A naked Cora reaches down to pick up a towel to dry herself revealing a quick flash of pubic hair. In the Australian theatrical version, she walked up to the towel and bent down before suddenly standing with it covering her as a loud popping noise blasted the soundtrack.
Apart from this, Sony’s DVD is the same as the version screened in Australia.
Color Me Dead
Directed by Eddie Davis / 1969 / Australia / IMDb
The original theatrical release was censored for a ‘Not Suitable for Children’ rating.
Censored footage
Shane Harrison reports.
K&C Video (au) – VHS – Censored theatrical version
Grey market DVD (us) – Uncut
All cuts come from Frank’s (Tom Tyron) visit to the Pink Panther strip club in Kings Cross.
Censored at 27:47 by 00:09 – Close up of a stripper moving around in pasties.
Censored at 28:20 by 00:48 – Two strippers, in G-String and pasties, dancing in the background as Frank drinks at the bar.
Censored at 44:36 by 00:14 – Part of a flashback to the two strippers.
Post-November 1971 rating
In the early 1980s, K&C Video released COLOR ME DEAD on tape.
Although it was never resubmitted for classification, the cover lists it as NRC (Not recommended for children). As discussed, this is the censored theatrical version.
