Hammer movies, cut and banned before the November 1971 liberalisation of the Australian censorship system.
Post-November 1971 decisions are here.
Dracula Has Risen from the Grave
Directed by Freddie Francis/ 1968 / UK / IMDb
The original theatrical release was censored for a ‘Suitable only for Adults’ rating.
Censored footage
Shane Harrison reports.
Warner Home Video (us) – Blu-ray – 92:09 (NTSC)
In the late 2000s, Melbourne’s Astor cinema screened the original SOA print. This matched the one I viewed in September 1969. The following footage was removed.
Censored at 04:24 by 00:13 – Close-up pan across a trail of blood on the floor of the belfry leading from the rope across to the bell and a further view of blood dripping on the floor from the bell.
Censored at 05:03 by 00:09 – Close-up of victim’s (Carrie Baker) ravaged throat after falling out of the bell.
Censored at 18:32 by 00:18 – Blood dripping from the priest’s (Ewan Hooper) injured head and running into Dracula’s (Christopher Lee) mouth and reviving him. The SOA version suggested that merely the cracking of the ice encasing Dracula would be enough to bring him back.
Censored at 9:59 by 00:03 – Close-up of Dracula’s bloodshot eyes.
Censored at 25:17 by 00:47 – Priest, under Dracula’s control, dragging a coffin from a grave and tipping the corpse out into a ditch.
Censored at 45:24 by 00:03 – Close-up of Dracula’s bloodshot eyes.
Censored at 46:30 – Close-up of the barmaid’s, Zena (Barbara Ewing), bitten throat. This was reduced to a quick view reflected in the mirror.
Censored at 53:02 – View of Dracula slapping the Zena across her face. This was reduced, with some surrounding footage removed.
Censored at 56:04 by 00:03 – Close-up of Dracula’s bloodshot eyes.
Censored at 58:13 by 00:06 – View from Dracula’s bloodshot eyes to Zena screaming, before a red filter bathes the screen.
Censored at 59:50 by 00:05 – The priest finds Zena’s body and rolls her over revealing a close-up of her bloodied face and neck.
Censored at 60:26 by 00:33 – The priest puts Zena’s body in a furnace.
Censored at 67:13 – Maria (Veronica Carlson) reclines on her bed invitingly as Dracula kisses her, before focusing on her neck. The scene was toned down with the removal of a close-up of her neck, as seen from his point of view, and a close-up of his fangs as he descends. Other footage was deleted as the build-up was noticeably less prolonged.
Censored at 71:49 by 00:01:5 – Bloody face shot of Dracula snarling on seeing the crucifix.
Censored at 72:36 – The priest hitting the Monsignor (Rupert Davies) over the head with a roofing tile was toned down by removing the actual blow.
Censored at 79:03 – The priest hitting Paul (Barry Andrews) over the head with a candlestick was toned down by removing the actual blow.
Censored at 81:13 by 00:11 – Dracula screaming with a stake in his heart and blood pumping out. In the UK, this was censored by the BBFC, and only later reinstated for video and DVD. It is hard to believe this was originally passed with a G-rating by the MPAA. I have no idea if our censor received the uncut American or cut British version before they got to work on the print.
Censored at 89:12 – A bloody close-up of Dracula’s chest, with the end of the large crucifix poking through.
Censored at 89:31 – All views of Dracula writhing while impaled on the crucifix were reduced to long shots only. His final death throws were completely removed as was the end shot of his blood dribbling down the crucifix.
The September 1969 release of DRACULA HAS RISEN FROM THE GRAVE was heralded as the first Dracula film passed by the censors in 24-years. The advertising also pushed that it was the first Hammer vampire film to be passed and the first colour Dracula film to be screened in Australia.
Post-November 1971 rating
Resubmitted by Corporate Video and passed with an M-rating in April 1989. The 89-minute tape was released by Warner Home Video.
Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed
Directed by Freddie Francis / 1969 / UK / IMDb
The original theatrical release was censored for a ‘Suitable only for Adults’ rating.
The daybill also listed it as ‘Not Suitable for Television’.
Censored footage
Shane Harrison reports.
Warner Home Video (us) – Blu-ray – 100:39 (NTSC)
The print I viewed in September 1970 had been destroyed by our censor with cuts to any scene of horror, either implied or shown. I had the opportunity to view the same version in the 2000s when it screened at Melbourne’s Astor cinema.
The following was missing.
Censored at 05:04 by 00:04 – Baron Frankenstein (Peter Cushing) fights with a burglar (Harold Goodwin). During this, Doctor Heidecke’s (Jim Collier) bloody severed head spills out of a case and onto the burglar Separate to this 00:04 view, other footage was also removed of the severed head visible on the floor in the background during the fight.
Censored at 23:14 – Heavily cut was a discreet bloodless stabbing of an intruder in his back, followed by his death gasp.
Censored at 37:00 – Doctor Brandt (George Pravda) is being kidnapped from an asylum. The few punches that were thrown when he resists were toned down.
Censored at 45:36 by 02:00 – Frankenstein rapes Anna (Veronica Carlson). This scene was added as an afterthought by Hammer in an attempt to ‘sex up’ the film. It was removed for the British release but remained in the American version. At the time, the Australian censor was quoted in a newspaper article and said that they cut the rape scene because it was considered gratuitous. This suggests the American version had been submitted.
Censored at 49:54 by 00:41 – Frankenstein cuts Doctor Brandt’s skull open (off-screen). The censorship starts as soon as the sound of the scalpel slicing against bone is heard.
Censored at 50:49 by 00:23 – Sawing Professor Richter’s skull open and removing his brain. Gore was mostly kept off-screen, though the sound of sawing bone was explicit.
Censored at 51:23 by 00:33 – Removing the top of Professor Richter’s (Freddie Jones) skull. This is not as explicit as it sounds as a towel covers the gore.
Censored at 58:00 by 00:23 – Drilling into the top of Richter’s skull.
Censored at 58:59 by 00:11 – Sliding a metal rod into the top of Richter’s skull and then withdrawing it.
Censored at 61:01 by 00:12 – A broken water pipe in the garden disturbs the body of the recently buried Doctor Brandt. His arm is shown bouncing around in the gushing water.
Censored at 61:21 by 00:02 – View of the face of Doctor Brandt as the dirt washes away.
Censored at 61:26 by 00:20 – Anna dragging the body out of the garden bed and up behind the building.
Censored at 74:21 by 00:05 – View of Doctor Brandt’s muddy face when his body is discovered under the floor of the shed.
Censored at 79:14 – Professor Richter wakes up and staggers around the laboratory holding his head in pain. He picks up a metal dish and is horrified by his reflection. This sequence was toned down throughout with numerous edits. I can identify one of them at 79:42 where 00:08 were cut to remove the view of his reflection in the dish. This was not the only footage that was trimmed from this sequence.
Censored at 80:57 – Anna stabs Professor Richter in the stomach with a scalpel. The scene was heavily edited, which was a surprise as it is completely bloodless.
Censored at 82:44 by 00:07 – Frankenstein stabs Anna with the scalpel. The shot was completely bloodless as the stabbing is hidden by the positioning of the two. The only gore was the end view of Anna with a scalpel sticking out of her, with a little blood at its base.
Censored at 83:09 – The scene when Karl (Simon Ward) finds Anna was cut around so that all views of her body, with the scalpel sticking out, are missing.
Censored at 97:45 by 00:05 – Close up of Frankenstein shoving a fiery torch into Professor Richter’s face.
Censored at 98:13 by 00:02 – Frankenstein kicking Karl in the face. I cannot be certain but I believe the climactic fight was also shortened.
Post-November 1971 rating
Resubmitted by Warner Home Video and passed with an M ( Occasional Violence) rating in July 1990. The tape ran 97-minutes.
Crescendo
Directed by Alan Gibson / 1970 / UK / IMDb
November 1970 / Rated: SOA / Length: 8658 feet / Time: 97:19 / Censored by 00:20 / Reason: indecency
Censored footage
Shane Harrison reports.
The scenes were timed from an uncut NTSC DVD release.
Censored at 76:41 by 00:19 – In a flashback sequence, George (James Olson) makes love to Catherine (Kirsten Lindholm). Removed was a view, looking down from the top of the bed, of him kissing her breasts, before lifting her nightgown and baring them. He then moves back up to her face and carries on kissing her pendant.
Scars of Dracula
Directed by Roy Ward Baker / 1970 / UK / IMDb
July 1971 / Rated: A / Length: 8575 feet / Time: 95:17 / Censored by 03:42 / Reason: violence
MGM/BEF Film Distributors was the applicant.
Censored footage
Shane Harrison reports.
Anchor Bay Entertainment (us) – DVD – 94:47 (NTSC)
This fifth entry into the Hammer’s Dracula saga has been acknowledged as the most violent and sadistic of the series. However, only in Australia could this be marketed as a child-friendly school holiday release.
A less censored, but still heavily modified, version was eventually screened in the late 1970s/early 1980s on Channel Nine’s Midnight-to-Dawn film show.
British Board of Film Censorship (BBFC) cuts.
Three scenes were removed by the BBFC for an X-rating. This cut version was released worldwide and the footage has never been restored.
Censored at 37:39 – Dracula (Christopher Lee) laps blood from Tania’s (Anouska Hempel) chest wound. The scene was cut short as Dracula bends down to feed. This censored shot featured on the cover of the movie tie-in book in Australia.
Censored at 45:58 and/or at 46:13 – Views of the dismembered limbs of Tania.
Censored at 84:58 – The Priest’s (Michael Gwynn) face is savaged by a bat.
Film Censorship Board cuts.
The BBFC version was further cut for an Australian A-rating.
Censored at 10:27 by 00:03 – Long shot of savaged bodies inside the church as the vampire bat flies out.
Censored at 10:33 by 00:18 – Close-up views of bloody bodies in the church.
Censored at 11:01 by 00:03 – Close-up of Maria’s (Margo Boht) bloodied face.
Censored at 33:14 by 00:19 approx. – Dracula biting of Tania’s neck was truncated once he sunk his teeth in. The bloody close-up of his feeding was removed.
Censored at 37:33 by 00:16 – Dracula stabbing Tania to death.
Censored at 38:03 by 00:09 approx. – Tracking shot across bedroom including views of Tania’s bloodied body with a knife protruding.
Censored at 45:18 by 00:12 approx. – Klove (Patrick Troughton) removes Tania’s bloody body from the bed and places it on the floor.
Censored at 45:58 by 00:10 – Close-up of a body part being thrown into a bowl of acid followed by off-screen views of Klove chopping up Tania’s body.
Censored at 46:13 by 00:09 – Further off-screen views of Klove chopping up Tania’s body.
Censored at 70:17 by 00:09 – Dracula burning Klove’s back with a hot sword.
Censored at 76:25 by 00:18 approx. – Dracula biting Alice (Delia Lindsay) ends before she fell to the ground with bloody bite wounds showing.
Censored at 84:58 by 00:50 approx. – Prolonged attack on the priest’s face by a vampire bat, shredding it in repeated close-ups.
Censored at 86:37 by 00:07 approx. – Simon (Dennis Waterman) finds Paul (Christopher Matthews) impaled on a hook hanging from a wall. In Australia, only a quick view of Paul was shown, which was from the second view of him in the uncut print.
Censored at 91:11 by 00:06 – Close-up of Sarah’s (Jenny Hanley) bloodied cleavage.
Censored at 92:43 by 00:30 collectively cut – All close-ups of Dracula’s face as he burns, plus surrounding footage.
Close-ups of Dracula’s bloodshot eyes were repeatedly removed from the AO rated DRACULA HAS RISEN FROM THE GRAVE (1969). However here, only two years later, they were okay in an A-rated feature.
Post-November 1971 rating
Resubmitted by Thorn EMI Screen Entertainment and passed with M-rating in August 1985. The tape ran 92-minutes.
Universal Sony Pictures Home Entertainment had a Blu-ray passed with an M (Mature themes and violence) rating in January 2018.
Taste the Blood of Dracula
Directed by Peter Sasdy / 1970 / UK / IMDb
July 1970 / Rated: Banned / Length: 8552 feet / Time: 95:01 / Reason: violence
August 1970 / Rated: Banned / Length: 8168 feet / Time: 90:45 / Reason: violence and indecency / Comment: Reconstructed version
October 1970 / Appeal: Against rejection / Length: 8168 feet / Time: 90:45 / Result: Appeal dismissed by Review Board / Comment: Reconstructed version
Post-November 1971 rating
Resubmitted by Corporate Video and passed with M (Occasional violence, Horror) rating in July 1989. The 97-minute tape was released by Warner Home Video.
Further reading
For more Peter Sasdy, see COUNTESS DRACULA (1971) and HANDS OF THE RIPPER (1971) in Film Censorship Database No. 1.
Vampire Lovers, The
Directed by Roy Ward Baker / 1970 / UK / IMDb
May 1971 / Rated: SOA / Length: 8051 feet / Time: 89:27 / Censored by 00:28 / Reason: violence
Censored footage
Shane Harrison reports.
Shout Factory (us) – Blu-ray – 91:17 (NTSC) – Includes 00:09 opening and 00:06 closing MGM logos
THE VAMPIRE LOVERS was first censored by the BBFC for an X certificate. That print was then trimmed by the MPAA for an American R-rating. It was this latter version that was further cut for an Australian ‘Suitable only for Adults’ rating.
British Board of Film Censorship (BBFC) cuts.
I understand three cuts were made to secure an X certificate.
Censored at 06:11 – Half second view of the first vampire’s (Kirsten Lindholm) severed head falling to the ground. This was missing from the Shout Factory Blu-ray.
Censored at 32:11 by 00:02 – Frontal view of Camilla (Ingrid Pitt) rising from her bath replaced with a close up of Emma (Madeleine Smith) waiting for her with a towel.
Censored at 88:28 by 0:04 approx. – General von Spielsdorf (Peter Cushing) forcing the stake deeper into Camilla as a follow up to the initial staking.
Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) cuts.
The BBFC print was then trimmed further for the American R-rated version.
Censored at 06:11 by 00:00.5 – A few frames of the final stage of the first vampire’s head rolling from her shoulders were cut to remove the sight of a gush of blood erupting from the neck. The film then switches to solar tinting to obscure the gore of the head lying on the floor behind the opening credits.
Censored at 72:46 by 00:00.5 – Repeat of the cuts made to the opening decapitation at 06:11.
Censored at 75:19 by 00:00.5 – Bloody close-up of stake going into a female vampire.
Censored at 75:37 by 00:00.5 – Bloody close-up of stake going into a male vampire.
Censored at 88:17 by 00:00.5 – Bloody close-up of stake going into Camilla.
Censored at 88:24 by 00:10 – General von Spielsdorf (Peter Cushing) pushing the stake further into Camilla. This includes some surrounding footage that was removed for continuity.
Censored at 88:37 by 00:11 – Camilla with bloody stake protruding from her chest. This includes some surrounding footage that was removed for continuity.
Censored at 89:09 by 00:00.5 – Close-up of Camilla’s decapitation reduced to a subliminal flash.
Censored at 89:11 by 00:02 – Camilla’s head held in the air.
Censored at 89:20 by 00:01.5 – View of Camilla’s severed head being lowered into her coffin. The scene resumes after her bloody neck is out of frame.
Film Censorship Board cuts.
The MPAA print was then trimmed further for the Australian ‘Suitable only for Adults’ version. I have a copy of this recorded from TV in the late-1970s.
Censored at 04:44 by 00:04 – Close-up of the first vampire’s snarling, bloody mouth as she wipes her hand across it.
Censored at 06:11 by 00:07 – Sword slicing through the first vampire’s neck as her head rolls from her shoulders. When the sword is swung the film suddenly cuts to the credits with the severed head lying in the background obscured by solar tinting.
Censored at 72:46 by 00:01 – Repeat of the cuts made to the opening decapitation at 06:11.
Censored at 75:41 by 00:06 – Baron Joachim von Hartog (Douglas Wilmer) holding the bloody stake before throwing it down in exhaustion.
Censored at 88:14 by 00:05 – General von Spielsdorf staking Camilla. The view of him taking aim, thrusting, and the bloody penetration was completely removed.
Censored at 89:09 – Camilla being decapitated. This had already been reduced to a subliminal flash for the American version, but the remaining few frames were removed in Australia.
Censored at 89:20 by 00:04 – Camilla’s severed head being lowered into the coffin. The Australian version begins when the head is below the bottom of the screen so that the severed neck is out of view.
The missing severed head.
In the early 1990s, SBS screened THE DRACULA FILE episode of THE SOUTH BANK SHOW that featured the opening decapitation scene from THE VAMPIRE LOVERS. It included the missing half-second shot of the first vampire’s severed head falling to the ground. This was absent from all home entertainment releases until a German Blu-ray appeared in November 2016 on the Anolis label. Titled GRUFT DER VAMPIRE, the quality of the footage and how it was inserted indicate it was sourced from the aforementioned episode of THE SOUTH BANK SHOW.
Movie-Censorship has a comparison between the Scream Factory and the uncut Anolis Blu-rays.
Don reports.
Greatly enjoyed Shane’s review of THE VAMPIRE LOVERS but there appears to have been more than one version that was screened.
In the version that I viewed in Queensland at the Village Twin in May 1971 and at a drive-in midnight screening some years later, another sequence was removed. It is where Carmilla disrobes Emma (Madeline Smith), after she has confessed the details of her cat dream, and strokes her breast. It dissolves with a fade to Count Karnstein on horseback.
This sequence was ‘reconstructed’ in the later version I saw with the green credits, replaced by one of the overlapping dream sequences.
Shane Harrison responds.
I viewed THE VAMPIRE LOVERS three times, once at the drive-in and twice at the Roma cinema. The scene described by Don was in it each time. However, it was censored from the late 1970s TV screening and was the only cut additional cut made to the SOA version.
Conclusion.
Both Don and Shane are likely correct as there are reports of other films appearing in different versions. These could be the result of a projectionist snipping footage for their collection or a distributor sourcing an unauthorised print from overseas.
Post-November 1971 rating
Resubmitted and passed with M-rating in October 1985. This 87-minute Roadshow Home Video release was the censored American R-rated version.
When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth
Directed by Val Guest / 1970 / UK / IMDb
November 1970 / Rated: A / Length: 9220 feet / Time: 102:27 / Censored by 00:20 / Reason: indecency
April 1971 / Rated: A / Length: 9220 feet / Time: 102:27 / Censored by 00:27 / Reason: indecency
Post-November 1971 rating
Resubmitted and passed with a PG (Medium level violence) rating in June 1996. This 92-minute tape was released by Warner Home Video.
Creatures the World Forgot
Directed by Don Chaffey / 1971 / UK / IMDb
July 1971 / Rated: A / Length: 8768 feet / Time: 97:25 / Censored by 01:07 / Reason: violence
Post-November 1971 rating
Resubmitted by RCA/Columbia Pictures/Hoyts Video and passed with a PG rating in June 1985. The tape ran 96-minutes.