Mondo Shockumentary movies, cut and banned before the November 1971 liberalisation of the Australian censorship system.
Post-November 1971 decisions are here.
European Nights
Directed by Alessandro Blasetti / 1959 / Italy / IMDb
A ‘soft version’ was passed with a ‘Not Suitable for Children’ rating in the mid-1960s.
Censored footage
Shane Harrison reports.
Insite Video Productions (au) – DVD – 86:43 (PAL) – Soft version
Something Weird Video (us) – DVD – 77:11 (NTSC) – Strong version
The pivotal sequence details a visit to the Crazy Horse Saloon in Paris where three striptease performances are presented. There are two different edits of these acts.
The IVP DVD is the version that was passed by the Censorship Board. The stripteases are edited differently with longer takes of the audience and other extra footage replacing some of the act. Although the SWV DVD is incomplete, the striptease shows more nudity.
Times refer to the Insite (IVP) DVD.
59:24 – Dolly Bell
Runs 02:59 (IVP) – Replaces some of the stripping with views of the audience and completely removes the final footage of her reveal.
Runs 03:30 (SWV) – She ends naked with views shown from behind and the sides.
62:54 – Lady Phu Qui Cho
Runs 02:16 (IVP) – Replaces parts of her act with views of the audience and removes the end nudity. Alternate footage is used of her in silhouette taking her bra off as a technician blocks our view.
Runs 02:53 (SWV) – She ends naked except for gold body paint on her nipples and a gold triangle glued to her groin.
66:09 – Lili Niagara
Runs 02:18 (IVP) – Replaces parts of her act with views of the audience and completely removes the final nudity.
Runs 03:14 (SWV) – She ends naked with views shown from behind and from the sides.
In 1968, it was promoted as a sexy film for the first two weeks of its run at Melbourne’s The Star. However, its final week coincided with the school holidays, so they modified the advertisement to sell it as a family film, full of magic acts, clowns, jugglers etc. They also changed the rating on the ad to ‘General Audiences’.
Post-November 1971 rating
Resubmitted by 14th Mandolin and passed with a PG-rating in May 1985. The 70-minute tape may have been released on one of their labels such as King of Video.
Slave Trade in the World Today
Directed by Maleno Malenotti, Roberto Malenotti, Folco Quilici / 1964 / Italy – France / IMDb
Passed with a ‘Not Suitable for Children’ rating in the mid-1960s.
Censored footage
Shane Harrison reports.
Woodhaven Entertainment (us) – DVD – 88:06 (NTSC)
This is some of the footage missing from the print released in Melbourne in the second half of the 1960s.
Censored at 16:56 to 18:40 – A sadistic whipping scene was severely shortened. All the protracted close-ups were removed, but some shots of the crowd’s reaction remained.
Censored at 57:43 by 00:05 – Long shot view of a line of topless showgirls.
Censored at 58:34 by 00:01.5 – Side view of a stripper peeling down her dress and exposing her breasts.
Censored at 58:59 by 01:32 – Views of the end of a couple of striptease acts. The performers wear pasties, except for one who is shown topless while being whipped.
Censored at 65:29 by 00:41 – Nude bathing sequence.
Censored at 82:30 to 83:3 – A ritualised fighting sequence was severely shortened.
Mystery and the Pleasure
aka Our Incredible World
Directed by Teddy Abraham / 1966 / UK / IMDb
May 1970 / Appeal: Against rejection for indecency / Length: 6570 feet / Time: 73:00 / Result: Appeal dismissed by Review Board / Comment: Reconstructed version
Post-November 1971 rating
Resubmitted by Jason Film Dist. and passed with an R-rating in October 1974. The print ran 2689.00-meters (98:01) which indicates the banned version was missing approximately 25-minutes.
The Hippie Revolt
Directed by Edgar Beatty / 1967 / USA / IMDb
April 1971 / Rated: SOA / Length: 6773 feet / Time: 75:15 / Censored by 06:46 / Reason: indecency and encouragement to drug abuse and indecent language
Teenage Outlaws
aka Mondo Mod
Directed by Peter Perry Jr. / 1967 / USA / IMDb
April 1971 / Rated: A / Length: 7704 feet / Time: 85:36 / Censored by 19:11 / Reason: violence and encouragement to drug abuse
Further reading
See also, the Directed by Peter Perry Jr. page in the Film Censorship Database No. 1.
Pleasures of the Bath
Directed by Werner Kunz / 1968 / Switzerland / IMDb
August 1971 / Rated: A / Length: 7070 feet / Time: 78:33 / Censored by 04:59 / Reason: indecency
Secret Africa
Directed by Alfredo Castiglioni – Angelo Castiglioni / 1969 / Italy / IMDb
January 1971 / Rated: SOA / Length: 9549 feet / Time: 106:06 / Censored by 05:21 / Reason: indecency
Further reading
For more Alfredo Castiglioni and Angelo Castiglioni mondo films, see NAKED MAGIC (1975) and THE LAST SAVAGE PART 2 (1982) in the Film Censorship Database No. 1.
Wages of Sin
Directed by Sergio Martino / 1969 / Italy / IMDb
July 1970 / Rated: Banned / Length: 9086 feet / Time: 100:57 / Reason: indecency and drug taking
August 1970 / Appeal: Against rejection / Length: 9086 feet / Time: 100:57 / Result: Appeal dismissed by Review Board
Post-November 1971 rating
In August 1973, Roadshow Distributors received an R-rating for a 2763.00-meter (100:43) print.
Further reading
For more Sergio Martino, see AMERICA OUR HOME (1970) in this database and SLAVE OF THE CANNIBAL GOD (1978) in the Film Censorship Database No. 1.
America our Home
aka Naked and Violent
Directed by Sergio Martino / 1970 / Italy / IMDb
August 1971 / Rated: SOA / Length: 7045 feet / Time: 78:17 / Censored by 01:24 / Reason: indecency
Review
Mike reports
Unknown source as AMERICA COSI NUDA COSI VIOLENTA – 85:30 (Italian language, English subtitles)
Sergio Martino’s mondo movie focusing on the evils of American culture including homelessness, racism, sex and hippies and its allegedly warped version of morality. It’s clearly an exploitation film rather than a genuine documentary and although its content is milder than some of its genre it still had problems with the Film Censorship Board. The exact nature of those problems is difficult to establish as the print submitted in Australia is seven minutes shorter than the one under review. This indicates a precut version may have been submitted. In the days before the R-rating, some or all of the following scenes may have been censored.
1. We are shown some footage of the Altamont Free Festival of 1969 and the camera pans around before fixing its attention on two hippies who are smoking cannabis. (00:12)
2. In a scene which claims to be some sort of re-enactment of the 1969 Sharon Tate murder, a group of Mansonesque acolytes stand over a woman before bearing her breasts and dripping candle wax over her stomach. (00:08)
3. A helicopter flies through the desert around Las Vegas and we’re told that it’s looking for a man who has shot himself after losing a fortune in the casinos. The man is found and we see some shots of his bloody face and body. (00:10)
4. In a sequence which tries to show that America hasn’t shrugged off its racist past, we see an African-American man being chased though the woods by two rednecks. When they catch him one holds him while the other punches him in the face repeatedly drawing blood (00.16). They then chain his hand to the ground and beat it repeatedly with a rifle butt. (00:16)
5. We are shown what claims to be a black conscious-raising ritual in which a group of partially clothed men are dancing around a fire before a witchdoctor arrives with a knife and cuts off some of their penises. This scene is dark due to only being lit by the fire and chaotically edited, and whatever the witchdoctor is cutting doesn’t really resemble body parts. (00:30)
6. We see a group of hippies protesting against US involvement in the Vietnam War and we’re told that one of them would prefer to lose his fingers so that he can’t be called upon to use a gun. He is seated with his hand outstretched while another hippy slices off his fingers at the knuckle. The special effects in this scene are especially atrocious. (00:25)
Love in the Pacific
Directed by Zygmunt Sulistrowski / 1970 / USA / IMDb
Date: 11-1970 / Rated: A / Length: 7221 feet / Time: 80:14 / Censored by 01:06 / Reason: indecency
Seven Women Per Head
aka Sette donne a testa (Film Censorship Board title)
Directed by Paolo Cavallina – Stanis Nievo / 1970 / Italy – West Germany / IMDb
July 1971 / Rated: SOA / Length: 8306 feet / Time: 92:17 / Censored by 02:35 / Reason: indecency