Roger Vadim’s movies, cut and banned before the November 1971 liberalisation of the Australian censorship system.
La Ronde
Directed by Roger Vadim / 1964 / France – Italy / IMDb
The original theatrical release was the clothed version and was passed with a ‘Suitable only for Adults’ rating.
Censored footage
Shane Harrison reports.
Australia received the ‘clothed cut’ of the film.
102:00 – A scene takes place at a French cabaret where dancers were filmed both topless and with their bras on. Europe received the ‘continental cut’, while Australia, America and the UK had the ‘clothed cut’.
Interestingly, at 102:49 in the ‘clothed cut’, a close-up shot of an actor reveals the dancer behind him topless for a second. Presumably, these were some remaining frames from the ‘Continental cut’.
During the 1980s, late-night Channel 9 screenings were of the ‘continental cut’. All future screenings, possibly on SBS, were the ‘clothed cut’, as were the American VHS and DVD.
Post-November 1971 rating
Resubmitted by CIC-TAFT Video and passed with an M-rating in February 1984. The tape ran 105-minutes.
The Game Is Over
Directed by Roger Vadim / 1966 / France – Italy / IMDb
The original theatrical release was censored for a ‘Suitable only for Adults’ rating.
Censored footage
Shane Harrison reports.
Jane Fonda is topless for three prolonged sequences. However, much of the footage consists of just a few flashes. Despite this, the Australian censor was not happy and applied their scissors so that just the tease was left. While there may be other trims, I can attest to the following.
Censored at 17:11 by 00:05 – Renee (Jane Fonda) twirling topless behind a transparent curtain.
Censored at 17:23 by 00:01 – Flash of Renee’s bare breast.
Censored at 19:03 by 01:17 – Sequence beginning with a view of a topless Renee followed by a distorted reflection in a mirror of lovemaking.
Censored at 25:56 by 00:20 – Tracking shot of Maxime (Peter McEnery), her stepson, putting his hand under Renee’s t-shirt and groping her breast as he kisses her.
The following ‘grotto sequence’ begins at 26:16, runs for 03:45 and is where most of the publicity stills came from. While some views of their coy lovemaking were cut, the only shot I can confirm is the following.
Censored at 26:56 by 00:08 – Renee and Maxime talking, while her open dressing gown reveals her breasts.
Jane Fonda sued PLAYBOY for printing paparazzi-style black and white nudes of her. These were taken by a photographer, hidden in the rafters, during an undressed rehearsal for the ‘grotto sequence’.
Barbarella
Directed by Roger Vadim / 1968 / France – Italy / IMDb
The original theatrical release was censored for a ‘Suitable only for Adults’ rating.
Censored footage
Shane Harrison reports.
These four scenes were cut in the Australian theatrical release. There may be other minor trims.
Censored at 17:30 – Barbarella (Jane Fonda) is tied up and set upon by mechanical flesh-eating dolls. The scene was toned down, especially with the removal of close-ups of their snapping serrated metal teeth biting into her upper legs near her crotch.
Censored at 59:28 by 00:51 – Complete removal of the scene where Pygar (John Phillip Law) is stretched out on the floor and The Great Tyrant (Anita Pallenberg) bestrides him trying to have sex.
Censored at 74:25 by 00:05 – The camera pans down the body of a topless woman swinging in a fetish leather harness hanging from the ceiling. The long shot of her remained.
Censored at 76:43 – Duran Duran (Milo O’Shea) tortures Barbarella by trapping her in the excessive machine. She is meant to die of pleasure but instead, her massive orgasm destroys the machine. The scene remained but was toned down by the removal of various shots of her arousal and thunderous orgasm. Despite the cuts, it played fairly seamlessly and the point was still made.
Alternative credits sequence
Shane Harrison reports.
During the opening credits, Jane Fonda does a weightless strip out of her spacesuit, floating around nude as the credits give her modesty. These have been available in at least three different versions.
Version No. 1
Here the credit for ‘David Hemmings as Dildano’ is in the same font as the others. This is followed by a fair bit of modesty as the floating credits cover most of Jane Fonda. Her breasts are exposed briefly here and there with the letters hitting her nipples before exploding. This version played theatrically back in 1968, was released to TV in the 1970s and made available on 8mm, 16mm and VHS.
Version No. 2
Following the success of STAR WARS (1977), it was retitled BARBARELLA: QUEEN OF THE GALAXY and reissued in America. The print I viewed was newly struck and in perfect condition, but everything possible had been cut for an MPAA PG rating, including the opening credits. These jumped around as soon as the spacesuit drifted off Barbarella before finally cutting straight to the end of the scene. During the rest of the film, the music jumped and the characters finished off half sentences, as visuals were repeatedly truncated. The cartoon sexuality and peek-a-boo nudity was removed and every form of suggestive clothing and risqué plot was muted.
Version No. 3
BARBARELLA was released on VHS in widescreen in the late 1980s/early 1990s. This version of the credit sequence is the one that now features on all DVDs and Blu-rays. The ‘David Hemmings as Dildano’ credit now glows and the ones that follow now cover different areas of the screen than in Version No. 1. Much more of Jane Fonda is on display in quick flashes with even a couple of brief fully nude views. The credits still play cat and mouse with her, but more are shown and for longer. This is especially the case at the end as she gets up off the floor and is shown bare-breasted and in close-up. In Version No. 1, this was masked by credits.
Post-November 1971 rating
Resubmitted by CIC-TAFT Video and passed with an M-rating in February 1984. The tape ran 97-minutes.
Pretty Maids All in a Row
Directed by Roger Vadim / 1971 / USA / IMDb
May 1971 / Rated: Banned / Length: 8213 feet / Time: 91:15 / Reason: indecency
July 1971 / Appeal: Against refusal of the Film Censorship Board to register / Length: 8213 feet / Time: 91:15 / Result: Decision of the Film Censorship Board confirmed
Post-November 1971 rating
See the separate entry for this title in Film Censorship Database No. 1.