Jump to content

List of banned films: Difference between revisions

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous editNext edit →
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
No edit summary
No edit summary
Line 136: Line 136:
This film was not banned, it was merely held from release for a period of time. The title casing states that it was "Banned partsf America", or "Previously Banned", probably a result of where the film which distributer the film was sourced from.
This film was not banned, it was merely held from release for a period of time. The title casing states that it was "Banned partsf America", or "Previously Banned", probably a result of where the film which distributer the film was sourced from.
=== Pakistan ===
=== Pakistan ===
*The Pakistani government has banned the import of Indian films, leaving piracy as the only way to distribute them. [http://www.zeenews.com/znnew/articles.asp?aid=232370&sid=ENT&ssid=1]
* [[1996]] - [[Fire (film)]]
* [[1996]] - [[Fire (film)]]


Revision as of 14:49, 13 October 2005

Overview

For nearly the entire history of film and movie production, certain films have been either boycotted by political and religious groups or literally banned by a regime for political or moral reasons. Paradoxically, banning a movie often completely fails to achieve its intention of preventing a movie from being seen—the publicity given worldwide to banned movies often results in it being given attention it might not otherwise receive.

With the advent of the Internet, the ability of groups or governments to ban a film is hindered. High-speed Internet access and better file compression give more people access to digital copies of movies that might not be available for viewing in theaters. Obvious problems with using the Internet as a distribution system include the inability for a producer to profit from his or her film. Recently, Michael Moore stirred up controversy by encouraging people who were curious about but didn't want to financially support his film, Fahrenheit 9/11, to download it and watch it on their computers.

Banning versus censoring

Many governments have commissions to censor and/or rate productions for film and television exhibition. From a government standpoint, the censoring of films is more effective than banning, because it limits the scope of potentially dangerous or subversive cinema without overtly limiting freedom of speech.

In the United States, there has never been national censorship. However, currently the motion picture industry maintains the MPAA Ratings, which are issued to individual films submitted to the MPAA as a means of identifying those with content not considered suitable for children and/or teenagers. The MPAA system is purely voluntary, for both movie makers and theaters. However, almost all theaters in the U.S. use the MPAA system, and many will refuse to show films which are unrated. From 1930 to 1964 film censorship boards did exist on state and/or local levels in some venues in the USA. The MPAA attempted to satisfy requirements of these disparate boards by creating films the Motion Picture Production Code in the late 1920s, another voluntary system designed and implemented by the MPAA. Films were either approved or not under the Code, and those that were generally had little or no problems passing muster with state or local censors.

Timeline

Australia

Historically, possibly the country with the most banned films. The Queensland Film Office, for example, has banned at least 174 films since 1974. Australia's OFLC (Office of Film and Literature Classification, is responsible for much of the censorship, however each state and territory is free to make additional legislation. See also Censorship In Australia.

In recent years, only films claimed to glorify rape and paedophilia are banned, and in practice even these get a short cinematic run before the legality kicks in. Of course, broadband Internet access allows people who want to watch such films to do so.

  • 1971: Customs Minister Don Chipp begins the development of a new classification system, which includes the much-needed R rating for adult content. Movies that were once banned are gradually released. The X rating is later introduced to cope with the upsurge in hardcore pornographic films.
  • 1984 (?): A governmental conference is held, resulting in the later abolition of X rated material in most Australian states. Ownership of hardcore porn remains legal.
  • 1992 The previously banned 1981 Chinese gore film Dr. Lamb is released with 11 minutes cut; its poster is banned.
  • 1993 Australian ban on Pasolini's Salò is lifted.
  • 1997 Pasolini's Salò again banned in Australia
  • 2000 Romance banned nationally (later passed by OFLC Review Board with R rating).
  • 2002 Baise-moi (french for "Fuck Me") banned in Australia after initially being passed for exhibition with an R rating.

Other films reportedly banned in Australia, but of unclear date:

Canada

China

  • 1960: Ben-Hur, for containing "propaganda of superstitious beliefs, namely Christianity."

Germany

India

Ireland

To keep in line with the UK, the Irish Censor's also banned the same material passed by the BBFC (see recent bannings in the UK section).

Italy

Althoug there is a censorship board runned by the government and in which a member is part of the Catholic Church very few movies were not released, a movie starring Anthony Quinn Lion of the Desert about the Libyan revolution against Italy and a couples of film concerning Italian war crimes during its brief colonial history. Almost all Pasolini's movies were banned for a little but then released. Last Tango in Paris was censored for a while.

Kuwait

Malaysia

  • 2004: The Passion of the Christ - however, the ban was later lifted to only allow "Christians" to watch the movie. No checks were done at screenings but tickets were sold through churches.

The majority of films passed legal in Malaysia are extensively, heavily cut, thereby nearly are as good as being banned (note: no kissing is to be seen in films shown there). The films that are "officially" banned include:

New Zealand

When was this banned in New Zealand? It was shown at theatres and is available uncut on VHS & DVD. This film was not banned, it was merely held from release for a period of time. The title casing states that it was "Banned partsf America", or "Previously Banned", probably a result of where the film which distributer the film was sourced from.

Pakistan

  • The Pakistani government has banned the import of Indian films, leaving piracy as the only way to distribute them. [1]
  • 1996 - Fire (film)

Spain

  • 1939-1976: "The Battleship Potemkin" was banned.
  • 1972: "Last Tango in Paris" was banned.

Switzerland

United Kingdom

  • 1954: The film The Wild One was banned from distribution in the United Kingdom. It was un-banned and released theatrically in the late 1960s.
  • 1968: Roger Corman's film The Trip was banned due to glorification of LSD. It was unbanned at some point but not released in Great Britain until the mid-1990s, by which time the youth subcultures depicted in the film were extremely dated.
  • 1974 Texas Chainsaw Massacre Famously banned by James Ferman. The reason for the ban is only known to Ferman himself but many suggests that it was very shocking at the time. Passed uncut since 1999.

Recent bannings include:

  • 2002 Hooligans
  • 2003 Bum Fights
  • 2003 Spy of Darkness
  • 2003 Video Voyeur
  • 2004 Women in Cellblock 9
  • 2004 The Howling: Fake Porn Movie
  • 2005 High Yield Hydroponic Systems
  • 2005 Mushroom Growing Made Easy
  • 2005 The Hash Man
  • 2005 Introduction to Indoor Gardening
  • 2005 Terrorist, Killers & Other Wackos
  • 2005 Severe Punishment
  • 2005 Traces of Death

United States

See also

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/enwiki/w/index.php?title=List_of_banned_films&oldid=25435489"