Skip to content

Banned In Australia Films

1235

Comments

  • edited September 2019


    The Devil Thumbs A Ride ( 1947 ) Original U.S.A. insert poster, and an Australian newspaper clipping from 1948. This film was banned in Australia in 1947, and then again rejected on appeal. 

    One has to wonder what a magnificent Australian Simmons brightly coloured full bleed daybill would have looked like if the film had not been banned in Australia. 
  • Well this certainly answers one of my questions...
  • edited December 2019
    HONDO said:
                                                                                                                                  Film # 51. Of Mice And Men ( 1939 ). Produced by the Hal Roach Studios and released by United Artists. Banned in Australia in 1940 on sex and violence grounds. The censor eventually passed the film for exhibition and it was released in Australia on the 12th January 1955 by Snider And Dean Theatres Pty.Ltd., who were listed as the Australian distributor. I believe only limited bookings would have occurred and no Australian posters have been found that I am aware of.                         



    An Australian film advertisement placed for screenings on its opening day s in Melbourne Victoria on February 5 1955. Previously screened in Sydney NSW January 12 1955. 

    xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx                          


    # 65. Tobacco Road ( 1941 ). The original U.S.A. one sheet shown above states  '' At last .... it's on the screen!''. Certainly it was in the U.S. and most likely the majority of the world where it was screened, but not so in Australia.

    xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

     

    The Trip ( 1967 ). This Roger Corman / A.I.P. film was banned in Australia in the late 1960's ( date unknown ), and most likely on drug and violence grounds

    Never released theatrically in Australia. 

    Resubmitted to the Australian censor in 1990, for the first time since the initial banning in the 1960's, and passed with an R certificate on videotape only.





  • edited December 2019
    HONDO said:

                                                                          Image # 42.   

    L'eau a la bouche ( aka A Game For Six Lovers ) ( 1960 ). From France.    

    Banned by the Australian Censor in 1961 on sex grounds.  Apparently 6 lovers must have been too many.  

    Never released theatrically in Australia to the best of my knowledge. 

    Television screenings in Australia ( if any ) unknown.

    Is available on an All Regions DVD.


    I've got this poster!  Never thought it would pop up in a discussion...
  • Pancho said:
    HONDO said:

     Film # 30.

    The Plague Of The Zombies ( 1966 ).

    Although nothing found in print I am 100% certain this film was banned by the Australian censor on horror grounds probably around 1966 or 1967. To the best of my knowledge this film was never released theatrically in Australia.

    Was submitted by 20th Century Fox on 35mm and classified by the New Zealand censor on 15 -3-1966  as R13 ( with cuts ).

    Television screenings ( if any ) in Australia unknown.

    Was passed by the Australian censor and classified for DVD exhibition on 19-7-2004 with a M classification.

    I have a feeling that Rick has a daybill for this film.

    I am confident the film wasn't released in Australia.



    The original U.S.A. insert poster. Is this possibly where Pancho's feeling came from, perhaps viewing this insert at some time or another in the past, and it does look a bit like a daybill. Rick if I could prevail upon you to reply with your response that would be great, as I would like to tidy this one up.
  • Sorry, i don;t have a Plague of the Zombies daybill, though i would like one, if it exists.
  • I am 100% certain that the film was banned in Australia completly, and therefore no daybill would exist.

    There is of course a possibility that the New Zealand censor allowed the film into their country as they didn't seem to have problems with allowing horror films into the country there.

    If this happened to have been the case a daybill possibly could exist, or at least a  poster of some other size possibility. The quality of the poster artwork could be a problem knowing New Zealand's dismal track record with producing mainly sub-stand film posters. 
  • The Big Doll House

    Directed by Jack Hill / 1971 / Philippines-USA / IMDb

    In October 1971, an 8539-feet (95:53) print of THE BIG DOLL HOUSE was banned because of 'indecency'. MGM/BEF Distributors made an unsuccessful appeal to the Film Board of Review in November 1971. ( (refused-classification.com ).




                                                                          An original U.S.A. one sheet from the 1971 release.



                                             Eventually on August 25 2004 in Australia the film was passed and classified MA15+ on DVD.

              This film was previously mentioned on another thread here on the forum, but have now included here in a more detailed form. 
  • HONDO said:


    The Devil Thumbs A Ride ( 1947 ) Original U.S.A. insert poster, and an Australian newspaper clipping from 1948. This film was banned in Australia in 1947, and then again rejected on appeal. 

    One has to wonder what a magnificent Australian Simmons brightly coloured full bleed daybill would have looked like if the film had not been banned in Australia. 
    Shame!  As you say, it would have been a stunning db!
  • HONDO said:


    The Devil Thumbs A Ride ( 1947 ) Original U.S.A. insert poster, and an Australian newspaper clipping from 1948. This film was banned in Australia in 1947, and then again rejected on appeal. 

    One has to wonder what a magnificent Australian Simmons brightly coloured full bleed daybill would have looked like if the film had not been banned in Australia. 
    Shame!  As you say, it would have been a stunning db!
    ???
  • HONDO said:


    The Devil Thumbs A Ride ( 1947 ) Original U.S.A. insert poster, and an Australian newspaper clipping from 1948. This film was banned in Australia in 1947, and then again rejected on appeal. 

    One has to wonder what a magnificent Australian Simmons brightly coloured full bleed daybill would have looked like if the film had not been banned in Australia. 
    Shame!  As you say, it would have been a stunning db!
    ???
    Suck it up sunshine!
    You got plenty of pretty noir! ;)
  • ???
    Suck it up sunshine!
    You got plenty of pretty noir! ;)
    But this would have fit so well in my hitchhiking gone wrong subgenre collection ;)





  •  

    # 68. Young Dillinger ( 1965 ). Banned in Australia in 1966 most likely on violence grounds. The applicant was Blake Films.

    Never released theatricially in Australia to the best of my knowledge.



  • Some interesting details on these three films soon.


  • Black Sabbath, Black Sunday and The Torture Chamber Of Dr. Sadism are long thought to have been banned in Australia.

    Interestingly some very limited screenings ot the three films at the New Arts Cinema ( aka New Art Cinema ) in Glebe Sydney that were advertised in 1973 in newspaper advertisements have come to light.

    Two screenings only of Black Sunday, one of Black Sabbath and one of The Torture  Chamber Of Dr. Sadism are a mystery. 



     


    The Australian Government named Australian Classification website has none of the three films listed as being passed and classified for public screenings in Australia since November 1971. On speaking to a employee of the department that runs this website It was conformed to me that it was indeed the case that the films weren't passed for exhibition in Australia anytime after November 1971. I was also told that the department had no explanation to offer as to why these screenings tool place when the films didn't appear to have been classified,

    No other record, after extensive research, has been located of any printed material for any other screenings in Australia.  The Black Sunday and the Black Sabbath advertised  M ratings and The Torture Chamber Of Dr. Sadism conflicting M and also NRC ratings has to be odd as knowing the content of the three films and surely an R rating would have been applicable. Black Sunday was banned in Australia in 1970 and again on appeal.  Were the screenings of these films legitimate one has to wonder, or were the films given limited permission to screen here for whatever reason? A very odd one indeed to know for sure what happened here with these screenings having actually taken place. Interstingly no records found for any Melbourne screenings. No Australian daybills or any other posters sighted.

    Your thoughts?

  • # 69 Cannibal Holocaust ( 1980 ) and # 70 Psych-Out ( 1968 ).

    Cannibal Holocaust was refused classification for theatrical public exhibition  in Australia in 1983, then also an edited version was also refused exhibition in the same year. Finally passed by the censor for DVD release rated R and uncut in 2006. 

    Psych-Out was banned for theatrical public exhibition in Australia in 1969, Finally released in Australia in 1991 on videotape rated M and later on DVD, also rated M, in 2005.



  • The Traveling Executioner ( 1970 ). Banned in Australia during November 1970 on indecency grounds. An appeal against the rejection in March 1971 had the appeal dismissed by the Review Board..
  • .

    Corruption ( 1968 ). Not 100% certain that this film was banned in Australia, but I firmly believe that it most likely was.

    The reasons for me thinking that this is the case are as follows-

    1 ) No trace found of this film being released in Australia after completing extensive research, 

    2 ) The film was released it appears around the world by Columbia Pictures but not in Australia, which wasn't the normal practice at the time for this to happen.

    3 ) The above daybill I believe is one printed either in Australia or New Zealand for the Columbia Pictures release in New Zealand.

    4 ) It has been confirmed to me that the film was passed for public exhibition in New Zealand in late 1968. The final excised version had a total of 6 minutes removed from the original summited version, reducing the running time from 90 min 13 sec. to 84 min 13 sec. and was rated R16. The following scene was one of many that was removed from the final passed New Zealand  version. The heavy censorship applied by the censor in  New Zealand certainly reinforces in my mind that the film was banned in Australia. 



  • Frankenstein Meets The Space Monster ( 1965 ). Banned in Australia on horror grounds. The date I have for this happening is 1964, but I believe this was a typo and the date should have been 1965.



    Released in the U.S.A. on a double bill with Curse Of The Voodoo, a film that did obtain a release in Australia in 1970.                                                                                                              

    Space Monster appears as Spacemonster on the actual film print.
  • edited May 2020

             

    Violence ( 1947 ). This film was one of a number of Monogram Pictures that were banned in Australia in the 1940s. The following is what I had previously written about this film in August 2015 when it was included on another thread on the forum titled Violence ( 1947 ). Some people may not have seen this previously and I feel it is appropriate to include it here now on this thread.    

    ''Violence ( 1947 ) was originally banned by the Australian censor on the grounds of violence in 1948. The question is was the film ever resubmitted for classification, passed and  released theatrically at a later date or was the film never released theatrically at all in Australia? I cannot find any record of it being screened in Australia but that doesn't necessarily mean that it wasn't.

    The film is released on a Warner Brothers Archive Collection DVD-R in the U.S.A.'' 

    Looking into the film again recently it certainly appears that this film was never released theatrically in Australia at any time after being banned in Australia in 1948.



  •  

    Fear Chamber ( 1968 ) ( aka The Torture Zone ).

    Some history of this film is as follows.

    In November 1971 the film was banned because of excessive violence.
    December 1971 an appeal to the Film Board Of Review was unsuccessful.
    February 1972  a censored version missing 4 1/2 minutes  was submitted to the censor,  but was again was banned due to excessive violence.
    April 1972 an appeal to the Film Board Of Review was again unsuccessful

    You can't say Columbia Pictutres didn't try to get the film released in Australia.

    By all reports this Mexican film was a stinker, so Australian audiences appear not to have missed anything worthwhile here with the absence of the film screening here.
    .





  • Shock Treatment ( 1964 ). Banned in Australia in 1964 on violence grounds.



    Advance publicity from an Australian newspaper prior to the film being banned here.

    A rare film that is currently available on Region 0 DVD -R on eBay.
  • Currently reviewing my thread participation, and as I normally don't receive many reactions recorded or comments left here these days for this particular thread, I am now wondering if there is still enough interest in this thread to encourage me to continue with working on this time consuming information or not.

     I have more information on other banned in Australia film titles not yet published, so please let me know here if you would like to see me continue contributing to this thread? 



  • HONDO said:
    Currently reviewing my thread participation, and as I normally don't receive many reactions recorded or comments left here these days for this particular thread, I am now wondering if there is still enough interest in this thread to encourage me to continue with working on this time consuming information or not.

     I have more information on other banned in Australia film titles not yet published, so please let me know here if you would like to see me continue contributing to this thread? 



    I enjoy and look forward to all your posts!
    HAS lifetime guarantees on every item - IS eMoviePoster.com
    HAS unrestored and unenhanced images - IS eMoviePoster.com
    HAS 100% honest condition descriptions - IS eMoviePoster.com
    HAS auctions where the winner is the higher of two real bidders - IS eMoviePoster.com
    HAS up to SIXTEEN weeks of "Pay and Hold" to save a fortune on shipping - IS eMoviePoster.com
    HAS real customer service before, during and after EVERY auction, and answers all questions - IS eMoviePoster.com

    HAS 25% or 26% "buyers premiums" of any kind (but especially the dreadful "$29 or $49 minimum" ones) - NOT eMoviePoster.com
    HAS "reserves or starts over $1 - NOT eMoviePoster.com
    HAS hidden bidder IDs - NOT eMoviePoster.com
    HAS "nosebleed" shipping charges - NOT eMoviePoster.com
    HAS inadequate packaging - NOT eMoviePoster.com
    HAS no customer service to speak of, before, during and after any auction, and answers almost no questions - NOT eMoviePoster.com

  • Bruce said:
    HONDO said:
    Currently reviewing my thread participation, and as I normally don't receive many reactions recorded or comments left here these days for this particular thread, I am now wondering if there is still enough interest in this thread to encourage me to continue with working on this time consuming information or not.

     I have more information on other banned in Australia film titles not yet published, so please let me know here if you would like to see me continue contributing to this thread? 



    I enjoy and look forward to all your posts!

    Thank you Bruce for your interest and support. On saying that though, you were the only person to respond, and to show any encouragement for me to continue with it, which I must say is very disappointing.

    Seemingly interest in this thread would appear to be now limited and it certainly has me pondering as if to continue publishing it here or not.  
  • I enjoy seeing updates, though not always to comment on.


  • Rick said:
    I enjoy seeing updates, though not always to comment on.

    Nice to know you enjoy my updates though.



  •  The City Of The Dead ( 1960 ) aka Horror Hotel in the U.S.A.

    Listed as being banned in Australia under the original U.K. title of The City Of The Dead on horror grounds. Incorrectly listed as this being in 1958. but most likely it was in 1960 or later. The applicant was certain to have been British Empire Films ( BEF ) who were distributing British Lion films / Lion International films around that time.

    The film has been shown on Australian television this year.

  •  

    Gang Bullets ( 1938 ). A Monogram Pictures production that was banned in Australia in 1939 on violence grounds.

    This is one of many low budget Monogram Pictures that the Australia censor took exception to and banned. Monogram films banned in the 1940s include Violence, Black Market Babies, Man With Two Lives, Invisible Ghost and Dillinger ( finallly passed  and released in the 1950s under the title of Mobster ).

    Original release film posters are not easy to find of this title but Chris displayed a beautiful framed 1947 U.S. re-release one sheet of his in another thread here on the forum in the past.
  • Great stuff Lawrence - right in my interest wheelhouse :)
Sign In or Register to comment.






Logo

For movie poster collectors who know...

@ 2025 Vintage Movie Posters Forum, All rights reserved.

Contact us

info@vintagemoviepostersforum.com

Get In Touch