With cinema now well over a century in age, there has been plenty of time for filmmakers to produce material that is considered so heinously vulgar, morally corrupt or downright disgusting that it gets banned. Censorship in the cinema has been a long and winding road, with merits and distinct flaws on both sides of the argument. Some believe that cinema should be unshackled from censorship, set free to run a mock as a boundless means of artistic expression devoid of a totalitarian governing body. Others propose that censorship should be tightened, seeing the medium as a potentially influential and corruptive force when viewed through the wrong eyes.
Whatever your thoughts are on this age old debate, the number of films that have been banned in the cinema’s history represent a fascinating barometer of history’s diverse cultural and ideological limits. Ranging from the hideously depraved, the politically subversive to the tragically misunderstood, cinema’s most infamous banned movies foreground a superb range of what the general public/”The Man” find – or indeed found – unacceptable.
Join as as we delve into cinema’s most visually perverse and morally upsetting depths (probably not the most cheerful sentence to kick start a countdown but hey, it can’t really be helped!).
10. The Profit
Easily the least offensive entry on this list, Peter N. Alexander’s 2001 film The Profit acts as an interesting example of a banned movie through its relationship with the dastardly Church of Scientology. The film charts a paranoid cult leader called L. Conrad Powers (L. Ron Hubbard, anyone!?) and his work as the spiritual leader of the “Church of Scientific Spiritualism”. In spite of the director’s claims that “the movie is fiction and has nothing to do with Scientology”, the lines of correlation were too much to bare for the absolute nutters over in Scientology HQ.
As such, a 2002 court order blocked distribution of The Profit in the USA, a ban that was lifted by the courts in 2007 but distribution remained blocked in spite of this due to the movie’s producer (Bob Minton) seemingly siding with the Church of Scientology – many suspect he was a mole planted into the film’s production by the church themselves. Pretty scary stuff, unveiling the hidden depths of power behind the closeted religious faith of Scientology.
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12 Comments
The Evil Dead does not feature either the Necronomicon nor Ash attaching a chainsaw to his wrist. Both of those things feature in the sequel/remake Evil Dead 2.
My mistake, apologies for that. I often get the contents of the two confused since they’re ostensibly the exact same plot/narrative.
I never heard of Pink Flamingo before but I guess ill have to check it out. Im surprised Clockwork Orange didn’t make the cut.
If it was the 11 most infamous banned movies, I’d have slung Clockwork Orange in there! Interesting example of a banned film as well because it was due entirely to Kubrick himself removing it from distribution.
The Necronomicon is in The Evil Dead. They just call it something else,the “Naturon Demonto”. I like the back-story behind that as a Sumerian variation of the Book of the Dead. However it is the same thing really.
Totally agree with the list. i just wanted to add that in addition to the atrociousness you spelled out regarding Cannibal Holocaust, you did not mention the utterly racist depiction of the “cannibals” who were in fact not really cannibals. They were depicted in an almost simian manner with one being led around on a leash. I recently saw this filth and regret every moment of my life I spent watching it.
Very, very true. Although, I would never say I regretted watching the film; parts of it are so shocking and really well put together. It’s an undeniably important film which is unfortunately scuppered completely by its animal cruelty and racist representations.
The Devils by Ken Russell…now there was a creepy weird film that deserved and indeed got a ban from UK sensors.
Absolutely great film. Particularly memorable for that weird bit where Oliver Reed throws a crocodile into a fire.
I loved Salo. Lots of people walked out at a screening of it at the BFI but I gave it a standing ovation.
It definitely does have a lot of artistic integrity, but I can see why some people would be disgusted by it.
Amok, not ‘a mock’