2. China Banned Ben-Hur For Spreading Christianity, Causing Uprising
One of the longest-standing bans is on a film you wouldn't think could upset even the most swift to outrage. 1959's historical epic Ben-Hur remains unavailable in China, however, was deemed to contain propaganda of superstitious beliefs, namely Christianity worthy of it never, ever receiving permission to be screened in the country. Well actually, things have become a little less repressive when it comes to religious beliefs in China these days, to the point that it's on the verge of becoming the world's most Christian nation by 2030, it's amount of churchgoers rivalling the US. The other main reason for making sure nobody saw Ben-Hur is a little more obvious. As in, it's a film where Charlton Heston's titular character is intent on helping an uprising of oppressed Jewish peoples against a restrictive government. China, being a communist state that has a lot of control over their populace like, say, in what films they're allowed to watch didn't particularly want to spread a message of rising up against them.
Tom Baker is the Comics Editor at WhatCulture! He's heard all the Doctor Who jokes, but not many about Randall and Hopkirk. He also blogs at http://communibearsilostate.wordpress.com/
