List of banned films

For nearly the entire history of film 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 films 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 cinemas.

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 the board considers not 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.

Also, it is common for filmmakers to claim that their movie is banned when, in fact, the movies aren't banned but unable to find distributors. This is a common practice for both independent and foreign films. A recent example of this is the Toei Company's "Battle Royale", a Japanese movie that has been unable to find distribution within the US because the Toei Company has demanded an unusually high distribution price with additional demands for its release. [cite web | url = http://battleroyalefilm.net/movie/banned.html | title = Battle Royale (2000) FAQ: Is the movie really banned in America? | accessdate = 2007-03-03 | publisher = Battleroyalefilm.net] If a movie is not distributed because of economic reasons, it cannot truly be considered a banned movie.

Timeline

Afghanistan

*2007: The Kite Runner

Argentina

* 1985: "Je vous salue Marie" ("Hail Mary"), directed by Jean-Luc Godard, was banned due to its blasphemous and sexual contents. [cite book | title = The Films Of Jean-Luc Godard (Cambridge Film Classics) | author = Sterritt, David | publisher = Cambridge University Press | isbn = 0521589711 | year = 2003 | pages = pp. 166]

Australia

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 practice, films still get a short cinematic run before they are reviewed & prevented from being shown at cinemas or released on DVD, but broadband Internet access allows people who want to watch such films to do so.

India

* 1970 - "Kissa Kursi Ka" was banned for political reasons.
* 1984 - "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom" was banned for its "racist portrayal of Indians and overt imperialistic tendencies". [cite web | title = Trivia for "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom" | url = http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0087469/trivia | work = IMDb | accessdate = 2007-01-14 ] For example, the film shows chilled monkey brains are served as a dessert in India, which in reality, contradicts the reverence Hindus have towards monkeys due to mythological character Hanuman in the epic Ramayana.
* 1996 - "" (cut version available)

Iran

*1956: "The King & I"
*1968: "Oliver!"
*1971: "A Clockwork Orange"
*1973: "The Exorcist"
*1977: "Saturday Night Fever"
*1980: "Cannibal Holocaust"
*1982: "The Dark Crystal" (possibly because of some of the ceremonial imagery seen in the film).
*1983: "Scarface"
*1989: "Pet Sematary", "Glory", and "Back To The Future II" (banned due to a scene where Ayatollah Khomeini is burning in hell. A cut version was later released).
*1990: "Henry & June"
*1993: "Schindler's List"
*1995: "Showgirls"
*1997: "Boogie Nights"
*1999: ""; "Three Kings" and "Anna and the King"
*2001: "Zoolander" (As it was seen as provoking Gay Rights)
*2002: "Pinocchio" and ""
*2003: "Bruce Almighty" and "Matrix Revolutions"
*2004: "Fahrenheit 9/11", "Catwoman", and "Passion of the Christ", "Harold and Kumar Go to the White Castle"
*2005: "The 40-Year-Old Virgin", "Sin City" and "Brokeback Mountain"
*2006: "The Da Vinci Code", "Alexander", ', '
*2007: "300"
*2008: "Meet the Spartans", "Harold and Kumar escape from Guantanamo Bay", "You Don't Mess with the Zohan"

Iraq

*1999: "" was banned for its depiction of Saddam Hussein as the homosexual lover of Satan. "South Park" is also unavailable on television.
*1999: "Three Kings"
*2002: "Pinocchio" and ""
*2005: "The 40-Year-Old Virgin"
*2006: "The Da Vinci Code" "The title is completely unavailable."
*2007: "Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theaters" "The title is completely unavailable."
*2007: "" "The title is completely unavailable."

Ireland

* 1931: "Monkey Business" was banned because censors feared it would encourage anarchic tendencies.
* 1967: "Ulysses", based on the book by James Joyce - unbanned September 2000.
* 1968: "Rocky Road to Dublin" (documentary which in part questioned Irish censorship) - unbanned in 2003.
* 1971: "A Clockwork Orange" - unbanned in 2000.
* 1979: "Monty Python's The Life of Brian" - unbanned in 1987.
* 1983: "Monty Python's The Meaning of Life" - unbanned in 1990.
* 1984: "Cannibal Holocaust" - unbanned in 2006.
* 1989: "Meet The Feebles" - still banned as of 2007.
* 1991: "Riki-Oh" - unbanned in 2002.
* 1994: "Natural Born Killers" - unbanned.
* 1996: "From Dusk Till Dawn" - unbanned in 2000.
* 1999: "Romance" - still banned.
* 2000: "Baise Moi" - still banned.

Due to the small size of the country, films banned by the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) are rarely even submitted for release in Ireland, due to the high costs of promotion and distribution for such a small area. Similarly, BBFC cuts are often left in DVD releases due to the difficulties in separating the two supplies.

Banned movies can still be viewed at private members clubs with 18+ age limits.

Israel

The government has media censorship based on British emergency regulations from 1948 stating that applies to domestic media, foreign newspapers and wire service transmissions from or through Israel. The Israeli Military Censor has the power to turn off a broadcaster, stop information and arrest journalists, however these extreme measures have been rarely used. The Israeli Film Ratings Board has banned a few films containing obscene or racist material, or incitement to violence; for "expressing support for illegal or terrorist organizations" or questioning the government's actions against terrorists. An example is the 2002 film "Jenin, Jenin", in which survivors of the Battle of Jenin were interviewed. The ban was lifted by the country's Supreme Court in August 2005. [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=950DEFD6143DF933A2575BC0A96F948260 Israeli Theater Gets A Censor-Free Run] ]

Italy

Although there is a censorship board run by the government and in which one member is drawn from the Roman Catholic Church, very few movies are not certified for release. Notably, "Lion of the Desert", starring Anthony Quinn and concerning the Libyan revolution against Italy, and a few other films concerning Italian war crimes during its brief colonial history were banned for a time during the post-Mussolini period. Almost all Pasolini's movies, including "" (1975), were banned for a while but then released. Luc Besson's film "The Big Blue" was banned for 14 years because Enzo Maiorca felt that it inaccurately portrayed him and his rivalry with Jacques Mayol. "Last Tango in Paris" was banned for some time as well. Another Italian film, "Cannibal Holocaust", was banned in Italy from 1980-1984. It was banned on the belief that the actors were actually killed for the movie (i.e. that it was an actual snuff film). When this was proven false, it was banned by an animal cruelty law (the film features the actual slayings of many animals), until the verdict was overturned in 1984. Also banned under Mussolini was the film adaptations of Ayn Rand's novel "We the Living", titled "Noi vivi" and "Addio, Kira".

Japan

Despite Japan's strict censorship policy on nudityFact|date=February 2007, very few films are banned there.

Those that are banned are usually put under self imposed studio bans by the companies that produced them.
* 1945: The Akira Kurosawa directed movie "The Men Who Tread on the Tiger's Tail" was temporarily banned by the SCAP because it portrayed feudalism in a positive light.
* 1955: The Toho production "Half Human", directed by Ishiro Honda was put under a self imposed ban by Toho after it was feared that the film would be seen as degrading portrayal of Japan's Ainu minority."The film was never released on VHS, laserdisc or DVD and to this day the only way to see it is through its heavily edited US version."
* 1958: "Varan the Unbelievable" was put under a self imposed studio ban by Toho for some of the same reasons that Half Human was but was finally released in the 1980s on VHS and laserdisc (with a few lines of reportedly racist dialogue removed from the film).
* 1969: Teruo Ishii's exploitation flick "Horrors of Malformed Men‎" was put under a studio ban by Toei due to the film's numerous offensive elements."These days, with the film currently unavailable in any format in Japan or the West, the only way to see it is through the occasional screening."
* 1974: Toho placed yet another one of their films under a self imposed ban, this time "Prophecies of Nostradamus", an apocalyptic disaster film after a group of hibakusha, or Hiroshima survivors, saw the film and were highly offended by sequences showing a research party being attacked by radioactive cannibals and a pair of horribly deformed post-apocalyptic mutants fighting over a worm. After airing the film uncut on television in 1980, Toho withdrew the film from circulation entirely. Toho attempted releasing this film onto VHS in the late 1980s but was stopped due to protests. The only way to see the film is through the film's US version "The Last Days of Planet Earth" or through a grey market copy of the uncut version containing the time code at the top of the screen.There was also a banning on extreme cruelty to animals. And the ones were about this film:
* 1984: "Cannibal Holocaust" made the ban and was unable to make bootleg copies.

Kuwait

*1984: "Cannibal Holocaust"
*1999: ""
*1999: "Three Kings"
*2004: "Fahrenheit 9/11"
*2005: "The 40 Year-Old Virgin"
*2007: "The Kingdom"

Malaysia

* "M*A*S*H" (1970) - passed for a VCD release and a delayed DVD release by Movie Master
* "Clockwork Orange" (1971) - passed for VCD release by Movie Master
* "The Exorcist" (1973) - was never banned in Malaysia and passed for VCD release by Movie Master
* "Jaws" (1975) - was never banned in Malaysia
* "Monty Python and The Holy Grail" (1975)
* "Saturday Night Fever" (1977) - was never banned in Malaysia and passed for DVD release
* "Monty Python's Life of Brian" (1979)
* "Scarface" (1983)
* "Monty Python's The Meaning of Life" (1983)
* "Cannibal Holocaust" (1984)
* "Pet Sematary" (1989)
* "Schindler's List" (1993) - passed in 2004 for DVD release by Berjaya HVN
* "Babe" (1995) - passed for VHS release by Berjaya HVN in 1996
* "Showgirls" (1995)
* "Last Man Standing" (1996)
* "Orgazmo" (1997)
* "Boogie Nights" (1997)
* "" (1998)- passed for VCD release by Berjaya HVN
* "Blade" (1998)passed for a VCD release and a delayed DVD release by Movie Master
* "The Prince of Egypt" (1998) - passed for VCD and DVD release by Berjaya HVN
* "Saving Private Ryan" (1998) - passed for VCD and DVD release by Berjaya HVN
* "" (1999)passed for a VCD release and a delayed DVD release by Sunny Film Productions
* "" (1999)
* "Dogma" (1999)
* "Fiza" (2001)
* "Zoolander" (2001)
* "Auto Focus" (2002) - passed for VCD release from MediaMax.com Sdn Bhd.
* "Queen of the Damned" (2002)
* "40 Days and 40 Nights" (2002)
* "Pinocchio" (2002)
* "Bruce Almighty" (2003) - passed for VCD and DVD release by Berjaya HVN
* "Daredevil" (2003) - passed for VCD and DVD release
* "Homerun" (2003)
* "Freddy vs. Jason" (2003)
* "Underworld" (2003)
* "" (2003) - passed for DVD release by Berjaya HVN
* "The Girl Next Door" (2004)
* "Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle" (2004) - passed for DVD release by Berjaya HVN
* "The Passion of the Christ" (2004) - prohibited from non-Christian viewers
* "Sideways" (2004)
* "" (2004)
* "Saw" (2004)
* "Alfie" (2004)- passed for DVD release by Berjaya HVN
* "Sin City" (2005)
* "Hustle & Flow" (2005)
* "The 40-Year-Old Virgin" (2005)
* "Saw II" (2005)
* "" (2005)
* "Inside Deep Throat" (2005)
* "Hard Candy" (2005)
* "Hostel" (2005)
* "Rent" (2005)- was relased straight to DVD/VCD by Mediamax
* "Brokeback Mountain" (2005)
* "Glory Road" (2006)- was never banned in Malaysia and relased by Berjaya HVN
* "See No Evil" (2006)
* "United 93" (2006)
* "The Da Vinci Code" (2006) was never banned in Malaysia and released uncut with an 18PL rating in cinemas
* "How to Eat Fried Worms" (2006)
* "Saw III" (2006)
* "" (2006)
* "Alpha Dog" (2007)
* "Dead Silence" (2007)was never banned in Malaysia but went straight to DVD by Berjaya HVN
* "Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theaters" (2007)
* "" (2007)
* "Halloween" (2007)
* "Saw IV" (2007)
* "Hitman" (2007) )- was never banned in Malaysia and relased by Speedy video
* "Alien Vs. Predator Requiem" (2007)- )- was never banned in Malaysia and relased by Twentieth Century Fox Malaysia (Christmas 2007) and later Speedy video for the home release
* "Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay" (2008)
* "Step Brothers" (2008)
* "The Midnight Meat Train" (2008)
* "Pineapple Express" (2008)
* "Death Race" (2008)
* "Bangkok Dangerous" (2008)
* "Max Payne" (2008)
* "Saw V" (2008)

Morocco

*1984: "Cannibal Holocaust"
*1995: "Showgirls"
*1999: "" & "Anna and the King"
*2004: "The Passion of the Christ", "Fahrenheit 9/11" & ""
*2005: "The 40-Year-Old Virgin" & "Brokeback Mountain"
*2006: "The Da Vinci Code" & ""

New Zealand

* 1979 - "Monty Python's Life of Brian"
* 1980 - "Friday the 13th"
* 1981 - "Mad Max" [cite web |url=http://www.censorship.govt.nz/oflcdd/DocProps.asp?PubNum=007944 |title=Mad Max, OFLC decision |accessdate=2008-01-27 |publisher=Office of Film and Literature Classification, New Zealand ] (VHS release was not banned [cite web |url=http://www.censorship.govt.nz/oflcdd/DocProps.asp?PubNum=060405 |title=Mad Max, VHS, OFLC decision |accessdate=2008-01-27 |publisher=Office of Film and Literature Classification, New Zealand ] )
* 1983 - "Monty Python's Meaning of Life"
* 1984 - "Silent Night, Deadly Night"
* 1999 - "" (unbanned in the early-2005)
* 2004 - "Puni Puni Poemy" [cite web |url=http://www.censorship.govt.nz/oflcdd/DocProps.asp?PubNum=401827 |title=Puni Puni Poemy, OFLC decision |accessdate=2008-01-27 |publisher=Office of Film and Literature Classification, New Zealand]
* 2005 - ' [cite web |url=http://www.censorship.govt.nz/oflcdd/DocProps.asp?PubNum=501724 |title=Bumfights: Cause for Concern, OFLC decision |accessdate=2008-01-27 |publisher=Office of Film and Literature Classification, New Zealand] , ' [cite web |url=http://www.censorship.govt.nz/oflcdd/DocProps.asp?PubNum=400514 |title=Bumfights 2: Bumlife, OFLC decision |accessdate=2008-01-27 |publisher=Office of Film and Literature Classification, New Zealand]
* 2006 - "Cannibal Holocaust" [cite web |url=http://www.censorship.govt.nz/oflcdd/DocProps.asp?PubNum=601050 |title=Cannibal Holocaust, OFLC decision |accessdate=2008-01-27 |publisher=Office of Film and Literature Classification, New Zealand] , "" was also banned in 2006 because it didn't follow the rules of the OFLC decision. (excisions recommended but not made)
* 2007 - "" [cite web |url=http://www.censorship.govt.nz/oflcdd/DocProps.asp?PubNum=701222 |title=Hostel Part II, OFLC decision |accessdate=2008-01-27 |publisher=Office of Film and Literature Classification, New Zealand] (excisions recommended but not made)

Norway

Oman

*1979: "Life of Brian"
*2004: "Saw"
*2006: "Basic Instinct 2"

Pakistan

* The Pakistani government has banned the import of Indian and American films, leaving piracy as the only way to distribute them.
*1999: "" , banned just like the show, "South Park", because of the parody of Saddam Hussein. The censors and the audience walked out of the theater as it says, "The first non-pornographic movie to be banned in Pakistan." Even though it says uncut in this title, the cut version is permitted (the uncut version is still banned).
*2006: "The Da Vinci Code", out of respect for the Christian community there.

Poland

* 1982-1987 Blind Chance, like many of Kieslowski's films, it was banned for politically sensitive themes
* 1997 -"Witajcie w życiu" (Welcome to the life), a documentary film by Henryk Dederko about Amway in Poland was banned after the Polish office of the Amway Corporation managed to get a court ban on the movie because they claimed it was libelous.

Portugal

* 1970: "Catch-22" was banned until 1974 for the scene showing Capt. Yossarian naked in a tree.

Russia

* 1979: "Monty Python's Life of Brian" due to offensive jokes about the ani-christ.
* 1980s: "Cannibal Holocaust" due to animal cruelty and extreme gore.
* 1999: "" banned along with the show itself.
* 2006: "" banned as "offensive". [http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601085&sid=akkVr2mB7XV8&refer=europe] It is the first non-pornographic film since the fall of the Soviet Union to be banned in Russia.
* 2008: "" after the show was banned in 2007.

Samoa

* 2006: "The Da Vinci Code" (see Censorship in Samoa for details)

Singapore

* 1971: "A Clockwork Orange" was banned for over 30 years before an attempt for release was made in 2006. However the ban was not lifted when the submission for a M18 rating was rejected.
* 1974: "The Texas Chain Saw Massacre" was prohibited from releasing in the island since the 1970s.
* 1979: "Life of Brian" contains inappropriate' religious content which led the film to be banned.
* 1980: "Cannibal Holocaust" was banned outright for its extreme violence.
* 1981: "The Evil Dead" has been banned since its release in 1981. The authority disallowed it for "excessive graphic violence and gore".
* 1986: Along with its prequel, "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2" was categorised as banned by the authority. No submittance for re-rating was ever made.
* 1988: "The Last Temptation of Christ" was never allowed to be screened or released in video formats to the public for its controversial religious content.
* 1995: "Lie Down with Dogs" was banned for strong sexuality.
* 1999: The movie "" shared the same fate with its banned television series.
* 2003: "15" was initially banned, and the Singapore board of censors later ruled that the film should be rated R(A) and made 27 cuts to the film.
* 2004: "A Dirty Shame" was banned for its crude humour and sexuality.
* 2004: "Formula 17" was banned because it "portrayed homosexuality as normal, and a natural progression of society." [cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/4716610.stm |title=Singapore censor passes Brokeback |publisher=BBC News |date=2006-02-15 |accessdate=2007-03-04]
* 2005: "Hostel" was banned for extreme impact violence of high impact gore with cruelty and racism to Singapore.
* 2005: "" shared the same fate as the banned television series did.
* 2006: "Shortbus" was banned for its explicit sexual content.
* 2006: The movie "" was banned for the extreme nudity during the fight in the hotel scene. It was cut off during its screening.

Solomon Islands

* 2006: "The Da Vinci Code". Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare stated that the film "undermines the very roots of Christianity in Solomon Islands." [http://archives.pireport.org/archive/2006/may/05%2D24%2D11.htm]

South Africa

* 1971: "A Clockwork Orange" was banned.
* 1979: "The Life of Brian" was banned because of offensive jokes of the religion.
* 1984: "Cannibal Holocaust" was seized by customs (specific year is unknown at this time). It was given an XX rating, which prevented it from being sold in the country. It is now rated 18 for a cut version (the uncut version is still banned).
* 1990: "Henry & June" was banned.
* 2007: "Saw IV" was banned because it refuses to cut out the parts not intended for South Africa.

Soviet Union

* 1967: "Komissar" was banned. It was re-released in the late 1980s, winning nine awards, including the Golden Bear at the Berlin Film Festival. [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0061876/awards]

outh Korea

* 1925-1992: "The Battleship Potemkin" was banned.
* 1973: "Three Days of the Condor" was banned.
* 1975-1981: South Korean director Kim Ki-young's "Ban Geum-ryeon" banned for 6 years, released with 40 minutes cut. [cite web |title=A Korean master: Kim Ki-Young retrospective at the French 'Cinematheque'|url=http://www.koreasociety.org/film_blog/news/a_korean_master_kim_ki-young_retrospective_at_the_french_cinematheque.html|accessdate=2008-01-28|publisher= [http://www.koreasociety.org/ koreasociety.org] ]
* 1988-2001: "Apocalypse Now" was banned.

Currently, none of these films are banned anymore as of today.

Spain

* 1939-1976: "The Battleship Potemkin" was banned.
* 1940-1976: "The Great Dictator" was banned for its portrayal of Fascism.
* 1957-1986: "Paths of Glory" was banned by General Francisco Franco's dictatorship, for its anti-military message. It was released in 1986, 11 years after Franco's death.
* 1972: "Last Tango in Paris" was banned.

Sri Lanka

* 1984-2007: "Cannibal Holocaust" was banned for high impact of animal cruelty until 2007.
* 1999: ' was banned due to many vulgarities and portraying of Saddam and the war on terror. It shared the same fate as the show, South Park does. (Banned Outright)"'
* 2006: "The Da Vinci Code". Banned by presidential order of Mahinda Rajapakse President of Sri Lanka. [http://www.ahrchk.net/statements/mainfile.php/2006statements/556/]
* 2006: "Aksharaya" ("Letter of Fire") was banned for dealing with issues of incest, murder, and rape. [cite web | title=Sri Lankan government bans local film "Aksharaya (Letter of Fire)" |author=Dias, Wije |url=http://www.wsws.org/articles/2006/may2006/fire-m30.shtml |publisher=World Socialist Web Site |date=2006-05-30 |accessdate=2007-03-03] (Banned outright)

Sweden

Switzerland

* 1994: "Blutgeil"

Thailand

* 1946: "Anna and the King of Siam" for its Orientalist depiction of Thai culture.
* 1956: "The King and I"
* 1999: "Anna and the King"
* 2006: ""

Trinidad and Tobago

* 1956: "The King & I"
* 1980: "The Gods Must Be Crazy"
* 1983: "Scarface"
* 1999: "Anna and the King"
* 2006: ""

Tunisia

*In 2007, 300 was banned.

Turkey

*1922-2006: "Nosferatu" from the 1920s was banned due to its portrayal of extreme blood and gore. Banned Outright
*1972-2000: "Pink Flamingos" was banned for extreme nudity not used for Turkey. Screened Without Permission
*1984: "Cannibal Holocaust" was officially banned due to the killing of the animals. Banned Outright
*1993: "Army of Darkness" was banned because Universal Studios/New Line Cinema refused to cut out the gory parts. Screened Without Permission
*1999: "Anna & The King" was banned by the court of Turkey due to the scenes in Thailand. Screened Without Permission
*1999: ' shared the banning like the show South Park. Banned Outright"'
*2003: "Bruce Almighty" banned due to the images of Turkey. Banned Outright
*2006: " was intentionally banned due to the complaints of Turkey, and the naked scenes. Banned Outright

Ukraine

* 2004: "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre"

United Arab Emirates

*2006: ""

United Kingdom

*1932: "Freaks" is rejected by British censors and banned. Available from 1963
*1952: "Freaks" is again rejected for a cinema rating certificate. Available from 1963
*1954: "The Wild One" was banned from distribution in the United Kingdom until 1967. Now available
*1960: "La maschera del demonio" was banned until 1968 due to its violent content.
*1963: "Freaks" is finally passed with an X rating.
*1968: Roger Corman's film "The Trip" was banned due to glorification of LSD. It is later unbanned but not released in Britain until the mid-1990s.
*1972: "The Last House on the Left" was banned by the BBFC until 2002.
*1974: "The Texas Chain Saw Massacre" was passed uncut in 1999.
*1975: Umberto Lenzi's "Il paese del sesso selvaggio" is banned.
*1981: Ruggero Deodato's "La casa sperduta nel parco" ("The House on the Edge of the Park") is banned until 2002.
*1984: The infamous video nasty list is created to protect against obscenity. Films on this list were banned and distributors of said films were viable to be prosecuted (some of the films were banned before this list was made). This list banned 74 films at one point in the mid-1980s, but the list was eventually trimmed down when only 39 films were successfully prosecuted. Most of the films (even of the 39 successfully prosecuted) have now been approved by the BBFC either cut or uncut (see Video Recordings Act 1984).

For a list of films included in the list, see Video nasty
* 1989 "Visions of Ecstasy" is banned under blasphemy laws, and is presently the only film banned in the UK due to blasphemy.

United States

Films are usually not banned today in the United States, as the section on freedom of speech in the First Amendment to the United States Constitution is usually enforced. Decades ago, however, obscenity was a valid reason for a film to be banned in certain cities across the nation.
*1908: "The James Boys in Missouri" and "Night Riders" are banned in Chicago.
*1915: "The Birth of a Nation" banned in several American cities, including Chicago, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, and St. Louis.
*1917: The film "Birth Control", produced by and starring Margaret Sanger banned, with the New York Court of Appeals holding that a film on family planning work may be censored "in the interest of morality, decency, and public safety and welfare". Message Photo-Play v. George H. Bell, 179 A.D. 13 (1917).
*1919 - 1920: "Within Our Gates" banned in Chicago, New Orleans, and Omaha, for its depiction of interracial rape, lynching, and racial discrimination.
*1926: "The Red Kimono", based on a real-life Chicago murder case and political scandal, banned in Chicago.
*1928: "The Racket" banned in Chicago.
*1931: "Frankenstein" banned in Kansas for its portrayal of cruelty.
*1932: "Freaks" banned in Cleveland.
*1932: "Scarface", a violent gangster movie set in Chicago, is banned in Chicago.
* 1936 - 1966: The 1931 version of "The Maltese Falcon" (not to be confused with the better known "cleaned-up" 1941 version) could not be shown in its unedited "lewd" version.
*1945: "Scarlet Street" banned in New York City, according to Jan Morris' book "Manhattan '45".
*1949: "Pinky" was banned by the city of Marshall, Texas because it portrayed an interracial couple, a violation of the city's censorship code.
*1953: "The Moon Is Blue" banned in Jersey City, New Jersey as "indecent and obscene." [ citation | newspaper = The New York Times | title = JERSEY JUDGE SEES 'THE MOON IS BLUE'; Superior Court Jurist Says He Will Give Decision Today on Film Seized as 'Indecent' | date = October 16, 1953 | page = 33 ]
*1961: "Victim" banned in many American cities due to language. [http://www.glbtq.com/arts/eur_film,2.html]
*1968 - 1991: "Titicut Follies" is barred from distribution to the general public by court order because the movie was considered a violation of the privacy of the prison inmates it filmed.
*1969: "I Am Curious (Yellow)" is banned as pornography. After three court cases, it was unbanned when the anti-obscenity laws concerning films was overturned.
*1987: "" is banned from sale, distribution, and public exhibition by court order after a civil trial on copyright infringement. Director Todd Haynes had failed to obtain the proper licenses to use several Carpenters songs in the film.
*1988: "The Last Temptation of Christ" banned in Savannah when city leaders sent a petition to Universal Studios requesting a ban. However, opened in Savannah on September 23, 1988, 6 weeks after national and worldwide debut.
*1997: "The Tin Drum (film)" was briefly banned in Oklahoma County, Oklahoma, who deemed the film child pornography. The shot in question depicted minors performing oral sex.
*2002 - present: "The Profit", a film that borrows elements of the life of L. Ron Hubbard, was prevented from release when the Church of Scientology claimed the film could taint the jury pool in the wrongful death trial of former member Lisa McPherson. A legal dispute with investor Robert S. Minton has kept it from being released even after the suit was settled. "The Disinformation Book Of Lists" and "The Times" have characterized "The Profit" as a "banned film" in the United States.cite book |last=Kick |first=Russ |authorlink= |coauthors= |title=The Disinformation Book Of Lists |publisher=The Disinformation Company |date=2004 |location= |pages=List 68: "16 Movies Banned in the U.S.", Page 238 |url= |doi= |id= |isbn=0972952942] cite news |last=Purves |first=Libby |coauthors= |title=The Blasphemy Collection |work=The Times |pages= | language= |publisher= |date=2007-10-26 |url=http://timesonline.typepad.com/faith/2007/10/the-blasphemy-c.html |accessdate=2007-11-01]

Theoretically, free speech in the U.S. can also be limited if it might cause a clear and present danger of an imminent lawless action, or constitutes a copyright violation.

Vatican City

*The Magdalene Sisters [http://www.michigandaily.com/content/controversial-film-sisters-hits-dvd]
*The DaVinci Code

Vietnam

*1986: Platoon
*1987: Full Metal Jacket
*1995: Xich lo

Yemen

*2006: "The Omen"
*2006: ""

Zimbabwe

*2005: "The Interpreter"

Notes

See also

* Snuff film
* Motion picture rating systems
* List of banned books

Further reading

* "Forbidden Films: Censorship Histories of 125 Motion Pictures" by Dawn Sova ISBN 0-8160-4336-1
* "Behind The Mask of Innocence: Sex, Violence, Crime: Films of Social Conscience in the Silent Era" by Kevin Brownlow, 2nd ed. (Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 1992). Contains considerable information about film censorship in pre-1930 America, and discusses banned silent films in great detail.

External links

* [http://libertus.net/censor/auscensor.html#fpcg Australian Classification system: Why many banned films do not show up in figures on banned films]
* [http://www.serendipity.li/cda.html Comparable studies on International censorship strategies]
* [http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200512/s1531954.htm Wolf Creek banned in Northern Territory]
* [http://students.oamk.fi/~hevema00/kotisivut/dark_3.html A complete list of Finland's banned films until 1997]
* [http://www.bpjm.com complete list of Movies Banned in Germany]
* [http://everything2.com/index.pl?node_id=1823815&displaytype=printable List of banned films] , retrieved April 26, 2007