This unique 63 minute documentary movie called [CENSORED] (2018) was entirely created using the banned motion picture film footage that had been removed from movies by the censors working at the “Australian Film Censorship Board” located in Sydney Australia, between 1951 and 1978.
Since 2018 this documentary movie has a “Film Festival Only” classification, and still can not be shown in Australian Cinemas, and is not available on DVD – http://www.arenamedia.com.au/censored/
Melbourne archivist and filmmaker Sari Braithwaite after making her initial short film SMUT HOUNDS (2015) containing seventy-seven seconds of 1960s forbidden celluloid, famously gained unprecedented access to Canberra’s World Cinema storage archive of many many thousands of banned movie clip sequences.
Film frames that were cut from international and continental films, that were screened in very very heavily edited versions, with reduced running times, in Australian Cinemas between 1951 and 1978. Cleverly re-edited scenes, typically/usually there were no obvious signs that image and soundtrack had been permanently removed.
CUSTOMS (CINEMATOGRAPH FILMS) REGULATIONS 1956 No.94 was the Australian Government Commonwealth Legislation, that prevented Australians from sitting in a cinema watching the original version of films that without cuts would be “blasphemous, indecent or obscene, OR likely to be injurious to morality, OR to encourage or incite to crime, OR a matter the exhibition of which is undesirable in the public interest.
Thus began a lifetime interest, in going to the cinema every week, and became a passionate cinephile by watching all those very heavily edited “Australian Film Censorship Board” true cinéaste versions of brand new release “Cinematograph Films”. As one of the Australian Cinema Pioneers and apparently have already seen far too much cinema, but always wanting to experience more and more cinema each year.
The legislation was applied to ensure that “brief female nudity” was never seen by Australians, such as Diamonds Are Forever (1971). The legislation was applied to ensure that “female removing her bra” was never seen by Australians, such as Psycho (1960). The legislation was applied to ensure that “drug use” was never seen by Australians, such as BlowUp (1966) and Easy Rider (1969). The legislation was applied to ensure that “how to commit a crime” was never seen by Australians, such as Skyjacked (1972). The legislation was NOT applied to fully ensure that “how to commit a crime” was seen by Australians, so of course the crime was then committed by an Australian, such as Breakout (1975).
The legislation was freshly applied to Forbidden Planet (1956) for the 1959 MGM cinema re-release, and the Australia Film Censorship Board ordered the elimination of “all shots of alleged nuclear monster” i.e. the Australia Film Censorship Board insisted that the Id Monster is never seen, and typically the Id Monster was never seen by Australians from 1959 until recent years.
Our Australian Film Censorship Board apparently lived in another universe, however what does worry me, is that no matter what Commonwealth legal requirements are in place, in relation to “Distributors Cuts” our Commonwealth Government remains unable to legislate against stupidity, arrogance and entitlement.
* Yes all the best of the best bits which are held in Australia’s National Film and Sound Archive (NFSA), located in Australia’s capital city of Canberra ACT. Finally see the unseen, that Australians were never ever supposed to see, carefully curated and thoughtfully compiled from 2000 never-before-seen snippets of visual vice. Australian audiences in 2018 are challenged with unanswered questions about nanny-state censorship, and the ultimate power of uncensored cinema. This clever documentary screened during the 65th Sydney Film Festival 6-17 June 2018.
-www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mtojt31IlQs
Director – Sari Braithwaite
Writer – Sari Braithwaite
Producer – Chloé Brugalé
Film Censorship In Australia. Our “Australian Film Censorship Board” typically issues just one censorship certificate for each movie film cinema release, and that one censorship certificate includes Australian home video releases on VHS BETA LASERDISC DVD BLU-RAY 4K-UHD. However, the “Australian Film Censorship Board” does NOT issue censorship certificates for Australian free-to-air television, Australian Foxtel cable television, Australian internet video streaming services such as VIMEO, YouTube, YouTube Premium, Foxtel GO, Foxtel Binge, Foxtel Kayo, Foxtel Hayu, HBOmax, Amazon Prime, Apple TV+, Disney+, Paramount+ . . . et cetera. Now you know why an uncut show is rated MA15+ when on Foxtel, and the exact same show containing the exact same content (i.e. uncut) is rated R18+ when issued on Australian DVD BLU-RAY 4K-UHD.
“Disney VOD Disney+ Version Cuts” are usually equivalent to “Airline Version Cuts” where sound and image are permanently altered to reduce the existing MPA classification rating down to MPA rated G rather than MPA rated PG.
“Censor Cuts” made by the “Australian Film Censorship Board” located in Sydney Australia, deliberately prevented Australians from watching movie film, exactly as intended by the director of each movie.
Film Censorship In Australia, since the 1950s “Distributor Cuts” made by each “Australian Cinema Distributor” to obtain a reduction in the Censorship Classification”. In Australia since the introduction of the R censorship certificate – typically from R to M. In Australia since the introduction of the MA censorship certificate – typically from R to MA, alternately from MA to M. Sometimes from M to PG.
In recent years “Distributor Cuts” to remove/alter image/sound content for Australian cinema movie films, have included major cinema releases such as Bruno (2009); The Hangover (2009); Manchester by the Sea (2016); Lady Bird (2017); Bumblebee (2018); Jumanji- The Next Level (2019); and John Wick- Chapter 3 – Parabellum (2019) and YES all the many cuts are fully itemised online (use GOOGLE SEARCH) – – – Of course no-one is allowed to advertise that the Australian DVD version is uncut/cut.
In 2019 Margaret Anderson (Chief Censor) of the Australian Classification Board (ACB) was quoted as saying “censorship is not on the agenda and, unlike other equivalent offices around the world, the ACB does not recommend CUTS to film and game producers”. Originally called “Commonwealth Board of Film Censors” (CBFC); became “Film Censorship Board” (FCB); then became “Office of Film and Literature Classification” (OFLC); and currently called “Australian Classification Board” (ACB).
Many uncut/cut films remain BANNED in Australia, due to “offensive content” or “violent content” or “obscenity” or “graphic depictions of teenage sex, incest, and auto-erotic asphyxiation” or “cruel, disturbing, and sexually explicit content” OR “grounds of obscenity”; “deemed blasphemous”; “encouraged criminal activity and antisocial behaviour” OR “content that would be contrary to public decency and undesirable to public interest” or “graphic violent death” or “promotes and supports bestiality” or “uses an act of extreme violence with sexual gratification” or “promotes and supports the use of violence to compel any person to submit to sexual conduct” or “sexual violence involving young people” or “gore, violence and sexually explicit content” or “objectionable content” or “invitation to enjoy cruel and violent behaviour” or “sexual exploitation of children”.
