BB 2/24/16

Morning Phoenix, and welcome to Hump Day, aka Wacky Wednesday!

Today’s treat for you is a list of the top 10 banned movies.  Perhaps you’ve seen some of them – I have.

10:  A Clockwork Orange (1971) – Now a cult classic, the film was banned in the UK for 27 years.  Real attacks in the UK copied the film’s violence including the graphic rape scene.  The ban was actually requested by director Stanley Kubrick after he and his family received death threats.

9:  The Birth of a Nation (1915)  -  Described as the most racist movie ever made, The Birth of a Nation is a silent film depicting American families during the civil war.  Banned in several American cities, it drew heavily on offensive stereotypes, depicting black men as savage rapists, and lynching as a positive activity.  The film has been seen as responsible for reviving the KKK.

8:  The Tin Drum (1979) – Despite winning the Oscar for Best Foreign Language film, this movie was banned in Canada and Oklahoma City.  It shocked viewers for having a scene seemingly showing an 11 year old boy having oral sex with a 16 year old girl.  The ban in Oklahoma City didn’t come into place until 1997, when a judge declared it to be child pornography.

7:  300 (2006) – Criticized for being “hurtful American propaganda”, 300 was banned in Iran, with Iranian newspapers claiming Hollywood had declared war on the country.  The movie depicted the Persians as weak, with a tyrannical government, in comparison to the heroic Western army.

6:  All Quiet on the Western Front (1930) – This story of a group of German soldiers struggling to cope during the first World War was banned in Austria and Germany for 14 years.  Criticized for sending anti-German messages, the film was banned by Hitler throughout the Second World War.  Though it did enjoy a brief run in Germany before being pulled, Nazis were instructed to interrupt screenings by releasing hordes of rats into cinemas to scare off audiences.

5:  Salo (1975) – Though the UK and Australia have lifted their ban for indecency, this film is still banned in countries including Iran and Singapore.  The film graphically depicts the torture of kidnapped teenagers.

4:  The Simpsons Movie (2007) – This movie was banned in Burma due to its extensive use of the color yellow.  Notorious for  creating bizarre censorship rules, the Burmese Motion Picture Censor Board have banned the colors yellow and red with no further explanation.

3:  Back to the Future Trilogy (1985, 1989, 1990) – The films are banned in China, which claims time travel films disrespect history and treat it frivolously.  The ban is thought to be enforced as the government doesn’t want viewers to see characters escaping from the oppressive regime to a happier time or place.

2:  The Last Tango in Paris (1973) – The story of a couple’s affair was banned for indecency in countries including Spain and Italy.  Particularly infamous is the “butter scene”.  In France, lines to see the movie lasted for hours, while many Spanish people traveled to other countries to get around the ban.

1:  Cannibal Holocaust (1980) – Banned in 40 countries, this fake documentary showed the final days of a film crew.  Audiences were shocked by scenes of violence and cannibalism, interspersed with footage of real executions.  The actors were contracted to hide for a year after the release.  However, the director was forced to bring them out of hiding after being accused of murdering them.  While the violence on humans turned out to be a pretense, the on-screen animal killings were real.  The film remains banned in several countries.

So, have you seen any of them?

While you're here, let's all wish a big Phoenix Happy Birthday to Miss Peggy Dovey Foye ! Happy Birthday babe!

Have a fangtastic day everyone. <3 Brock V"""V