The boundaries of good taste are a very intangible thing, but there are some out there who protect those boundaries ferociously. Of course, there are also artists and innovators out there who are working to steadily subvert that sense of good taste by pushing the limit of their art into new and often unsettling places. Sometimes, ground-breaking artists like John Waters and Stanley Kubrick just push a little too hard, too fast. That’s when close-minded government types clamp down on innovation just because it sometimes comes with a little bit of the old ultra violence. And ultra sex. And sometimes torture. Of course, a solid X-rating isn’t the only reason that films get banned, but it doesn’t hurt. Sometimes, however, you’re just Claire Danes.
1. MONTY PYTHON’S LIFE OF BRIAN
Comedy troop Monty Python put the institution of Christianity squarely in its sights when Life of Brian was released. The story of a bumbling moron who ends up becoming a messiah while chasing tail, Life of Brian may have been construed to paint the average messiah-following Christian as a bit dim-witted. As a result, the film was banned in Ireland and Norway, a fact Monty Python actually included in their posters for the film.
2.tHE INTERView the interview is the story of two dummies who score an interview with North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un. Before the little tyrant is incinerated (quite graphically) in a fireball, he’s painted as something of an off-balance megalomaniac. In spite of Randall Park’s inspired performance as Kim Jong-un, the comedy romp from Seth Rogen and pals is super duper banned in North Korea. In fact, the government of NK claimed that the movie promoted terrorism — whether that’s terrorism against North Korea or terrorism by North Korea because Kim Jong-un got his feelings hurt remains to be seen.. 3. SONG OF THE SOUTH Easily the only film on this list that should stay uniformly banned, Song of the South is a Disney film released in 1946 that blends live action footage with animated stories and characters. Unfortunately, that technological achievement is set against the backdrop of a plantation filled with former slaves who just miss the crap out of bondage. Complete with the wildly offensive “Negro dialect” and all of the most horrifying cliches from the Uncle Remus stories, Song of the South was still praised for its technological achievements for some time … then the Walt Disney Company put a kind of self-ban on the film, locking it in its “vault” and refusing to release it ever again.
4. THE EXORCIST
On its original release, The Exorcistwas a smash hit across the world. Critics and audiences alike adored its ground-breaking (and terrifying) story, the “based on a true story” exorcism of a young woman. More than a decade after the film’s 1973 release, however, the UK banned the film, pulling every copy of the film from video stores for more than a decade before The Exorcist was allowed back in.
5. THE LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT
These days, the wicked results of Wes Craven’s imagination are some of the most beloved horror films of all time. His directorial debut, The Last House on the Left, however, opened to controversy right away. The film follows two young women who are tortured and murdered by four dirtbags who happen to stumble into the home of one of their victim’s parents. From there on, it’s the parents turn to exact some bloody revenge. There’s graphic sex and even more graphic violence, which lead to the film being banned in several countries. The companies in Australia were so offended that none even picked the film up for distribution.
6. WONDER WOMAN
The Arab League had a real problem with the immensely popular 2017 adaptation of Wonder Woman, but their problem wasn’t with the strong, scantily-clad woman at the center (well, it wasn’t their only problem). The Arab League, Qatar, and Tunisia objected to the fact that Israeli Gal Gadot was playing the lead. Their ongoing boycott of all things Israel dictated that these Arab countries ban Wonder Woman, no matter how much Gal Gadot kicked butt in the film.
7. PINK FLAMINGOS
Now considered a cult masterpiece, Pink Flamingos seems like a movie that was created with the sole intent of grossing people out. The weird misadventures of drag queen Divine and her menagerie of oddballs, Pink Flamingos will test your ability to sit and watch a movie. At one point Divine eats literal dog feces. It’s … a thing. John Waters’ first film may not be for the faint of heart, which is why it was banned in Australia, Norway, and some provinces of Canada.
8. A CLOCKWORK ORANGE
When it was initially released, Stanley Kubrick’s 1971 homage to government control was wildly popular wherever it went. It made $26 million in the US (which was a lot at the time) and even earned a nod for Best Picture of the Year. Some people, however, felt that the film’s graphic depictions of rape and violence were excessive and borderline pornographic. After a case of what authorities believed to be copycat violence, the film was banned in the United Kingdom. In Ireland, that ban remained active until 2000.
9. E.T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL
You might be wondering what in the heck could possibly be offensive about one of movie history’s most beloved (and kid-friendly) aliens. Well, the release of E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial didn’t sit well with the governing body of Scandinavia, who banned the film because it made adults look like total dicks. Throughout the story of a lost little alien trying to get home, adults constantly subvert Elliott’s efforts to help, which makes for good drama. Unfortunately, in Norway and Sweden, et al. that also created a tough image for parents to overcome.
10. HENRY: PORTRAIT OF A SERIAL KILLER
This cult classic horror film starring Michael Rooker (in his first film role) isn’t all that offensive in hindsight. A lot of the violence takes place off screen, and except for some gratuitous nudity, the only thing “objectionable” about the film is Michael Rooker’s haunting performance as a drifter sociopath whose disease impacts everyone around him. On its release, the film was outright banned in New Zealand and Australia.
11. EVERY CLAIRE DANES MOVIE
When the Homeland star was filming her imprisonment drama Brokedown Palace, she and the crew were on location in the Philippines. According to Danes, however, the island country is a total rat trap (like, literally). Throughout filming and while doing publicity for the film, Danes was quick to bad mouth the nation — as a result, the actress’ work in its entirety was banned from the country for several years.
12. THE EVIL DEAD
Originally released in 1981, Sam Raimi’s cult classic The Evil Deadwas considered one of the most violent films ever made. The low-budget horror comedy follows a group of unlucky friends resurrect and then subsequently get possessed by a real jerk demon. At that point, Bruce Campbell is forced to dismember a handful of his best friends with a lot of inventive means. Things get messy, which is why The Evil Dead grabbed an ‘X’ rating and was outright banned in several countries on release. It remained banned in some countries for decades. Singapore didn’t allow the film until 2011.
Yes, Netflix’s ‘Maniac’ Is a Thing That Is Happening (Later This Year) On Thursday, streaming giant Netflix released a flurry of tweets from its official account, each one showcasing an upcoming project for the channel this year. There were several pleasant surprises (like GLOW’s second season), but the real winner was visual proof that the channel has a planned release set for Cary Fukunaga’s adaptation of Maniac . In Maniac , Jonah Hill and Emma Stone play mental patients who are given the opportunity to live a new life in a world of their own design. The 10-episode mini-series will be helmed exclusively by Cary Fukunaga, the visionary director behind True Detective Season One and Beasts of No Nation , the latter of which you can stream on Netflix , right now. Just be prepared to look at Idris Elba in an entirely different light. Maniac is being written by series creator Patrick Somerville, a contributing writer to prior hits like HBO’s The L
Phantasmagoric “So where d’you wanna go, How much you wanna risk?” – Something Just Like This, Coldplay ELY CATHEDRAL: STRAIGHT OUT OF MIDDLE EARTH What would life be like, were I blind and deprived of my sense of sight? I grew up reading in the middle of the night by the moonlight, which might explain why I started wearing glasses at a rather young age. Nonetheless, I am thankful that I am still able to visually appreciate the sites and sights that lay before me in my travels, and to bring them home through photography. Allow me to take you to three different continents with out of this world sights and sites in this post. We shall begin with somewhere a little closer to (my current) home: Ely, here in England. When my best friend visited me just before my PhD viva, we decided to do a brief daytrip to a nearby town — Ely became the place of choice. Ely was small and cute, but the sizeable cathedral left quite an impression. As I walked past one of the towers,
‘Black Panther’ Historically Premieres in Saudi Arabia MARVEL.COM At 2 p.m. ET today, 600 guests enjoyed Black Panther at the first movie theater to open in Saudi Arabia in 25 years. The refitted conference hall in the King Abdullah Financial District of Riyadh welcomed an audience where men and women were allowed to sit next to one another to watch the movie, another landmark decision for the Middle Eastern nation. The choice to open Saudi Arabia up to the Hollywood does come with its caveats. For instance, 40 seconds of the original Black Panther were cut by local censors. Last year, Saudi officials said movies “will be subject to censorship according to media policy standards of the Kingdom,” to ensure any film screened there complies with their values and principles and did not contradict Sharia, or Islamic, law. Additionally, today’s event followed a strict schedule of socializing, prayer, ribbon cutting, inauguration,
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