Top 10 Banned Films of the 20th Century

THE OUTLAW [1943] Image

Notable for bringing sex to the Western genre, Howard Hughes’ The Outlaw was shelved for years before finally receiving approval by the Hollywood Production Code Administration. The whole controversial production seems to have gone forward for one reason: To showcase actress Jane Russell’s magnificent breasts. The film’s slogan was "What are the two biggest reasons for Jane Russell’s success?" During filming, Hughes once commented, "We’re not getting enough production from Jane’s breasts." In her memorable screen debut, Russell portrayed "Rio McDonald." Oh yeah, The Outlaw also starrred Walter Huston (The Treasure of the Sierra Madre), Thomas Mitchell (It's a Wonderful Life) and Jack Buetel as "Billy the Kid." [Read the review]

ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT [1930] Image

Directed by Lewis Milestone, All Quiet on the Western Front was based on the critically acclaimed Erich Maria Remarque novel, Im Westen nichts Neues, and starred Lew Ayres as the disillusioned soldier, Paul Baumer. The film, which won an Academy Award for Best Picture, was eventually banned in Germany due to its anti-war theme: "You still think it's beautiful to die for your country. The first bombardment taught us better. When it comes to dying for country, it's better not to die at all." However, during the film's brief run in Germany, the Nazis released rats into the theaters to scare off movie patrons. All Quiet on the Western Front was also banned in Italy until 1956. [Read the review]

I AM CURIOUS (YELLOW) [1967] Image

Banned in Massachusetts for being pornographic, this notorious Swedish film (Jag är nyfiken - gul) faced a landmark court battle in the United States and was eventually found to be not obscene by the United States Court of Appeals. Directed by Vilgot Sjöman, the film starred Lena Nyman and is a companion film to I Am Curious (Blue) (1968). The films were named after the colors of the Swedish flag. I Am Curious (Yellow) contains documentary elements, including an interview with Martin Luther King, Jr. [Read the review]

THE BIRTH OF A NATION [1915] Image

Based on Thomas Dixon's novel, The Clansman, D. W. Griffith's controversial and extremely influential silent film classic caused riots in Boston, Philadelphia and other major cities. The NAACP organized protests at the various premieres of the film around the country. In addition, The Birth of a Nation was outright banned in several cities such as Chicago, Pittsburgh and Kansas City due to its racist themes. U.S. President Woodrow Wilson commented that the movie, which starred Lillian Gish and Mae Marsh, was "like writing history with lightning." Griffith's next silent film masterpiece, Intolerance, was made in reaction to the negative response he received from The Birth of a Nation. [Read the review]

THE TIN DRUM [1979] Image

"A savage, sweeping epic of society in chaos." Adapted from the critically acclaimed novel (Die Blechtrommel) by Günter Grass, The Tin Drum won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film and the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival. However, the film was banned in several countries, including parts of Canada, as well as in Oklahoma City for a short time, due to a controversial scene that appears to show minors engaging in oral sex. [Read the review]

HAIL MARY [1985] Image

In Hail Mary (Je vous salue, Marie), the Virgin Mary is a gas station attendant whose boyfriend, Joseph, drives a taxi. Even Pope John Paul II jumped into the battle over this controversial, modern retelling of the virgin birth story from Jean-Luc Godard, claiming that the film "deeply wounds the religious sentiments of believers." [Read the review]

LAST TANGO IN PARIS [1973] Image

Directed by Bernardo Bertolucci, Last Tango in Paris (Ultimo tango a Parigi) details the bizarre relationship of an American widower (Marlon Brando) and a young Parisian woman (Maria Schneider). The film caused much controversy for the so-called "butter scene," which is extremely tame by today's standards. Schneider, who claims she is still haunted by the scene, was quoted in the New York Post (July 23, 2007), claiming that the scene wasn't part of the original script: "The truth is it was Marlon who came up with the idea . . . I should have called my agent or had my lawyer come to the set because you can't force someone to do something that isn't in the script . . . I was crying real tears. I felt humiliated and, to be honest, I felt a little raped . . . Thankfully, there was just one take . . . I never use butter to cook anymore - only olive oil." According to a court in Bologna that banned the film: "Obscene content offensive to public decency . . . presented with obsessive self-indulgence, catering to the lowest instincts of the libido, dominated by the idea of stirring unchecked appetites for sexual pleasure, permeated by scurrilous language . . . accompanied off screen by sounds, sighs and shrieks of climax pleasure." [Read the review]

THE LAST TEMPTATION OF CHRIST [1988] Image

"I am here to set fire to the world!" Martin Scorsese directed this adaption of Nikos Kazantzakis' controversial 1953 novel that is notable for the scandal it caused as well as for its bizarre casting that included Willem Dafoe as Jesus, Barbara Hershey as Mary Magdalene, Harvey Keitel as Judas Iscariot, David Bowie as Pontius Pilate and Harry Dean Stanton as Paul. Numerous religious leaders throughout the United States organized protests against The Last Temptation of Christ (many of whom didn't bother to make an effort to watch the film!) and several Southern cities such as Savannah, Georgia, banned the film. In addition, Blockbuster Video initially refused to carry the title in its stores. Scorsese was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Director for his efforts (Barry Levinson ended up winning the award for Rain Man). [Read the review]

TITICUT FOLLIES [1967] Image

"Don't turn your back on this film . . . if you value your mind or your life." A fascinating (and extremely disturbing!) black and white documentary dealing with the mistreatment of patients at the Massachusetts Correctional Institution, a prison hospital for the criminally insane, Titicut Follies was banned in the United States after a ruling by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court determined that the film violated the patients' right to privacy. However, many critics believed that the film was removed from circulation by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to protect its own reputation. Finally, in 1992, the film aired on PBS and is now widely available. [Read the review]

CANNIBAL HOLOCAUST [1980] Image

"Oh, good Lord! It's unbelievable. It's horrible. I can't understand the reason for such cruelty!" Directed by Italian filmmaker Ruggero Deodato and filmed in the Amazon Rainforest, Cannibal Holocaust was banned in many countries upon its initial release due to its graphic gore and sexual violence, as well as for several gruesome (and genuine!) animal slayings that appear in the film. Rumors also circulated that it was a snuff film (which at least proved to be untrue!). Countries that banned the movie at one time or another include Italy, New Zealand, Australia, Malaysia, Burma, Norway, South Africa, Finland, Turkey, Singapore, Germany, Iran and Morocco. Believe it or not, Cannibal Holocaust remains banned in several countries to this day . . . "Man is omnipotent; nothing is impossible for him. What seemed like unthinkable undertakings yesterday are history today. The conquest of the moon for example: who really talks about it anymore? Today we are already on the threshold of conquering our galaxy, and in a not too distant tomorrow, we'll be considering the conquest of the universe, and yet man seems to ignore the fact that on this very planet there are still people living in the stone age and practicing cannibalism." [Read the review]

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User Comments - Add a Comment

Anonymous - 2008-04-11 04:49:40
Titicut Follies is a kick in the gut. I saw it last summer and it's a movie that even desensitized people will feel. The utter disregard for humanity that they portray is horrible. It's worth the watch. It may change your life.

john - 2008-04-11 05:00:03
regarding the last temptation of christ: its worth mentioning that nikos kazantzakis, the author on whose book the film was based on, was himself excommunicated by the greek orthodox church.

Anonymous - 2008-04-11 06:20:28
Kazantzakis was indeed excommunicated, but not due to "The Last Temptation of Christ". It was "Christ Recrucified that prompted the church to excommunicate him - and a better novel if you ask me.

Grums - 2008-04-11 09:01:37
Honorable mention: Life of Brian was banned in Norway for being blasphemous. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0079470/trivia

k - 2008-04-11 18:58:53
not to mention kubrick's "paths of glory," which was banned in france for decades.

David - 2008-04-12 18:07:25
Hasn't Maria Schneider ever heard of the word "NO"? I'm tempted to watch "The Last Tango in Paris" just see what traumatized her for 25 years.

shako - 2008-04-13 02:43:12
Should have definitely made this list.... Luis Bunuel's L'Age d'or (The Age of Gold)

Mike G - 2008-04-15 06:56:47
A drive-in in Wichita used to show the trailer for Cannibal Holocaust (under the title Make Them Die Slowly) before every movie. I don't think they ever showed the movie but someone clearly enjoyed showing castration by machete to passing cars on highway K-42...

Jack Jolis - 2008-04-15 11:21:05
Wasn't Kubrick's version of Anthony Burgess' "A Clockworck Orange" banned? I'm pretty sure it was, at least for awhile in the U.K.

smokes - 2008-04-15 21:21:47
"Sound of Music" should have been banned. I shudder just to recall it...

Oliver Townshend - 2008-04-16 06:00:03
Life of Brian was banned in Scotland as well, prompting a very humourous skit on Not the Nine O'Click News. Should definitely be on the list.

James Shearhart - 2008-04-16 14:48:03
I was always under the impression that Curious Yellow was banned more for the "US out of Vietnam" protests that were seen a few scenes than the sex. Sex is easier to condemn, I suppose....

FMDC - 2008-04-16 16:25:30
What about "Salo"? I think that one is still illegal.

Larry - 2008-04-16 16:33:29
As I understand, The Battle of Algiers is still banned in France.

Anonymous - 2008-04-16 16:33:53
"A drive-in in Wichita used to show the trailer for Cannibal Holocaust (under the title Make Them Die Slowly)" Make Them Die Slowly (aka Cannibal Ferox) is a completely different Cannibal Film.

RikF - 2008-04-16 16:36:03
Clockwork Orange wasn't banned - it was pulled due to fears of copycat crimes. There was however no ban.

snichael - 2008-04-16 16:58:30
I read that "Birth of a Nation" was the most-watched movie of the silent era (more than anything by Chaplin, Rudolph Valentino, etc.) And that President Wilson hosted a screening of it in the White House for cabinet members and Supreme Court Justices - most of whom approved of it heartily (!). Definitely a different time.

Hawkeye - 2008-04-16 17:09:37
Why isn't Salò o le 120 giornate di Sodoma (Salò or the 120 Days of Sodom)listed?

Anonymous - 2008-04-16 17:22:38
Oh god... I wish I had never seen Salo.. *gag*

Anonymous - 2008-04-16 18:34:10
Some people were so outraged by The Last Temptation that there were a few instances of theaters being firebombed when the film was being shown. For those who don't know, "Birth of a Nation" is essentially a glorification of the KKK. There are scenes where the KKK "heroically" lynches a black man and disenfranchises black voters.

walnut - 2008-04-16 18:53:26
"Birth of a Nation" wasn't just controversial, it was historically inaccurate, pro-confederacy propaganda. It was also responsible for the re-creation of the KKK, from the post-civil war guerilla group it started as, to the intolerant organization we're familiar with today. At the same time, Griffith introduced so many new cinematic techniques in this film that it's still studied by students of film.

Jim - 2008-04-16 21:48:51
Yes, Titicut Follies -- I saw it at a university screening in the early 80's (student IDs were checked by state cops at the door). I was shaking on the way out of the screening room. Probably one of the greatest documentaries that I will ever see, but I haven't had the guts to see it again since it became more widely available. Amazing. Recommended, but only if you're ready for it.

curtis - 2008-04-16 22:00:58
I dont know if it was ever "banned", but the movie caligula was pretty intense for a 70 film even by todays standards, hell it was more of a snuff film than anything, and quite violent.

Anonymous - 2008-04-16 23:14:09
weren't the japanese movies Suicide Club (Suicide Circle) and Battle Royal banned from the US?

Anonymous - 2008-04-16 23:33:52
The author should have mentioned this interesting tidbit about Cannibal Holocaust, From IMDB: The film caused some scandal in Italy at the time of its release. Ten days after premiering in Milan, the film was seized by the courts, and the director, Ruggero Deodato, was arrested and charged with obscenity. He was later charged with murder and faced life in prison on the belief that several of the actors were murdered for the camera. Deodato contacted Luca Barbareschi and told him to contact the three other actors who played the missing film team. He presented the actors, alive and well, to the courts, and thus, the murder charges were dropped. The film remained banned in Italy for another three years.

nigdef - 2008-04-17 01:52:16
the life of Brian wasn't banned in scotland it was banned in one town well a village really by the local council big difference dude

This Fails, doesn't mention Salt of the earth - 2008-04-17 02:48:16
This list fails, it doesn't mention one of the only movies to actually get banned from Hollywood and shoot all the cast into a blacklist. SALT OF THE EARTH

Digger - 2008-04-17 03:11:21
Clockwork Orange was indeed banned in Australia for 20 years, and Lolita was also banned.

Tinderbox - 2008-04-17 11:27:38
"Anonymous - 2008-04-16 18:34:10 Some people were so outraged by The Last Temptation that there were a few instances of theaters being firebombed when the film was being shown." That's nonsense. Either provide a news source for this ridiculous claim or put on lid on your overactive imagination in public.

jmcnally - 2008-04-17 14:04:34
Straw Dogs was banned in the UK for a long time.

Mahoney - 2008-04-17 14:51:34
Tinderbox - 2008-04-17 11:27:38 "That's nonsense. Either provide a news source for this ridiculous claim or put on lid on your overactive imagination in public." A quick Google search will turn up quite a few news articles saying that theaters were in fact firebombed over The Last Temptation of Christ.

Liz - 2008-04-17 18:14:27
@David: It's not as simple as you say to say "no." This woman was very young at the time, and her costar was a legend. Any difficulty on set and you won't get hired again. And many women have a good deal of trouble asserting themselves in such a situation.

Also of note - 2008-04-20 09:42:27
The Dutch film "Fitna" was banned in several Muslim countries this year.

raisedbywolves - 2008-04-20 12:27:11
Ahem, Mahoney-I actually worked at a "box office" of an older theater, back in the 80's. For the duration that we showed "The Last Temptation of Christ" there were folks picketing the theater, although they did never fire-bomb us, things got heated with verbal exchanges from both sides. At the time I had thought how strange, to object to something you've never seen?

Lyndi - 2008-04-20 17:09:48
I enjoyed this list - now I've got some movies to rent on a slow weeknight. I think any Eddie Murphy movie, in which he plays more than one character with the aide of a fat suit, should be banned. Everywhere.

jocko - 2008-04-29 12:03:46
When I was a teen, "Caligula" which was made by Penthouse I believe, was being fought in the courts in MA. I remember the cops going into the theater in my hometown mall and confiscating the film. I don't remember if there was a controversy about that movie elsewhere.

harry - 2008-05-01 22:12:09
El Topo's not listed either (by Alejandro Jodorowsky in 1970).. Really an amazing film, banned for a very long time for it's explicit contents and gore. Ended up becoming a cult movie. It's a dark and mystic western about a mysterious rider in black.

Lori - 2008-05-06 01:21:54
Cannibal Holocaust only rivals Eraserhead in levels of sheer disturbing-ness.

no_subject - 2008-07-10 04:44:06
i find it kinda sad that i havent really seen any of these movies and heard only of a few. looks like i got homework.... oh yeah, anything with britney spears in it should be banned from the entire world.

cat of mude - 2008-07-20 06:55:55
although cannible holocaust is a nasty film,the likes of salo,man behind the sun,untold story,henry,guinea pig series (gross),and the wonderfull nekromantiks dont get a mention

Anonymous - 2008-10-08 19:45:37

Can someone tell me what the hell is wrong with Sweden? They give Salo (uncut) and Caligula a 15 but they ban Tenebre, what the hell is their reasoning? Are they more demented than the films themselves?

casey a benson - 2008-11-02 23:08:35

Come on people its year 2008, get over it show the movies.

luke - 2008-11-19 21:38:43

the last one is crazy i dont know how some one could make a film on this shit

andrew clouet - 2009-01-12 07:30:30

what about the 1975 french movie la bête (the beast) i saw a mere snippet of this movie online and it was enough to make me sick, frankly i think this movie could do with being still banned or at least given a porno rating so you can't easily buy in anywhere. look up the movie guys, unnatural, realistic, sexual content

She - 2009-01-28 05:25:02

What about "Salo, or 120 days of Sodoma"??

Big ding dong - 2009-06-19 09:02:27

hate to say it but this world needs more films like cannibal holocaust, the sheer lack of care for what people would think of the movie just grabs you. If you aint seen it make sure you do. real artisc real kill shoots in it apparently. UK

Killer Klown - 2009-07-27 12:26:19

Salo or 120 days of Sodom is the grossest movie I have ever seen,however it was the worth the watch as it has a interesting take on bringing children through puberty, and the film is based on a book from the 1800s, the director creates the movie to be excatly like the book, very well done for how disturing it is, the torture scene at the end is the worst and the poo! oh the humanity of the poo! Have only seen advertisements for the nekromantiks movies and those look like they are disgusting movies with none or unnecessary artistic merit. Cannibal Holocaust is a good movie defenitely has a legitimate message in it, makes you wonder who the real monsters are, the cannibals or modern man, Alec Balwin agrees with me on that one. And Titicut Follies, i dont know about the rest of you guys but I didnt think the prisoners were that mistreated in that movie, other than they could have had a better facility. Possibly the guards smartened up when the camera was in there. top 3 scenes: when they enter the insane murderer ward, when they are all partying and singing together, and when the badass psychologist tries to study inmates to see if they are fit to re-enter society, one of my favorite documentaries of all time

Gverse - 2009-09-16 09:34:04

Kubrick's A Clockwork Orange was never banned. In the UK after the films release groups of criminals took some queues from the movie, such as a group of teens sexually assaulting a woman while they sang ?Singin' in the Rain? anyway Kubrick began recieving death threats so HE pulled the movie from (and only) the UK... where he lived. btw criminals will comit a crime whether they wear a jason mask or act/dress like someone or sing a certain song movies don't make people commit a crime they're just a ?for dummies? guide for uncreative morons. I actually just watched A Clockwork Orange the other night after not seeing it for years... just wow u really forget what a masterpiece it is. I'm not a Kubrick nut but he did have a few gems no denying his genius and role on movies we see today.

sean murphy - 2009-09-28 14:31:39

can you get cannibal holocaust on dvd in ireland? ttaf353@gmail.com

The - 2009-11-10 12:51:38

Get all these BANNED Movies here at http://freecontroversy.wordpress.com/top-10-banned-films-of-the-20th-century/ and other Controversial and non-controversial movies at http://freecontroversy.wordpress.com/ Thanks!