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YOUR NEWS – Banned in the UK!

YOUR NEWS – Banned in the UK!

Lon Chaney in 1925’s The Phantom of the Opera – long before Lord Lloyd Webber got his hands on it.


List of the most surprising films that have been prohibited and severely rated in the UK, Europe and further afield throughout time include The Phantom of the Opera, Reservoir Dogs and even a Mickey Mouse short!

By Paul Johnson

British cinephiles and movie buffs might be surprised to learn about eight much-loved movies that were once banned in the UK.
Although most people would regard the UK as quite liberal in its treatment of the arts and entertainment, even seemingly innocent films have been deemed unsuitable for British audiences throughout time.

Films that have been banned in include The Phantom of the Opera, A Clockwork Orange, Mickey Mouse’s The Mad Doctor and Reservoir Dogs.

Other surprising films that have been banned around the world include E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial, Borat and Ghostbusters.
A spokesperson for Casino.co.uk, which uncovered the data, said: “You’d expect it of more explicit films or those that fall under the ‘horror’ genre, but could anyone have ever predicted The Simpsons Movie to appear in a list of banned films?
“Yet Burma banned The Simpsons Movie in 2007 because of its use of the colours yellow and red, as they can be seen to support rebel groups.
“Over the years, authorities have censored and banned movies that were deemed to be too outrageous for one reason or another – even those that seem innocent to most of us. So we’ve researched and revealed some of the most surprising.”

The Phantom of the Opera (1925)
The 1925 film was banned in the UK upon its release until 1929 because it was deemed too terrifying for general distribution.

Mickey Mouse’s The Mad Doctor (1933)
This Mickey Mouse cartoon short was banned in the UK on its initial release in 1933 because of its horror atmosphere.

A Clockwork Orange (1971)
Although not explicitly banned per se, this film was withdrawn in the UK two years after its 1971 release upon request from its own director, Stanley Kubrick. This is allegedly because Kubrick received death threats against his family. It was not allowed to be shown again in the UK until after he died in 1999.

E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
Upon its release in 1982, Norway, Finland and Sweden banned the film for all children under the age of twelve, because of the way the film portrayed adults as enemies of children. In the film, the main protagonist, Elliot, exhibits distrust and animosity towards the adult figures, something these countries didn’t want to translate into the real world.

Reservoir Dogs (1992)
Though this Quentin Tarantino film was never formally refused a video certificate in the UK, one was not actually granted until 1995 – three years after it was submitted. Because of the British Board of Film Classification’s statutory powers under the Video Recordings Act 1984, the delay amounted to a ‘de facto’ ban during this period, during which a second theatrical release took place in 1994.

Borat (2006)
The release of Sacha Baron Cohen’s comedy mockumentary was surrounded by controversy, resulting in bans all over the world. Before it was even released, leaders in Kazakhstan were outraged and it was banned in all Arab countries (except Lebanon) and discouraged by the Russian government from being played in Russian theatres. Since its release, opinions have changed and Kazakhstan has even credited the film for increasing tourism numbers.

The Simpsons Movie (2007)
Burma banned The Simpsons Movie in 2007 because of its use of the colours yellow and red, as they can be seen to support rebel groups.

Ghostbusters (2016)
The 2016 remake of Ghostbusters was banned in China due to a 2011 decision by the Chinese authorities to crack down on the depiction of ghosts, reincarnation and feudal superstitions. In 2016, the Ghostbusters movie was denied a Chinese release, despite Sony changing its name to ‘Super Power Dare-to-Die Team’ for Chinese audiences.

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