Forbidden Films : Censorship Histories of 125 Motion Pictures

by Sova, Dawn B.

• ISBN13: 9780816043361
• ISBN10: 0816043361
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2001-10-01
• Publisher: Facts on File

Summary

Alphabetically arranged entries offer detailed histories of 125 films, providing production data, cast information, plot summaries, censorship histories, and profiles of directors.

Author Biography

Dawn B. Sova, teaches English at Montclair State University, and has served as a mentor for courses in American cinema at Thomas Edison State College.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	iv
Foreword	v
Introduction	x
List of Entries	xiv
Forbidden Films	1	(312)
Bibliography	313	(38)
Appendixes
I. Directors' Profiles	327	(20)
II. Reasons for Banning	347	(2)
III. 125 Additional Challenged, Censored, and Banned Films	349	(2)
Index	351

Excerpts

Since the earliest days of the movie industry, mainstream films have been banned for their sexual, religious, social, and political content. The history of film censorship began when politicians created state and municipal censorship bureaus, which led to the creation of the National Board of Censorship. Forbidden Films traces the efforts to censor 125 major films, ranging from the silent Birth of a Nation to the classic Gone With the Wind.
This fascinating reference examines the continued efforts to regulate the industry, providing a summary of each banned work—including production details, its censorship history, and suggestions for further reading on the film.
Among the topics covered are:
Early efforts to regulate the movie industry, such as the Hays Code in 1922 and the Motion Picture Production Code in 1930
The emergence of the Catholic League of Decency, which wielded extensive power for nearly 40 years
The reasoning behind different types of film censorship, including racism and anti-Semitism, sexual indecency, and the fear of Communism
Classic and contemporary films that have faced censorship on sexual grounds (Last Tango in Paris, A Streetcar Named Desire), social grounds (Of Human Bondage, Spartacus), political grounds (Anna and the King, Revenge at Daybreak), and religious grounds (La Dolce Vita, The Last Temptation of Christ), as well as for violent content (Natural Born Killers, Scarface)
Appendixes profiling the directors of the banned films, films classified according to the reason for their censorship or ban, and a listing of 125 additional challenged, censored, and banned films.