The entertainment world is quite vast. Hundreds of movies are being released per day all across the globe each day. Movies are one of the most powerful mediums for expressing ideas. Movies not only entertain us but also keep us aware and in touch with the challenges of societal trauma and provoke discussions. Not all of the movies, satisfy each section of the audience and succeeds to get a lot of audience.
There are a lot of movies, that have pushed the boundaries too far and got banned in different countries. The reasons behind the same are multiple. It might be due to explicit content, political sensitivity, or cultural taboos, these movies have faced censorship and restrictions. The guide is designed to introduce you to 15 such movies that were banned in different countries for different reasons.
A Clockwork Orange
Being released in 1971, A Clockwork Orange is a movie that was banned in the United Kingdom for about two decades. It is a controversial movie that was directed by Stanley Kubrick and was in controversies for its depiction of extreme violence and sexual content. The ban on the movie was lifted in 2000 and that further assisted audience in witnessing the artistic merits of the movie.
The Last Temptation of Christ
Being released in 1988, the movie is banned in different countries. It is Martin Scorsese’s movie that explores the life of Jesus Christ/ the movie resulted in outrage among religious groups and that further worked for its ban in different countries. The movie seems to be sacrilegious and offensive and goes against Christian beliefs.
Battle Royale
Battle Royale is a Japanese movie that was released in 2000. The movie is directed by Kinji Fukasaku and depicts a story about a dystopian society where school children are forced to fight to the death. The movie includes a lot of violent and graphic content and for the same reasons, it is being banned in different countries.
Salo, or the 120 Days of Sodom
This movie is directed by Pier Paolo Pasolini and was released in 1975. It is one of the most controversial Italian movies that showcase the extreme statistical acts of torture, se, and violence to the world. The content included here is quite disturbing and leads to its ban in different countries.
A Serbian Film
Being released in 2010, A Serbian Film is also being banned in different countries. The movie is full of notorious graphic scenes of sexual violence and child abuse. It is a Serbian horror movie that was directed by Srdan Spasojevic. Due to the involvement of different disturbing scenes. The movie has faced a lot of censorship and bans all across the globe.
Fifty Shades of Grey
Being released in 2015, Fifty Shades of Grey is a wonderful movie by E.L. James. The movie is full of explicit sexual content and that is the main reason it is being banned in Muslim countries with conservative cultural values like Malaysia and Indonesia.
The Dictator
The Dictator is another movie that got banned in different countries. The movie was directed by Sacha Baron Cohen and was released in 2012. It is a satirical comedy movie that parodies dictators and oppressive regimes. The movie includes controversial political content and that further served to be the reason behind the
censorship in different countries.
Baise-Moi
Baise-moi is a French movie that was reduced by Virginie Despentes and Coralie Trinh Thi. The movie was released in 2000 and includes themes of sex and violence often blurring the boundaries between art and pornography. The presence of explicit scenes in the movie got banned in multiple countries.
The Interview
Released in 2014, The Interview is a comedy movie directed by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg. The movie is banned in North Korea due to strange reasons. The movie depicts a fictional plot to assassinate North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong-un. The movie witnessed cyberattacks on its production company and that served behind its censorship in the country.
Cannibal Holocaust
Cannibal Holocaust is another Italian movie that features extremely realistic scenes of violence, animal cruelty, and rape. The movie is directed by Ruggero Deodato and was released in 1980. The content included in the movie and the graphics are quite disturbing and that further led to its censorship in different countries all across the globe.
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre
It is a wonderful movie directed by Tiobe Hooper’s horror classic. Being released in 1974, the movie got banned due to its graphic violence and gore. The content included is quite extreme and that is the main reason why it is labeled as obscene and a threat to public morality.
Irreversible
Irreversible is a Gaspar Noe movie that was released in 2002. This French movie depicts a nonlinear narrative of rape and revenge. The movie got banned in multiple countries due to the presence of explicit sexual violence.
Life of Brian
Being released in 1979, Life of Brian is a religious satire movie that got banned in multiple countries due to its irreverent portrayal of religious figures and themes, the movie follows a man that got mistaken for Jesus.
The Exorcist
Being released in 1973 The Exorcist is a Willian Friedkin-directed horror masterpiece that portrays demonic possession and explicit scenes of violence. The movie is full of a lot of controversial content and for the same reason it got banned in multiple countries.
Borat
Borat is Sacha Baron Coen’s directed mockumentary movie that was released in 2006. The movie portrays a fictional Kazakh journalist and got banned in different countries due to its satirical portrayal of cultural stereotypes and offensive humor.
Conclusion
Despite of released on different screens, some movies got censored or restricted in different countries for different reasons. The banning of movies is entirely a complex and contentious issue. They may be banned due to over-explicit content, political sensitivities or cultural taboos may be the reason behind the same. The censorship of movies is extremely necessary to protect public morals and maintain social ogre and it is also necessary for artistic expression.
