Sometimes banned books become blockbuster movies even when their film adaptations are equally controversial.
Not all of the films I have selected were based on books.
I selected these ten films for the differences in why they were banned or considered controversial.
With the exception of the first film listed all of these films should be available to watch. How many have you seen?
Birth Control (1917) this film was produced by Margaret Sanger. Sanger was a sexual health activist and educator. She also starred in the film to help provide information about birth control and family planning. The film was censored in New York in the interest of morality, decency, and public safety and welfare.
All Quiet on the Western Front (1930) Based on the best-selling novel of the same name by Erich Maria Remarque, this film showed the growing disillusion of soldiers on opposing sides with the first world war and war in general. The Nazi Party banned this film in Germany throughout the 1930s and 1940s because it felt the film contained ant-German messages. Banned in Australia and New Zealand for its anti-war stance. A re-adaption of this book has been made into a film directed by Edward Berger and starring Daniel Brühl. It is scheduled to premiere at the September 2022 Toronto Film Festival.
Midnight Cowboy (1969) John Schlesinger’s film about Times Square hustlers, junkies, and hippies starring Dustin Hoffman and Jon Voight shocked the MPAA and was given an X-rating. Despite the rating, audiences came in droves and the film became the only X-rated film to ever win the Academy Award for Best Picture.
A Clockwork Orange (1971) Stanley Kubrick’s film adapted from Alan Burgess’ book of the same name about an imprisoned character in a dystopian future who is being treated for mental disorders with government-developed aversion therapies. Because of its graphic depiction of rape and violence, it was banned in many countries including Singapore and Ireland for over 30 years.
Monty Python’s Life of Bryan (1979) this film, now considered a cult classic was banned in many small towns in the United States because of its depictions of the story of Christ.
The Last Temptation of Christ (1988) This Martin Scorsese adaptation of the controversial book by Nikos Kazantzakis about the imagined human fallibility of Christ stars Willem Defoe. It was denounced by religious pundits throughout the world. The Vatican and numerous Christians objected to scenes depicting an alternate life Jesus imagines for himself where he does not die on the cross and lives to have a sexual relationship with Mary Magdalene. This film is still banned in the Philippines and Singapore.
Do the Right Thing (1989) Critics worried Spike Lee’s interpretation of Bed-Stuy racial relations would cause riots. Instead, it exposed problems that still plague our society.
Brokeback Mountain (2005) This film directed by Ang Lee stars Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal as two cowboys who fall in love and begin an affair that spans two decades. The film’s honest depiction of two men in love is based on a short story of the same name by Annie Proulx. The film was not shown in theatres in China but was available in bootleg DVD and VHS. In the Middle East release of the film became political because in most Islamic countries homosexuality is considered a crime. Conservative Christian groups in the United States criticized the film for its subject matter while conservative pundit Rush Limbaugh made crude jokes about the film on his radio program and accused Hollywood of pursuing an agenda to legitimize the LBGTQ+ community.
The Simpson’s Movie (2007) This film was outlawed by the ruling party of Burma because of the regular ‘juxtaposition of the colors red and yellow’, a combination which is seen to be in support of the rebel army.
The Wolf of Wall Street (2013) This Martin Scorsese film starring Leonardo DiCaprio about the excesses of the corporate world in the 80s was banned in most of Africa for unspecified reasons. The ban originated in Kenya.