10 Movies That Are BANNED in Most of the World

WatchMojo

Dive into the world of controversial cinema as we explore movies that have been banned across the globe. From shocking content to cultural taboos, these films pushed boundaries and faced global censorship for various shocking reasons.

Transcript

00:00Welcome to WatchMojo and today we're looking at films that have been prohibited across

00:09the globe.

00:23Anything can be subject to censorship, even if they are part of one of the most lucrative

00:27franchises of the 21st century.

00:29The Hunger Games found immediate popularity thanks to its dark premise, which was centred

00:33around teenagers fighting to the death to entertain the rich.

00:39The film is violent in nature, so much so that Vietnam banned it from airing entirely.

00:44That wasn't the only country it saw trouble in.

00:46While it wasn't outright prohibited, an organisation in Britain forced the studio

00:50to censor any blood found on weapons or people before it could be shown to a wider audience.

00:55Although that hasn't stopped the movie and overall series from thriving, it put a

00:59damper on what could have been a flawless release.

01:16Sometimes one scene is all it takes to derail a movie's initial broadcast.

01:21By putting a darker spin onto the classic love story, Last Tango in Paris quickly proved

01:26it wasn't going to have a happy ending.

01:33One scene in particular, wherein the female lead was put through an unexpected, simulated

01:38assault, was so stomach-churning that it was the cause of bans around the world.

01:43Countries under strict military regimes, such as Chile and Brazil, only aired it following

01:48their liberation.

01:49Other locations forbade it and never looked back, with Nova Scotia in particular using

01:54it as justification in court to censor other films as well.

02:07Some potentially controversial projects do well after being released, but this one never

02:11had a chance.

02:12Focused on a couple exploring their darker desires with one another, Fifty Shades of

02:16Grey offered adults a very mature movie-going experience.

02:27It was filled to the brim with sexual acts, which quickly proved to be an issue.

02:33While it was given the highest possible rating in some areas, others completely prohibited

02:37it from being shown at all.

02:39The censorship was widespread, spanning across three continents and even being referred to

02:44as sadistic by Malaysia's censorship board.

02:55Despite the mass hysteria, it still went on to do well in other countries, proving that

02:59there's no such thing as bad publicity.

03:11Some art is barred due to sheer obscenity, and others due to pure hatred.

03:15Although 2022's Lightyear is, by and large, a completely inoffensive children's movie,

03:21even it wasn't safe from being censored globally.

03:32It was banned in 16 different countries throughout the Islamic world, for going against some

03:37of their beliefs.

03:38What was the cause of this widespread shock?

03:40A single, split-second scene where two women kiss.

03:46Unfortunately, this wouldn't be the first time a same-sex kiss has led to art being

03:53censored.

03:54Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness faced similar issues in the same region.

03:58It goes to show that even wholesome content is subject to being censored.

04:07A lot can be excused when it comes to creating art, but it can still go too far.

04:15While I Spit On Your Grave attempts to have a feminist message with its story of revenge

04:19following a brutal assault, the way it was executed had the opposite effect.

04:31To drive the story home, the director made the inciting incident as horrific as possible,

04:37even having it continue for a full half-hour of the film's nearly two-hour runtime.

04:41Several European countries barred it in response, insisting it encouraged violence rather than

04:46condemned it.

04:47Although some countries have loosened their restrictions in recent years, Ireland continues

04:51to hold strong, with their ban on its sale still in place.

04:58Sallow, or The 120 Days of Sodom.

05:08This makes The Hunger Games look like child's play.

05:10Although the themes of Sallow or The 120 Days of Sodom are complex, they're masked behind

05:16countless scenes of gratuitous violence.

05:25The film depicts several characters, many of which are teenagers, being subjected to

05:29brutal torture, ranging from consuming bodily fluids to assault.

05:34It was intended to be a commentary on fascism in World War II Italy, but was so obscene

05:38that the political undertones went unnoticed in favour of the bloodshed.

05:46The graphic story led to it being outlawed in several countries following its release,

05:51and five decades later, only a select few have loosened their restrictions and allowed

05:55it to be seen.

06:06Cannibal Holocaust The title alone should more than explain

06:13its trouble finding an overseas market, but the troubles didn't begin and end there.

06:18Cannibal Holocaust is pure violence in movie form, all about a fictional documentary crew

06:23going to the Amazon and meeting their fate.

06:32While the people involved came out unscathed, the same couldn't be said for several animals.

06:37That cruelty, which extended from mammals to arachnids, quickly led to its commercial

06:41demise.

06:42It was banned in Italy, and the creators tried for obscenity, but the backlash wasn't over.

06:47Films across four separate continents have taken steps to prevent it from being shown.

06:51It was even prosecuted in the United Kingdom, due to being sold in its uncensored form,

06:56earning the title of Video Nasty.

07:04The Last Temptation of Christ Any art depicting religion in a critical light

07:12is bound to be met with some pushback.

07:15While some, like The Da Vinci Code, were banned for merely pointing out inconsistencies, others

07:19merely depicting religious figures were met with even worse.

07:251988's The Last Temptation of Christ went about the bold routine of dramatising the

07:32life of Jesus Christ, including his crucifixion.

07:35The film spared no expense, leading to acclaim, and international disdain.

07:40Described as blasphemous and powerful enough to corrupt, it was outlawed for years in several

07:45areas, such as South Africa and Mexico.

07:47Others, such as the Philippines and Singapore, continue to prohibit it from being viewed

07:52today.

08:00A

08:10film containing gratuitous violence doesn't mean it's necessarily promoting it, but this

08:14one certainly made people question otherwise.

08:16A Clockwork Orange utilised various types of assault as a way of enhancing its core

08:21message on human nature.

08:23It even went so far as to advertise this on its posters, being rejected in Ireland.

08:34The censorship didn't end there.

08:36For the first few years after coming out, it was unseen in South Africa and Brazil,

08:41and was only published after several edits were made.

08:44Other countries waited decades before finally allowing their populace to view it, giving

08:49them a chance to see just why it had been disallowed in the first place.

09:19The Texas Chainsaw Massacre

09:26While it may not be as visibly graphic as other modern horror films, it was still subject

09:30to mass censorship worldwide.

09:32Following a group of young adults victimised by several cannibals, the Texas Chainsaw Massacre

09:37was so macabre that it caused some audience members within the United States to leave

09:42midway through.

09:50Those reactions were only the tip of the iceberg, compared to the global response.

09:54At one point, upwards of 10 countries had prevented it from being broadcast, all of

09:59which cited the violence as the reason why.

10:01Britain went so far with the ban that even the word, chainsaw, was disallowed, forcing

10:06the title to be changed.

10:08In fact, it was only just released in Russia in 2024, 50 years after its original broadcast.

10:22So have any of your favourite movies been banned across the world?

10:25Let us know in the comments below.

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