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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