A film described as ‘repulsive’ faced bans in several countries due to explicit content involving unsimulated sexual scenes.
Movies may face bans for various reasons, ranging from political issues to graphic content, but an outright ban is relatively rare.
Nonetheless, one particular film was prohibited in four countries due to a controversial unsimulated sex scene featuring the lead character and her on-screen son.
Released in 1972, the film stars drag queen Divine, who is dubbed the ‘filthiest person alive’. This reputation is challenged by two criminals who are envious of her being perceived as even ‘filthier’ than themselves.
The film explores what some reviews call ‘repulsive’ themes, including an unsimulated scene where the protagonist consumes dog feces, followed by staged murders.
The BBFC cautions that the film includes ‘a man’s semen…seen, in close-up detail’ and ‘focus on a man’s dilating anus, in close-up detail’—imagery that viewers might find uncomfortable on their screens.
The organization also mentions that although ‘cuts were made to remove the sight of chickens being roughly handled and killed during a bizarre sexual assault on a woman’, disturbing scenes like a man ‘exposing himself to schoolgirls’ remain in the film.
The film in question is John Waters’ Pink Flamingos.
According to the BBC, director John Waters remarked: “I knew I had only $10,000 to work with, so I figured I had to give the audiences something that no other studio could dare give them even with multimillion-dollar budgets.
“Something to leave them gagging in the aisles. Something they could never forget.”
Pink Flamingos was quickly banned in Switzerland and Australia and was also deemed inappropriate for audiences in parts of Canada and Norway.
Not surprisingly, industry experts heavily criticized the film, with Variety describing it as ‘one of the most vile, stupid and repulsive films ever made’.
During a 25th anniversary screening of Pink Flamingos, film critic Roger Ebert commented that ‘with any luck at all that means I won’t have to see it again for another 25 years’.
“If I haven’t retired by then, I will,” he added.
One IMDb reviewer described the film as ‘outrageously sick, disgusting and grotesque but also funny’.
“John Waters’ intention is certainly to shock the audiences and is certainly very well succeeded,” they added.
Another individual noted: “A very strange, disturbing but intriguing film.”
Watching Pink Flamingos today is challenging due to its absence from streaming platforms.
There are limited physical editions available, and although viewers in the US may find it easier to access, many online versions are restricted to that region.