Holy Controversy! 13 Films CONDEMNED by the CHURCH

[@chrishushak3562]

In 1979 I got my first job and moved 400 miles away from my mom. Got home from work at 4:15 and in my apartment mailbox was a letter from mom. On my doorstep was the daily newspaper. Opened Mom's letter. She had included a clipping from the weekly Catholic paper listing condemned movies. At the top was 'Life of Brian'. Newspaper theater listings showed a bargain matinee at 4:45. Got to the theater, crossed line of protesters, and enjoyed one of the best movies ever made.

[@penguinvic9892]

I couldn’t see what the fuss was about. It was a somewhat uneven movie but it did have some memorable scenes and quotes, as in … “What have the Romans ever done for us …?”

[@lyleswanson7557]

I had a friend who didn't like The Life of Brian because he thought it was too religious.

[@aclark903]

One of the best??? It’s not even the best Python film. That would be Holy Grail.

[@rongendron8705]

I was Terry Gilliam's 'bunkmate' in Army Basic training in 1964, before he left for England ca. 1968-69 & helping to start "Monty Python's Flying Circus"! Even in '64, when he was 23 & I was 17, I knew that his artistic talent would let him go far in life!

[@dorothyjohnson6743]

​@peyes, it was very on topic. nguinvic9892

[@nigelm5777]

Stopped your video at 14:11 to watch Gilda. Magnificent film noir. Loved the singing of Anita Ellis. Thanks

[@unbreakable7633]

I was raised a Catholic and my father took the condemned movie list as recommendations of movies to see. Same with condemned books. Life of Brian was one of his favorite films. And Some Like It Hot too.

[@stephenbonaduce7852]

@unbreakable7633, that's a great Dad!

[@unbreakable7633]

@@stephenbonaduce7852 Thanks. He was a very interesting fellow indeed. Great sense of humor, spoke or read 6 languages (and English). Taught school for decades. Served in the US Navy in WW2 on the USS Hornet (CV 12). We used to watch movies together. I got his movie collection when he passed.

[@macbeavers6938]

"I was Catholic until I reached the age of reason." --George Carlin

[@TheCrossroads533]

Life of Brian is pretty lame. I rewatched it recently. Python humor was a fad thst has faded.

[@7ismersenne]

@@TheCrossroads533 your opinion, for what it's worth.

[@EKA201-j7f]

Some people use the Catholic Church's banned lists as a go-to list.

[@penguinvic9892]

You can see some high quality and interesting movies from that list. Ditto for books 📚, too !!

[@dr.OgataSerizawa]

The Catholic Church…..biggest scam to ever come down the pike!!

[@louiscolborn6715]

Catholic Church should be banned

[@elizabethcsicsery-ronay1633]

@@penguinvic9892 For example Kazantzakis Christ Recrucified, The Last Temptation of Christ.

[@oppressednolonger1497]

I hope they are still doing that

[@wmpmacm]

I remember the Legion of Decency listings for rating movies. I also remember priests occasionally going on a rant about movies like "Baby Doll." I suppose, just like today, as soon as you spend time denouncing something, more people want to either read it or see it.

[@CybeleCotter]

Of course, there was a MASH episode on tv where Hawkeye procures a copy of The Moon is Blue, anticipating a very racy film, and then being horribly disappointed at how tame it was

[@TheUluxian]

Father Mulcahey: "Well Hawkeye, they did use the word "virgin" Hawkeye: "That's because everybody was one!" I loved those episodes where everyone traded a favor for a favor for a favor to get what they wanted..

[@oppressednolonger1497]

thats because hawkeye was a degenerate from a slimy tribe.

[@TheCrossroads533]

And how dreadful a film it was, too.

[@Robert.Chauval]

"The Legion of Decency" otherwise known as .. "Prudes in Public, Perverts in Private"

[@debbieedwards4884]

Amen.

[@mgconlan]

Actually, in 1966 the Legion of Decency changed its name to the "National Catholic Office for Motion Pictures." And Howard Hughes did NOT design a special bra for Jane Russell to wear in "The Outlaw." My source for that is Jane Russell herself, who appeared in San Francisco to promote a 1978 reissue of the film. She said that Hughes had not designed a bra for her, and she added, "And if he had, I wouldn't have worn it."

[@dr.OgataSerizawa]

You’re right. He didn’t actually sit down at a drafting table and sketch out a design. But he DID make recommendations as to how it should look.

[@Johnnycdrums]

@@dr.OgataSerizawa ; Well somebody had to get in there and take those conical measurements. Probably some unknown genius from Grumman with a slide rule, pencil, and paper..

[@edgarsnake2857]

I wish I'd been Howard Hughes.

[@KatieB33]

It’s hilarious how tame they are in comparison to what has been seen on television since.

[@oppressednolonger1497]

perhaps Legion of Decency had a point then.

[@waynechapman9823]

I'd say "Pink Flamingos" still holds up as an example of transgressive cinema. Of course, it was meant to be disgusting and provocative, so it's interesting that it's now considered to be a classic and that John Waters is a mainstream cultural icon.

[@elizabethcsicsery-ronay1633]

OK, but I think it's gone too far. I think all this violence is damaging to the soul.

[@65294402]

@@elizabethcsicsery-ronay1633 Violence has existed always! since man exist!

[@Robert.Chauval]

A list of movies condemned by the church... commonly known as "The Must Watch List"

[@gregcorwin8316]

When I was a kid, my mother would make me call the legion of decency phone number and then tell her what they said about the movie that I wanted to watch. She used that rating to decide if I could go see the movie or not. I wasn't really very good at relaying what they said to what she heard from me.

[@shag6414]

😂😂😂

[@mrwookie72]

I was a teen in the 80's when the "video nasties" list happened guess which films suddenly appeared at the top of my must see list. Banning things never ever works ,it just drives them underground.

[@bb21again.67]

In New Zealand we had the Indecent Publications "Tribunal" who as a child of 10 years old I presumed was an official government body only to find out a few years later that the "tribunal" was one sanctimonious ex-nun who took it upon herself to decide what the country could see or read.😮😢.

[@John-jd7mm]

We Americans have had our share of kooks.

[@dr.OgataSerizawa]

⁠@@John-jd7mm The biggest kook is living in Mar-a-Lago, FL.

[@TheUluxian]

We had Mary Whitehouse in the U.K...

[@Robert.Chauval]

@@bb21again.67 and no one remembers her name here in NZ

[@jimkelly4214]

​@@dr.OgataSerizawaBiden moved to Mar-a-Lago?

[@searchthewind99]

The Legion of Decency condemned Marked Woman when it was reissued in 1965 but it was not condemned when originally shown in 1937.

[@johnhoie-hj7cg]

“Searing” is a good word for the Pawnbroker, the most difficult movie I ever saw. But it’s the opposite of indecent.

[@uslines]

The Pawnbroker is unforgettable.

[@henrykujawa4427]

GREAT video! What surprises me is how many of these I've never seen-- and some, never even heard of! But it makes me want to check them out.

[@dmk7700]

Any movie condemned by the church gets my seal of approval. Watch condemned movies. Read banned books.

[@fictitiousart6410]

Henry Miller was overrated.

[@pithicus52]

When I was growing up in the 1950/60s, the local theater showed a double feature Friday evenings. The one movie I remember not being allowed to see because it was on the condemned list was Gypsy, a biopic about the stripper Gypsy Rose Lee.

[@michaelrochester48]

The mall where Dawn of the dead was filmed was in Monroeville, Pennsylvania near Pittsburgh, where coincidentally across the street a huge comic con occurs about three times a year

[@greggi47]

A friend told me that she saw Dawn of the Dead at a mall cinema, It was late when she left the theater. The mall seemed abandoned. And when she went to the parking lot hers was one of the few left there, way off in the distance. Some of the lights in the lot were dark, so there were big patches of blackness. It was a memorable night.

[@UncleVegetable]

I’ll bet it’s abandoned now.

[@elizabethcsicsery-ronay1633]

@@greggi47 I think I would have gone home without the car.

[@Donathon-f6f]

Wasn't it turned into a museum of sorts?....​@@UncleVegetable

[@RobertHawthorne]

Every Sunday my mother always got the Catholic Reader. One of the goals there was to see what TV/Movie media we should not be watching. Since we could only get 2 channels and sometimes 3 on the TV in those days. There were nights when the family wasn't allowed to watch TV. Because the Catholic Reader said so.

[@sterlinglewis5700]

Most of these films are classics, but a notable omission is Ingmar Bergman. I had the misfortune to be born into a Roman Catholic family, yet I grew up with the attitude "Die Gedanken sind frei" - "my thoughts are free". Every year at Mass we were supposed to take an 'oath' that we would watch no condemned movie, under the penalty of 'sin'. I stood there with my arms across my chest, refusing to say the words. I HATED being told what I must believe, or what I should worship. My mother threw a fit when she found out I was seeing condemned films, and my favorite Bergman scripts had been especially excoriated. In the course of a bitter confrontation, I challenged her, and took her to see a double bill of "The Seventh Seal" and "Wild Strawberries". The latter film had her in tears, and she dropped the whole subject thereafter. To her credit. Most people do not understand that the Roman Church is basically anti-sex, and think it is horrible unless it is done for the strict and only purpose of conceiving a child. No pleasure involved, just duty. I walked away from the whole sorry edifice in my late teens - another fight with mom - but she couldn't sway me - I was DONE.

[@ButOneThingIsNeedful]

Ingmar Bergman gets my vote for the most overrated film director of all-time.

[@sterlinglewis5700]

@@ButOneThingIsNeedful Out of curiosity, which films of his have you seen?

[@ButOneThingIsNeedful]

@@sterlinglewis5700 Sure, and just for fun I'll try to rank them (for me), ok? - Wild Strawberries (definitely my favorite) - Through a Glass Darkly (definitely 2nd) - The Seventh Seal (great imagery, but ...) - Winter Light (expected much more) - Persona (off-putting and not profound) - Fanny and Alexander (putridly off-putting) Watched all of these in their entirety.I may have watched a bit of Autumn Sonata too, but won't count it. Cheers, and God bless!

[@sterlinglewis5700]

@@ButOneThingIsNeedful Hi. Missed your response until now. Thanks! Good sampling here. FWIW, "Persona" is one of my all-time favourite films, along with "Last Year at Marienbad" - which I'll bet you didn't like either! ;-) It's 'horses for courses' - Cheers and best wishes.

[@alanbear6505]

Groups like the Legion never catch on that they end up encouraging people to see the films. The Moral Majority called for a ban on Monty Python’s The Life of Brian. That boosted interest so much that when most of the Monty Python cast filmed The Secret Policemen’ Other Ball (a fundraiser for Amnesty International) they requested the MM to ban that as well.

[@alexalex13131]

Some Like It Hot was an extremely good comedy. The Pawnbroker was simply great.

[@jimwalshonline9346]

"The Pawnbroker"? Scandalous...how DARE they portray Jewish folks in a sympathetic light (you know damn well that was the real reason)...

[@peacehopelovecharity]

60 years later and "moms for liberty" wants Maus banned because the panel depicting the suicide of the protagonist's wife in a bathtub has a breast. Same Sh!t Different Decade.

[@wardmicko1251]

My thought as well. Not all Catholic organizations were antisemitic Holocaust apologists, some championed that movie, but the Catholic League of Decency got along pretty well with the KKK.

[@laikapupkino1767]

I remember Christians of all sorts were quite up in arms about Scorsese's LAST TEMPTATION OF CHRIST for suggesting that Jesus might have wanted to get laid at some point. The film wasn't even anti-religious, just extrapolating on what preachers say about Jesus being fully human as well as being God; and pointing out that if he didn't have all the normal human needs he would've just been play acting when he came down to redeem us with his death + resurrection. But they blew a gasket over this "blasphemy", most of them without even having watched it; of course.

[@greggi47]

Last Temptation puts all the pseudo-religious Hollywood Jeus films way out in the fields. They were uniformly smarmy and pretentious. Last Temptation is honest. Of course, everything in the genre pales next to Mel Gibsons ponderous S&M snuff film The Passion of the Christ.

[@michaelpalmieri7335]

​@@greggi47 *Jesus

[@greggi47]

@@michaelpalmieri7335 Thanks. I didn't proof properly, and autocorrect didn't catch that,

[@dr.OgataSerizawa]

@@greggi47 Try the ‘edit’ function and be done with it.

[@elizabethcsicsery-ronay1633]

Great film made from a great book.

[@michaelshada262]

Well if it's condemned by the church it must be good!🤣

[@deecook8393]

FTChurch.

[@alg11297]

Forever Amber (book and movie) A Farewell to Arms (book and movies), The Last Temptation of Christ, The Graduate. AND, the Sign of the Cross that actually activated the Code.

[@clarencewalker3925]

And "Baby Face", "Red-Headed Woman", "Scarface", etc.

[@michaelchevreaux7780]

​@@clarencewalker3925 Remake Of Original Version Of Scarface, With Al Pachino As Tony Montana, Almost Got An X-Rating.

[@Bayan1905]

Ahh the church. I remember growing up in the 80's and watching the church going after anything they thought indecent, satanic, etc. I remember being 8-9 years old when the Dungeons and Dragons cartoon came out, the reaction to it, and my mother, who was a Catholic zealot at the time, freaked out when she saw me watching it and dragged me to the local church for Confession and I was never to ever watch it again. Then in the late 80's and early 90's the whole thing switched of course to rock and roll music. I remember the local church having parents take their kids records and tapes and throwing them in a metal garbage can or just in a pile and burning them on the spot. None of these people ever realized, they were having the opposite effect and only drawing in more people to watch, more people to listen to the music, etc. And as a historian, the church has no moral standing themselves given some of the things they've done over the years, for instance, the Malleus Maleficarum, otherwise known as the Witches Hammer, which told Priests not only how to identify witches but how to torture them as well.

[@michaelpalmieri7335]

Let's not forget about the Spanish Inquisition, the condoning of slavery and imperialism, preaching hatred of non-Catholic religions, like Judaism and Protestantism, not to mention the pedophile priests.

[@Fez4ever]

It should be noted that it was NOT the Legion of Decency. It was the CATHOLIC Legion of Decency. There was also the Hays Code that was still in effect at the time.

[@greggi47]

The list was published in a paper called Our Sunday Visitor. I was working as a reference librarian when I became acquainted with the List. One man called regularly to check on films his daughters wanted to see.

[@daplace902]

I remember at a very young age ,my whole family was Catholic Until -one & all -lapsed. But I remember at church ,the newsletter devoted to Movies & their ratings. What a joke. There was also (I think annually) a folder handed showing what EACH & every family gave that year. Of course shaming families who couldn't give much ! I remember my Mom & Dad discussing how rotten they thought that was. Indeed

[@dr.OgataSerizawa]

My parents pulled me out of the Catholic Church after 6th grade. The nuns told them ‘your son asks too many questions.’ This was in 1964. That was the best present my mom and dad ever gave me!!

[@kenchristie9214]

Crime does not pay was an edict of the Hayes Office and gangster had to be portrayed as ignorant and uneducated. It spawned the double negative. I didn't do nothin', I didn't go nowhere' and I don't know nothin' are now a in everyday use. The sheer stupidity of the Hayes codes was that a man and woman could not share a double bed, but it had no problem with two men sharing a double bed.

[@allenlovell1604]

Here's an oldie but a goodie courtesy of the late George Carlin ! He was infamous for being dragged off a Las Vagas Casino Stage for saying a certain word ; never mind the fact that the big casino game is called " Crap 💩! " He also pointed out the absurdity of people 👀 a movie where for 2 hours you can see 👀 people shoot one another ; stab one another; try to poison each other; blow each other up ; run over each other, and be unfaithful to their partners ; but show someone kissing, cared for expressed by hugging ; or making love to another person, then it's time for a " Police 🚔 Raid ;! We must arrest the theater owner for showing it ; the studio for making it; seize and burn all print copies, and brand it " Obscene . " What's more obscene a bloody horror movie with a mad slasher running amock ; a graphic war movie , or a film showing a tender action of love between a man and a woman? Violence is as American as it gets widely filmed and circulated but show a graphic love story; it's the end of Christian Civilization and of America as we know it ? George had his moments of pointing out irony in culture! Sometimes, it was side-splittingly funny; other times, it was sad and thought-provoking observation.

[@WattisWatts]

I think The Excor.cist was rated A4 by the Church. Suitable for adults _ With reservations.

[@kimwildey4317]

I know that my church condemned the exorcist because it showed the demon stronger than the priest. Heh, as if ALL priests are godly enough to tackle a demon. Oh well.

[@sandrasanders706]

If members of the Legion of Deceny were around in the last 50 years, defibulator companies would be out of business😮😮😮😮

[@michaelshultz2540]

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@jimm6810]

Fun note: The Exorcist was filmed on and near Georgetown University a Catholic (Jesuit) University

[@benderbendingrodriguez420]

20s-60s: moral panic 70s: satanic panic 80s: dungeons & dragons 90s/2000s: video games create killers People/organizations will always get made about something

[@michaelpalmieri7335]

*mad

[@Skatakephalos7434]

...and down and down our society fell.

[@CaptGage]

Right on, baby! Before Soap debuted on ABC in 1978, I heard all kinds of moral groups on the radio boycotting that show. My dad understandably got mad at them.

[@TheUluxian]

@@Skatakephalos7434 Rome fell not because of declining morals, but because of the rise of Christianity..

[@jimwalshonline9346]

I remember the legion condemning "A Clockwork Orange"; yet, one of the most glowing reviews I read of the flick was written by a priest!

[@greggi47]

I am guessing the reviewer was a Jesuit.

[@jimwalshonline9346]

@@greggi47 I believe he was.

[@greggi47]

@@jimwalshonline9346 Jesuits are often cool.

[@elizabethcsicsery-ronay1633]

@@greggi47 They're among the most intelligent.

[@jupiterrising887]

Hey, I had a talk with these guys in Greece, they kind of blew the lid off those guys in Rome claiming to be 'the church'. Sorry you had to hear it from me.

[@RangerJohnreid]

Back in the 1950s and 1960s my crazy mother, who was Catholic, used to subscribe to their newspaper, the Catholic transcript. It had a article on the movies. This is where they let it be known which movies a Catholic shouldn’t see. That’s how they communicated this to their followers. Movies, in my opinion weren’t the problem. People in the suburbs were casting off the rules, restrictions, and morals of the past. At least this is what sociologists said!

[@aisforapple2494]

Talking about having a woman pretending to be your wife in 'Kiss Me, Stupid' made me think of the short-lived 60s sitcom, 'Occasional Wife', about a young executive whose company likes to promote married men over the single man and the main character gets his attractive female upstairs neighbor to pretend to be his wife whenever the boss comes over. Have you ever done an episode on this forgotten TV show?

[@karenlbellmont6560]

It's as bad as books being burned as I read as a child / teenager.

[@dannyguillory8941]

It's interesting that so many of the films were done post WWII, but not surprising, in that people were exploring those themes of existentialism: what does it mean to be human and living in this world? And I could go on and on, because all our present, and past, and very distant past experiences in human society are not very different.

[@blackholeentry3489]

I watched "Some Like it Hot" when it first debued. Became my FAVORITE movie, still remains high on my list.....and, remains the ONLY Maryilyn Monroe movie I've ever seen.

[@brittakriep2938]

In early 1950s Germany ( 1951/52) there was in Westgermany a movie ,Die Sünderin ' which caused troubles with christian circles. For three seconds (!) a painters model was seen nude. There is a photo showing a riotpoliceman ( Bereitschaftspolizist) with coat/ wwll syle helmet and baton standing at a cinema entrance.

[@wangobadankas4038]

My best friend's mom would always check The Tidings before allowing him to go to the show with us. He said she didn't want him to see naked horses or bottomless Porky Pig.

[@johnthompson3462]

A list of movies banned by a business that harboured mor sex offenders than any other on the planet

[@rosschannells5407]

Once Censorship was over the top. ... Now 😮 NON-EXISTENCE. 😮

[@jacklow9611]

When the movie, "My Six Loves", starring Debby Reynolds came out, my mother wouldn't let me go see it because she thought it would be "racy" and "corrupting", not knowing anything about it (a woman adopts six orphan children). At that time, Debby Reynolds was one of the queens of the "good girls" and "good morals". As big a prude as she seemed to be, it's a wonder she produced three children.

[@stannousvortalux5655]

Thanks for presenting these. Boo censorship!

[@tecumsehcristero]

The Exorcist got more people to return to church than any Jesus movie

[@DianneRoberts722]

My mom thinks it did the opposite for some reason--that it sent the wrong message.

[@oppressednolonger1497]

look whats happening to society when the moral purveyors are ignored and dismissed. starting to sound like those who advocate for smutty films actually enjoy living in actual hell on earth. interesting.

[@chriswade7470]

I had a friend bring me a VHS copy from the USA. I’m in the U.K. my late partner and I sat through it once. I found it boring I have to admit, and the special effects were poor.

[@deecook8393]

That's a lie and a crock of bs. Why would anybody believe any of that childish trash? Read your bible. It's the quickest way to atheism and REALITY!!

[@idraconisny2217]

Well you watch war movie were people blown up, westerns with shoot outs, cop dramas were folks get killed and of course horror and zombie flix. Show a little skin and the church loses it.

[@BDot-dv7lq]

Saw the Exorcist when I was 14. Almost couldn't sleep at all that night but I felt better about myself after hearing how my 18yr old cousin had to sleep in her parents bed for 3 nights. The absolute scariest movie ever for Christians.

[@Johnnycdrums]

"The Pawn Broker" is sick. Almost as depraved as "Last House On The Left" and or, "I Spit On Your Grave."

[@timetraveler2518]

Straw Dogs (1971 film) was a controversial movie because of the prolonged rape scene that was the highlight of the movie.

[@Brandolinis_Law]

It was particularly controversial because she was portrayed as eventually liking it.

[@tomlerch9190]

This list was my must see list.

[@daffyduk77]

The Pawnbroker - a great film

[@Rkenton48]

So THAT'S where the 'Baby-Doll' got its name! Thanks!

[@txbluesguy]

The Pawnbroker is a fantastic film. I read the book with my dad and watched the movie.

[@rlevitta]

"The" church? I'm assuming you mean "the Catholic Church," one of many churches - not that I care what any of them say about movies or anything else.

[@dorothyjohnson6743]

Agreed

[@dr.OgataSerizawa]

ALL churches are scams.

[@Elmer_Gantry]

Whoever has the biggest church in the world is The Church. (I couldn't believe the vanity of the lines on the floor in the Vatican comparing church sizes.)

[@wadeheaton123]

Here's a little help pronunciating Italian.. C is pronounced Ch. Mar-CHel-oh. La Dole- CHEh Vita. Spue is sp-iu.

[@elizabethcsicsery-ronay1633]

pronouncing

[@Brandolinis_Law]

Yes, and "mores" is more AYS.

[@Expedient_Mensch]

How can you have a list like this without including Monty Pythons Life of Brian? The Church didn't just ban it, they freaked out over it.

[@cha5]

I remember back in my church days Our Sunday Visitor a weekly Catholic newspaper used to run a Legion of Decency section on movies constantly, They also used to rip into comics and TV shows among other things.

[@leonardkrol2600]

I am surprised that the Exorcist is on this list. It is the best endorsement for the Catholic church. Satin has taken control of your child? Send a priest in and he will drive out the devil. The summer after it came out I started at a secular university. When other students found out I was Catholic, they wanted to know more about the faith. The exorcist made it look like being a Roman Catholic was the awesome thing to be!

[@dr.OgataSerizawa]

Hey Leonard…..you misspelled *Satan. Shame on you.

[@elizabethcsicsery-ronay1633]

Satan

[@Elmer_Gantry]

Linda Blair received DTs from angry churchgoers who thought her portrayal promoted satanism. Meanwhile, the Moonies were taken to see it and told this is what would happen if they tried to leave the cult.

[@TheCrossroads533]

The Exorcist is the best endorsement for projectile vomit as an entertainment device.

[@67daltonknox]

That sounds like a good reason to watch a film: condemned by the church.

[@bwtv147]

I remember the M*A*S*H episode about the unit all excited about getting "The Moon Is Blue" and then seeing that all the cast remained fully clothed and did nothing sexy at all.

[@dorothyjohnson6743]

Some like it hot, was a great movie, Jack Lemon is so funny 😁

[@williammccallum1550]

The majority of Americans don't give a crap what this church thinks.

[@alfredpaquin3563]

Legions of decency? The same narrow minded crew that brought you the Spanish Inquisition and Salem witch trials??

[@mikegrossberg8624]

The Salem witch trials were held by Protestants, not Catholics

[@Brandolinis_Law]

Oh! I wasn't expecting the Spanish Inquisition.

[@robertc8110]

If these movies are condemned by the church, these are the ones to see.

[@kennethrouse7942]

I remember as a young teenager the hullabaloo when TV dared to show the condemned film "Anatomy of a Murder."

[@pokerphil1st]

Theres nothing more evil than organised religion.

[@milascave2]

I saw The exorcist, Pink Flamingos, Le Dolce Vita, Dawn of the dead, and Life of Brian. Also, "The last temptation of Christ." But. Clearly I have a lot of viewing to catch up with.

[@phred196]

Okay you're not being accurate at all here. In 1920 they banned alcohol. This was the temperance movement. And the ban was called prohibition. Hollywood got together and recognized that if people banned evil alcohol then a ban on Evil movies was not out of the question. So something should be done preemptively. And they came up with the Hays Commission. This commission had some members of some Churches in it but this was not created by the church. It was created by Hollywood with the hopes that if they did this people would be comfortable that they were self-regulating and they would not stop movie making all together like they did with alcohol. And it worked. The Hayes commission was accepted. Everybody was going to be moral. And movie making continued. The Hays commission wrapped up in 1968, three decades after its Inception and 5 years before the exorcist. By this point the motion picture industry recognized that the risk of a Prohibition style ban on movies was gone. Prohibition of alcohol ended in the 1930s at about the same time that the Hays commission was brought into being. And while there have always been individual elements of various churches that complained about various movies, it's pretty rare that a blanket statement gets issued by anyone. And to my knowledge no organized religion has banned any films

[@doraran2138]

You need to do much more home work on Prohibition. It went in in 1919 about the time women were given right to vote (Suffrage Movement) the two were closely related. The latter part of 19th Century saw significant exploitation of workers, that in many cases resulted in rampant alcoholism among these exploited men and tremendous hardships on their women, who saw the object, alcohol as the problem, not realizing that it was a symptom. Into that, in most parts of country women could not vote. Women organized to outlaw alcohol and also get the right to vote as they rightly reasoned, was necessary get control on their issues. Into this a bizarre ally, the petroleum industry, great supporters of outlawing alcohol, which at that time, was a competing fuel, so simple to produce, farmers could grow, ferment and distill for their energy needs-self sufficiency. With small modification, the Model T could readily burn alcohol as a fuel. Agricultural distillation equipment readily available up until 1919. The rest is well known about the failed "noble experiment" as itwas called.

[@ronm6585]

Thanks Rich.

[@ButOneThingIsNeedful]

This video made me admire the Legion of Decency.👏

[@drbluzer]

Condemning movies makes people so curious that they want to see it and therefore promotes a reverse effect . Much like DJ's forbidden by the FCC in the 1960's and 1970's to not play certain songs simply drove people to buy the record and listen to it themselves .

[@bwtv147]

More than any other person Brigitte Bardot was responsible for the end of the Motion Picture Production Code. In the 1950s and 1960s TV ownership became common and severely cut into the movie theater business. Theater owners saw people lining up at the "art houses" for Bardot movies and wanted in on the action.

[@coyoteartist]

The National Legion of Decency was founded in 1934 by the Archbishop of Cincinnati John T McNicolas. Although he intended it to be a bureaucratic arm of the Church, it never went beyond being a loosely connected group of local organizations. Any diocese that chose to run one, would celect a local Legion director (usually a parish preist). The concept actually spread to other denominations, hich lead to the Catholic being dropped from the name originally. By the 1960s, it was deemed the Legion as a failure and was reorganized as the National Catholic Office for Motion Pictures in 1965. By the time NCOMP shut up shop in 1980, they'd published about 16,251 ratings. Efforts to provide such a service did continue in the Church till today, but not with an eye to influencing what is actually put out as the Legion and NCOMP tried too.

[@roberthansen9694]

I remember back in the late 50's we were regularly reminded of the legion of Decency ratings. Back then, unless the film had Bing Crosby playing Father O'Malley or the movie was entitle "Bells of Saint Mary's or Boy's Town" the movie would be suspect (Disney Movies always passed). I remember there were three basic ratings, "suitable for all," "morally objectionable in part," and Condemned. I think even the "suitable" for all had gradations. As others have noted, many teenagers (and others) would use the list to determine which movie to go to, At one point they even came out with a rating system for Television. It was a laugher as "Art Linkletter's House Party " was listed as "objectionable." I one time had the privilege of attending a "pre screening" of a movie that was being rated -- I sat there in the preview room with a bunch of Christian Brothers in their full regalia. The Movie was Mario Lanza in "For the First Time." I do remember that violence, such as found in war movies and cowboy movies was acceptable (unless a couple of people were shown kissing).

[@wardmicko1251]

With the exceptions of The Exorcist and Dawn of the Dead, just about every movie here also marked a major milestone in the slow death of the Hays Code. The Pawnbroker, for example, was the second-to-last straw, being granted a special exemption and a Seal of Approval by the Hays Office despite its nudity, which pretty much convinced everybody involved that the old Production Code was an obsolete dead letter. Two years later, a major, signatory studio distributed Blowup without a Seal at all, consigning the Production Code to total irrelevance. Add that one as an eleventh film and you'd also have the history of the end of the Production Code as well as the League of Decency.

[@angryanne]

Mum didn’t like is to listen to the rock and roll station on the radio either.

[@GaryAa56]

I saw The Pawn broker when I was Nine years old in the movie theater. My Mother tried to cover my eyes at a certain scene without success.

[@greggi47]

I saw the film when it first came out. I might be misremembering, but there is a scene where Rod Steiger's character has a meeting with the mobster who uses his shop aa a money-laundering front. It is clear that the criminal is gay and has a fem boy at hand. I think that brief scene would have upended the censors as much as anything.

[@GaryAa56]

@@greggi47 You're absolutely correct. Brock Peters played the part of the monster who was laundering money though the Pawn shop. His body guard did seem as you said, a bit Gay. It's an excellent story.

[@willemvandeursen3105]

LOL. I saw John Huston's 'The Bible'. The scene where you see Adam being created, rising from earth, and... standing up. Nekkid! I heard adults in the auditorium gasping and hands being clasped over horrified eyes! If they had known this cinematic moment would make me gay for life, I would have landed in a Juvenile Correction center! This happened in a cinema in Salem. Which the next day burned down to the ground.

[@rschiwal]

The legion of Decency is not a branch of the church, but rather a group of faithful offering their recommendations. The Exorcist should have a harsh rating, not because it is a how-to on possessions, but because of the over-the-top blasphemy and vulgarity portrayed by the demon. The fact is, the case was based off a true story of a young boy's exorcism and Catholic priests were technical advisors and played cameo roles. Modern day exorcists say it is pretty true-to form, but more highly recommend the movie Nefarious, as it very accurately portrays the superior intellect, malice and reasoning of the demons they deal with on a daily basis.

[@milascave2]

So what did the church want, for people to think that demons a e highly respectful of Christian symbolism? They are the ones who created all the mythology about Satanic possession, and it's blasphemous manifestations in the first place. The inquisition's handbook, "the hammer of witches," which was basically a list of leading questions that inquisitors were supposed to ask people accused of witchcraft and then torture people into admitting that they had done the blasphemous things they were asked about, basically created the blueprint for Satanists, then and in the future. And it contained plenty. Of raunchy stuff.

[@geneobrien8907]

After Sunday mass, they'd sell a paper called, The Tablet for .10 cents. In that paper, the Legon of Decency listed current movies and categorized them for objectional content. My mother being a staunch Catholic would use the Legon to determine whether or not I could see certain movies. West Side Story, nope...Children of the Dammed, nope... Mademoiselle Striptease, hell no! Both West Side Story and Children of the Dammed were categorized as "Morally Objectionable In Part For All", I was 12 and wanted to see those two movies, all of my friends saw them but nooooo, the Catholic church deemed them to be bad for my soul!

[@penguinvic9892]

Just what I need … a whole bunch of people telling me what I should see or read … 😑 / 🙄

[@geneobrien8907]

@@penguinvic9892 Oh, they want to control much more than that!

[@pdcowles]

This should have included "Lolita".

[@MsStellaBoy]

No films involving young children were condemned? Hmm, gee, can’t imagine why.

[@molarmama32]

Films which showed danger to children were never made. Get over yourself.

[@ianl1052]

Including a 1978 movie which I commented on but it looks like it was too risqué for KZbin. I have a feeling my post is in the process of being deleted by the almighty algorithm. Edit: Yep, just gone back and my post has indeed been deleted...clearly just for mentioning the title. I did not describe the subject matter nor did I describe some of the scenes in this movie which you can still buy on Amazon.

[@ianl1052]

​@@molarmama32 Read up on a certain 1978 movie starring Brooke Shields.

[@molarmama32]

@@ianl1052 Recheck your history.

[@penguinvic9892]

The church got excited about I_olitа, both the book 📕 and the movie 🎥.

[@frankbrodie5168]

Any man of any age over 50 immediately said out loud "Brigette Bardot!" when the film 'And God Created Woman' was mentioned.

[@catman8965]

The statue in the Exorcist is of BES a protector of children.

[@LovingShadow-e3k]

Honestly, I would have been shocked if Pink Flamingos and John Waters wasn't on this list.

[@IanDavidOnDU]

I remember Pat Robertson and other televangelists comdemning the "Oh, God" movies. They said it was too "ecumenical."

[@steves3422]

Yes, as a Catholic boy in the 60s, used the banned movie list as my 'go to' list -- Hayley Mills in the Family Way -- skipped out of HS (freshman) for that one -- married sex issues and Hayley in a bathtub -- learned more in that 90min then from Sister Mary Helen in 4 years.

[@mydogbrian4814]

Hayley Mills; loved her on screen.❤

[@georgeanthony7282]

I never let organized religion dictate or govern my personal views.

[@mrwookie72]

"Good clean Catholic guilt" 😂😂😂😂😂

[@AtomicBurnsauce]

Careful now! Down with this sort of thing!

[@deaddocreallydeaddoc5244]

When I saw The Exorcist in 1972, I laughed through it. I thought it was a comedy. But then, I also laughed through A Clockwork Orange for the first 15 minutes.

[@leonfairhurst7597]

When you say the Church, you mean USA, Europe was a lot different

[@tomflorio3639]

If "Cinema Paradiso" is any indication, they weren't all that different. If you haven't seen it, you should - it's a wonderful film! And if you have, well, then, you already know. 🙂

[@UncleVegetable]

I’m pretty sure this was from a catholic “newspaper.”

[@GenXfrom75]

These are so mild by modern standards… in most cases, laughably so. Are we better or worse off for it? 🤷‍♀️

[@elizabethcsicsery-ronay1633]

I think we're worse. The violence and gore has gone too far. Degrading.

[@artmarquette5767]

Yep... movies sure have gotten (better?) ..now I can turn on netflix and find absolutely nothing worth watching. Ghay krap or dumbasse horror flicks. Hollyweird...GFY

[@elizabethcsicsery-ronay1633]

I agree. I watch old movies instead now. They were much better in the 30's, 40's, 50's even 60's and 70's. Now they're really shitty.

[@michaelshultz2540]

🌈U. R. SOFA KING WEE TODD DID !🌈 ..................🌈PHUC HU🌈.....................

[@edgarsnake2857]

That was enjoyable plus! Thanks.

[@MargeErin]

If "the church" condemns it, then it must be worth watching!

[@theobserver9131]

No greater endorsement than the Churches condemnation. You'd think producers might even pay for the honor.......

[@mousemd]

You would think that after a few films successes that the church would stop. Some people will watch the film just to see what the fuss is about

[@marymitchell8625]

The Miracle from 1948? Anna Magnani, Federico Fellini? Still provocative, and a very direct attack on Christians who are cruel to ofhers in tbe name of religion.

[@RaymondSwanson-u9y]

That condemnation wasn't very effective since people saw those movies. We can still watch them. So where's the controversy?