The only movie to be banned in the UK for blasphemy
Since the beginning of man, we’ve made art.
As far back as ancient cave paintings, rhythms made out of sticks and stones, and small sculptures made from natural materials, humans have been compelled to express ideas in a way that becomes tangible. As humanity has evolved, so has what we consider to be art, and now, one of the dominant forms of artistic expression is cinema.
It wasn’t until the late 1800s that cinema became a form of art, and as the silent era progressed, people soon realised that moving imagery was much more than a gimmick. The art of performance and theatre could be transposed onto the big screen, and celluloid technology meant that people could experiment with editing tricks to make lasting pieces of creation and expression.
Yet, filmmakers have routinely found themselves censored, sometimes for valid reasons, and other times for creating images that reveal harsh truths about the world that few are able to stomach. The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) was founded as far back as 1912, and since then, it has been in charge of assessing whether films are suitable for public consumption and whether they need a certain age rating or cuts to be made.
Should any art be censored? While it’s tempting to say no because artistic expression is undeniably important, there are some choices made by filmmakers that simply go too far, such as if a film depicts acts that violate laws relating to the protection of minors, for example. However, it seems that the films that gain the most controversy are often the ones that really aren’t that offensive. Well, perhaps not to a modern audience.
What was the only movie to be banned in the UK for blasphemy?
There is one film in the history of the BBFC that was outright banned for blasphemy, but now you can easily find it available to stream on BFI Player, no longer causing any kind of moral panic. Visions of Ecstasy, made in 1989, was directed by Nigel Wingrove, who has since gone on to be the founder of Redemption Films, specialising in horror, exploitation, and sexploitation films. Yet, before he was distributing sleazy and schlocky movies for cult collectors, Wingrove directed this erotic religious short, which understandably got people into a bit of a frenzy.
We see a naked nun, designed to be Saint Teresa of Ávila, and Jesus Christ engaging in sexual acts, with blood smeared across bodies and Jesus’ wounds licked in a bizarre performance of eroticism. There’s not really any plot here, but that’s not the point. Wingrove simply encourages us to indulge in what many would call ‘obscene’ images, pushing the boundaries of erotic depictions of religious figures to a whole new level.
When the movie was sent for review by the BBFC, it was deemed impossible to cut out all of the blasphemous scenes without simply erasing most of the film, so it was simply banned altogether. Despite an appeal to the European Court of Human Rights, the film remained banned for many more years, with blasphemy laws eventually being repealed in the UK in 2008.
It wasn’t until 2012 that the film was released, which shows just how strong religion’s influence on the consumption of art can be.
