Did you know Aussie audiences were originally banned from watching bona fide classics The Night of the Hunter, Breathless and The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (to name just a few out of literal hundreds), or that Australians initially saw a watered-down version of Star Wars in cinemas?

Book of the Banned is a rigorous, rollicking, riotous and righteously-furious jaunt through film history that reveals the shocking stories behind Australia's classification system and how your favourite movies have been snipped down under, featuring interviews with Margaret Pomeranz, David Stratton, a bunch of 'banned' filmmakers and even their censors.

Like any good story, there are heroes, anti-heroes, unexpected criminals and downright dastardly villains, though they're not always whom you'd expect. But by discussing the movies, scenes and lines of dialogue deemed too extreme for Aussie eyes and ears, we can see how far we've come in Australia... and how far we have to go.

Endorsements

'Important, because it pulls together the exhaustive record of snipped and smothered films, lying in the wake of decisions by Australian authorities.' – John Safran

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