Book of the Banned: Devilish Movies, Dastardly Censors and the Scenes That Made Australia Sweat

by Simon Miraudo

BLASPHEMY AND HORROR! SAUCY SWEDES! LUKE SKYWALKER'S CHARRED AUNT & UNCLE!
Australia has censored it all.

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.

‘A uniquely Australian ride into the dark side of film censorship, pearl-clutching outrages and moral panics, Simon Miraudo's Book of the Banned is an essential book for film fans, cinema scholars and card-carrying perverts alike.’ —Alexandra Heller-Nicholas, author 1000 Women in Horror

‘This book is f***ing great. And if they put asterisks in this quote, the censors will have won again. Impeccably researched and superbly written, Book of the Banned is an endlessly riveting slice of film history that demands to be read.’ —Chris Taylor, The Chaser & Upright

‘Miraudo masterfully guides us through the tangled and surprisingly fascinating history of Australian censorship and takes us on a wild journey through the rule-breaking films that tested those boundaries. Anchored by a detailed account of film history and censorship policy plus interviews with leading researchers and cinephiles, Book of the Banned is both a lively love-letter to controversial and challenging films and a call for our censorship practices to be reviewed.’ —Flick Ford, Triple R’s Primal Screen

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

Simon Miraudo is a Western Australian writer, broadcaster and film critic. He is the General Manager of RTRFM, which is an independent, non-profit community radio station that provides an alternative voice for WA through innovative music and talks programming, with a strong focus on the arts, culture, social justice, politics and the environment. Simon has presented a film review segment on RTRFM since 2010, and has covered films extensively for the ABC and The Guardian, among other outlets. You can find more than 1,400 of his film reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, where he is a verified contributor.

Genres: Nonfiction, Film

Kindle Edition

Published August 1, 2023

About the author

Simon Miraudo is a Western Australian writer, broadcaster and film critic. He is the author of Book of the Banned: Devilish Movies, Dastardly Censors and the Scenes That Made Australia Sweat, released in 2023. Simon is also the General Manager of RTRFM, which is an independent, non-profit community radio station that provides an alternative voice for WA through innovative music and talks programming, with a strong focus on the arts, culture, social justice, politics and the environment. Simon has presented a film review segment on RTRFM since 2010, and has covered films extensively for the ABC and The Guardian, among other outlets. You can find more than 1,400 of his film reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, where he is a verified contributor, and listen to him weekly via the Movie Squad podcast. He lives in Perth with his wife Jenny and son Miles.

Reviews

[Hope · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was so well researched, as well as entertaining and a good laugh. There is something so enticing about breaking rules so I will be making a watchlist with all these movies 🫢

[Richard Gray · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a film fanatic who has lived under the yoke of Australian censorship quirks (he says euphemistically), I've always thought that someone should write a history of our unique situation. Thankfully, luminary Simon Miraudo has done the hard work for us in this exhaustively researched and engagingly written look at the trims, cuts, and outright bans of content down under. For anybody who has ever chosen a film at a video store based purely on a 'Banned in Queensland' sticker (I'm looking at you Silent Night, Deadly Night), then this book is for you. Through interviews and official documents, Miraudo also demonstrates that this is far from being a historic issue as well, making a convincing case for an overhaul of a system that is flailing in the age of streaming. A must buy for any self-respecting film fan.

[Paul Berriman · Rating 5 out of 5]

A brilliant account of the Australian classification and censorship board. Entertaining, witty and informative I couldn’t put this down.

[Emma Gerts · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a fascinating look at the history of censorship in Australia, written in a fun, conversational style that was easily accessible and a romp to read. Absolutely recommend for anyone who is a fan of film, interested in censorship, or a fan of horror films - you'll probably be shocked to hear how many have been snipped and had scenes deleted for Australian release!

[Simon Clarke · Rating 5 out of 5]

As an avid buff who shares a geeky interest in censorship, Simon's book was thoroughly researched, insightful and entertaining read. Spanning 70 odd years of AU cinema, many classic and modern nasties are covered in detail including some fascinating insights into the whacky inconsistencies of film classification bodies over the years.

[Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the greatest literary achievements of 2023. A true insight into a world of censorship. Did you know if you live in Australia you may not have seen the whole of Star Wars? There is still a new hope for you.

[Tom Hogan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating

[Darcy Love · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thoroughly researched yet wielding a wit beguiling of its depth and breadth.

Though a fan of cinema, I watch far fewer films than I’d like and so the prospect of reading this book felt in a moment some degree of daunting. I have to say though that I was completely blown away by this read’s approachability, feeling at ease as I breezed through fascinating tidbit after horrifying fact, coming out the other side feeling like a bona fide expert.

I couldn’t recommend this more for anyone with even a passing interest in film, its history of censorship or indeed in the ethics of media, particularly in Australia.

10 out of 10 out of 5 stars!