Exorcist Banned For Good Friday
The Age
Thursday April 5, 2001
Victorians will not be allowed to see the film The Exorcist: The Directors Cut on Good Friday because the Bracks Government has decided it would be too offensive to Christians.
The government has told cinema distributors that want to screen the recently revised version of the classic 1973 horror film that they will not be given a licence to show it on April 13.
The move has alarmed distributors and cinema operators. They say it is ludicrous to ban a film that can be seen in other states on the same day, and in Victoria the day before and after Good Friday.
The Exorcist: The Directors Cut has an extra 11 minutes of footage not seen in the original release of the film, which is about a 12-year-old American girl possessed by Satan. The girl's mother asks several Catholic priests to perform an exorcism. The film includes scenes of the girl apparently masturbating with a crucifix.
No other form of entertainment, including controversial Comedy Festival shows such as Scott Capurro's stand-up routine and Jesus Christ Movie Star, which parodies Hollywood biblical epics, have been banned.
A spokesman for acting Attorney-General Bob Cameron said last night that Justice Department officials had made the decision, but the government had backed it.
``The reason that we banned this particular movie is not because it's R-rated, but the nature of the film might be found to be offensive by some members of the community given the day," he said.
Palace Cinemas general manager Sam Di Pietro said his company had been told they could not screen any R-rated films on Good Friday, including the horror film Hannibal. But the government spokesman said the department was unaware of any applications to screen Hannibal, and had no plans to ban it.
The spokesman said he was unaware whether church groups or individuals had complained about The Exorcist. An Anglican Church spokesman said ``the church was generally concerned about films which contain disturbing material of any kind". But he did not know if any formal concerns were raised.
Under the Theatres Act 1958, cinema operators need a licence to operate on Good Friday and Christmas Day. Cinemas remain closed on Christmas Day, but have been open on Good Friday since the late 1980s.
Lumiere Cinema director Paul Coulter said the process of gaining a licence had become straightforward in recent years.
``We showed Romance (the R-rated French film that includes graphic sex scenes) last Easter and no questions were asked," Mr Coulter said. ``It's a worry that someone said we don't think this film should be shown."
Age reviewer Adrian Martin last month described the director's cut as ``more startling and captivating now than ever before - and a shining example of how radical, on every level, a piece of popular entertainment can be". Last week the film finished third in the Australian box office rankings.
The ban applies to all cinemas screening the film: the Russell Cinema, the George, Village's Crown multiplex, the Dendy Brighton and Rivoli.
The AFL has backed away from holding matches on Good Friday after Christian churches raised concerns. Most hotels are also closed.
© 2001 The Age