Most Controversial Movies.

[Smokey]

High worldwide money grossing controversial movies such as “The Last Temptation Of Christ” or ''The Da Vinci Code'' prove it. We're captivated by what shocks, disgusts, and divides us.

Not in nay particular order:

Private Lessons. (1981)
A French maid (Sylvia Kristel) seduce a 15 year boy and feature both of them naked in bath tube. Didn’t think much about it when I saw it theater in "81 as a young kid, but looking back as an adult, wonder how it got a green light with such racy topic.


The Exorcist (1973)
This movie created an uproar in religion community and even evangelist Billy Graham once claimed an actual demon was living in the celluloid reels of this movie. And Blair masturbating with a cross just put more fuel to fire.


Pretty Baby (1978)
This movie probably could not be today as it feature Brook Shield as 12 year that working in a brothel. And it also feature full nudity of Shields. 70’s Sexual revolution in full throttle.


O’clock Work Orange (1971)
Two rape scene and beating a homeless wino to pulp was just a warm up for this movie.


Heroic Trio (1993)
Decapitation are aplenty accompany by young children cannibalism scenes will have your attention.


Not Without My Daughter (1991)
Looking at other cultures in black and white perspective. Every body is portrayed as evil, including the grandma.


Cruising (1980)
Pacino as cop track down a killer in gay community. The scenes of killings mixed with gay pornography had the gay community in an uproar as it connected gay sex with violence.


Once Were Warriors (1994)
Family violence is theme of this movie. The scene where husband beat up on his wife is extremely disturbing. I never could watch that scene.


I Spit on Your Grave. (1978)
The shoe is on the other foot as a rape victim take revenge. Very graphic scenes, including castration.

Honorable Mention

The Birth of a Nation (1915)
Glorification of KKK in civil war era. Also, the black actors were white painted black.

[3-LockBox]

I saw Spit On Your Grave, and it was disturbing. Otherwise, it was a cheap, 'B' grade movie. I knew guys in the Navy that rented this thing over and over...I hope it was because they liked revenge movies.

I saw the Exorcist when I was a kid (my brother took me to the drive-in) and it completely freaked me out. Some of those scenes stuck with me for years. I couldn't sit through the entire movie. It wasn't until I was 20 that I actually sat down and watched it. About 3 or 4 years ago, my then 18 year old step son watched it, and thought it was the silliest thing he ever saw - he couldn't sit through the whole thing.

Clockwork Orange was a strange movie. I haven't seen it since I was in my early 20s. Some claim this movie sparked the punk movement.

[Worf101]

Here are some that were controversial for the right and the wrong reasons:

1. "Do the Right Thing" (1989) - The power's that be in NY City felt thatt this racially charged Spke Lee Joint would cause "riots" and lead to the killing of policemen, neither occured.

2. "Malcom X" (1992) - See above.

3. "I am a Fugitive From a Chain Gang" (1932) - This film blew the lid off of state sanctioned slavery that was the chain gang system in the US in the 30's. So powerful was the film that it lead to reforms in some Southern states.

4. "Deliverance" (1972) - These things were never even hinted at much less depicted on film, now or at anytime. A truly amazing and frightening film.

5. "Midnight Express" (1978) - See Deliverance above.

6. "Brokeback Mountain" (2005) - John Wayne would'a never done it that way. He and Randolph Scott were probably turning in their graves.

7. "The Defiant Ones" (1958) - Much like Brokeback Mountain this film focuses on the love two men develop for each other in a time when their relationship was an automatic death sentence and not because they were gay, just different races. A relationship just as taboo and deadly as the one depicted above.

8. "The Chant of Jimmy Blacksmith" (1978) - The U.S. was not the only nation that had to face it's racist history and this tale sent shockwaves through Austrailia when it came out.

9. "Rabbit Proof Fence" (2002) - See above with one rejoinder, they were forcibly removing native children from their culture and "civilizing" them well into the 1970's, this is NOT ancient history.

10. "Glory" (1989) - Until this film most of America assumed that Blacks did'nt fight and die for their freedom and that a segregated Armed Forces didn't exist in this nation until the 1950's.

Da Worfster

[ForeverAutumn]

5. "Midnight Express" (1978) - See Deliverance above.

I thought that this movie was brilliantly filmed. It really gave me the feeling of being there and understanding what Billy Hays actually went through. The book is riveting if you're looking for a good read.

[Kam]

i'd toss in the Crying Game as well. Forest whitaker's best role (at the time) since Bloodsport.

[Feanor]

Here are some that were controversial for the right and the wrong reasons:

1. "Do the Right Thing" (1989) - The power's that be in NY City felt thatt this racially charged Spke Lee Joint would cause "riots" and lead to the killing of policemen, neither occured.

2. "Malcom X" (1992) - See above.

3. "I am a Fugitive From a Chain Gang" (1932) - This film blew the lid off of state sanctioned slavery that was the chain gang system in the US in the 30's. So powerful was the film that it lead to reforms in some Southern states.

4. "Deliverance" (1972) - These things were never even hinted at much less depicted on film, now or at anytime. A truly amazing and frightening film.

5. "Midnight Express" (1978) - See Deliverance above.

6. "Brokeback Mountain" (2005) - John Wayne would'a never done it that way. He and Randolph Scott were probably turning in their graves.

7. "The Defiant Ones" (1958) - Much like Brokeback Mountain this film focuses on the love two men develop for each other in a time when their relationship was an automatic death sentence and not because they were gay, just different races. A relationship just as taboo and deadly as the one depicted above.

8. "The Chant of Jimmy Blacksmith" (1978) - The U.S. was not the only nation that had to face it's racist history and this tale sent shockwaves through Austrailia when it came out.

9. "Rabbit Proof Fence" (2002) - See above with one rejoinder, they were forcibly removing native children from their culture and "civilizing" them well into the 1970's, this is NOT ancient history.

10. "Glory" (1989) - Until this film most of America assumed that Blacks did'nt fight and die for their freedom and that a segregated Armed Forces didn't exist in this nation until the 1950's.

Da Worfster

Worfster, this is a helluva well-thought out list.

By the way, I have yet to see Deliverance as a matter of avoidance. Midnight Express I saw back then and I found it very grim.

Maybe I'll come up with at "Flicks I Wished I'd Avoided" list. Midnight Express would make that along. I think I'd include Pulp Fiction (for certain scenes) and, of more recent vintage, Last King of Scotland and No Country for Old Men.

OK, I've got a weak stomack and/or I'd rather hold to a more positive vision of the human race.

[Worf101]

Worfster, this is a helluva well-thought out list.

By the way, I have yet to see Deliverance as a matter of avoidance. Midnight Express I saw back then and I found it very grim.

Maybe I'll come up with at "Flicks I Wished I'd Avoided" list. Midnight Express would make that along. I think I'd include Pulp Fiction (for certain scenes) and, of more recent vintage, Last King of Scotland and No Country for Old Men.

OK, I've got a weak stomack and/or I'd rather hold to a more positive vision of the human race.

to each his own. I don't particularly like graphic violence myself, particularly if it does nothing to advance the plot or story. Indeed, many of the films listed here do nothing to enlighten or uplift the human spirit but such is life.

Da Worfster

[ForeverAutumn]

I haven't seen most of those movies. I never thought of Not Without My Daughter as being controversial. Expecially since it's based on a true story.

The others that I've seen are Pretty Baby, The Excorcist and A Clockwork Orange. Brooke Shields, at that age, seemed to have a flair for controversial films. Blue Lagoon was only two years after Pretty Baby and Endless Love only a year after that.

A Clockwork Orange is like a train wreck. It's disturbing yet I can't look away.

[Feanor]

...

A Clockwork Orange is like a train wreck. It's disturbing yet I can't look away.

Clockwork Orange never bother me though I admit to be sensitive to gratuitous violence. There is a thread of humor (if that's the right word) that ran through that film that releaved the horror for me.
...

[Smokey]

3-LB, I now what you mean when saying that Exorcist freaked some people out. I remember watching it alone one night on TV in the middle of night and power went out. I was so scared that had to come out house and stayed in my car till the power came back on again

Worf, as usual a good list although couple of them have not seen. Deliverance and Midnight Express are probably more controversial ones on your list as it feature forced sodomy in both pictures. And Never forget the first time saw Midnight express as it did bring tear to my eyes at end. Very grim movie.

Kam, I thought Crying game was more of thriller than controversial. But I guess it cab interpreted as both. IMO Forest whitaker's best role was as Idi Amin in last King of Scotland (On Feanor’s "Flicks I Wished I'd Avoided" list ). Feanor, I be waiting on that list.

Dean Martin, have heard about Salo but never seen it. That movie seem to be on everybody’s most controversial list on net. Amazon have it for $30 and DVD release date incidentally is today, Aug 26 2008. What a coincidence
These type of movies seem to be more made in Europe than USA. “Devil” which Emaidel mentioned seem to fit in that category also, except that is not available on DVD.

GMicheal, shame on you for letting your wife watch Deliverance. That is definitely a guy movie. And thanks Auricauricle for mentioning of Crimes Of Passion. Kathleen Turner is one most under rated actress in the business. She can play lovable roles as easy as playing a real bit*h that you want to slap.

I haven't seen most of those movies. I never thought of Not Without My Daughter as being controversial. Expecially since it's based on a true story.

Not according to her husband. He also did a documentary call "Without My Daughter" that tell opposite side of story. IMO the truth might be somewhere in between. Painting every one with one brush is most troubling aspect about this movie as I believe most people are decent and care about their fellow humans being no matter if they are from Africa, Middleaest, Europe or America.

[emaidel]

. “Devil” which Emaidel mentioned seem to fit in that category also, except that is not available on DVD.

Actually, "The Devils" is available on DVD through an outfit called "hkflix.com." It is the complete version of the film, including the infamous "Rape of Christ" scene, but is of positively dreadful quality taken from a TV broadcast in England. The image is blurry, poorly focused, and the sound quality is horrible. Still, it is the only availalble DVD of this film, and it is completely uncut. There are also a number of interesting extras on the disc, including a somewhat amusing bit with Russell and some of the film's actors reacting to the "discovery" of the lost footage.

There are scores of fans screaming for the release of an uncut DVD of the film from Warner Brothers (who has the title rights to it), but Warner seems to be satisfied to rest on its laurels with the horribly butchered VHS tape of the film.

[dean_martin]

The film that immediately came to mind when I saw this topic is a film I've never seen - Pasolini's "Salo - The 120 Days of Sodom" (1975). I think internationally it's probably more controversial than most if not all those listed so far. I've read quite a bit about the film and its director, and I've come very close to ordering it several times. (I may even have a dubbed vhs copy I recieved from a hardcore film fanatic friend of mine more than 10 years ago.) But it's not a film I look forward to watching.

Pasolini was murdered just months after the making of Salo. His murder remains a mystery but many suspect that he was killed for making Salo. Pasolini was a poet and author before becoming a filmmaker. He made films from ancient works such as Canterbury Tales and made a film on the life of Jesus which was praised for its realism.

He was an anti-fascist, but ironically his father is credited for saving Mussolini's life. Pasolini was a communist but was booted from the party due to his homosexuality. The film Salo, among other things, depicts the rounding up of perfect specimens of youths in Nazi-controlled Northern Italy and their unrelenting torture. The film has been praised for its horrific and realistic depiction of violence juxtaposing films of horror and violence made for "entertainment". In other words, it's more disturbing to package violence for entertainment than it is to show what violence really is. Of course it has been banned, condemned and criticized for the same reason - its realistic depiction of violence. It's my understanding that the latest Criterion release of this film was banned in Australia just last month.

[GMichael]

My first thought was Deliverance, but Worf beat me to that. This was on HD-TV a couple of weeks ago. I got my wife to watch it for the first time. She was very upset with me for that.
Blame it on Rio was a little bit on the edge. A teenage girl getting it on with her dad's best friend. Can you say justifiable homicide?

[emaidel]

No one has yet mentioned Ken Russell's "The Devils." which is one of the most controversial films of all time. Called "the most scathing indictment of the Catholic Church ever put on film when it was released in London in 1971," "The Devils" has more scenes of orgiastic mayhem performed by Roman Catholic nuns than ever was, or still has, been put on screen. Once lost, a segment called, "The Rape of Christ" has those nuns tearing down a 12' crucifix and performing all sorts of lewd acts upon it, all while stark naked and readily willing to show the camera any, and every section of thier bodies.

People either find "The Devils" one of the most outrageous, offensive and revolting films ever made, or a piece of cinematic brilliance. I hold the latter opinion, but my wife angrily holds the former and gets visibly upset with the mere mention of the film's title.

[Auricauricle]

No one has yet mentioned Ken Russell's "The Devils." which is one of the most controversial films of all time.

I have not seen The Devils, but have seen and own a copy of Russell's Crimes of Passion, which stars a young Kathleen Turner and a not-so-young-but-still-depraved Anthony Perkins. Turner's performance, as a habitue of the local red light district, and Perkins', as a psychotic priest bent on her "salvation" are superbly wrought. The movie is over the top and campy; and there is enough sex and violence to offend just about anyone. Add to that a soundtrack by Rick Wakeman, whose noodling on the moog gives Dvorak fans more permutations of the 9th Symphony (New World), and it is a true masterpiece of "something completely different".

Seems that skewering the Catholic Church or offending things eschatological or else church-related is Russell's stock in trade....

[Feanor]

....

People either find "The Devils" one of the most outrageous, offensive and revolting films ever made, or a piece of cinematic brilliance. I hold the latter opinion, but my wife angrily holds the former and gets visibly upset with the mere mention of the film's title.

There is no "or" about it. The Devils was all of those things. I saw it many years ago but I'd have mixed feelings about seeing it again.

[3-LockBox]

One movie I saw that I thought was shocking (in its day) was Hardcore, starring George C Scott, who plays a father from Michigan in Hollywood looking for his run-a-way daughter, whom he traces to the underworld of prostitution, drugs, and porn movies. The film shows an unflinching search through XXX movies and even touches upon something that still rarely gets talked about, snuff films, where unknowing participants are actually murdered on film. Its still a rather brutal film, and of course Scott is brilliant in his disgust and anguish as his uber christian character slowly descends into hell. Its also a time capsule of sorts, showing how twisted and vile this seedy underbelly is, or was, before the advent of cyber-porn, where everyone can now safely, privately parouse just about any fettish they want, when once upon a time, it was a much more dangerous endeavor.

[Auricauricle]

Hardcore certainly was among Scott's best roles. As the tormented father, who saw the various seamy venues that his daughter was being exposed to, he really caught that sense of helplessness and the great sadness of knowing that her innocence was lost forever....

No one has mentioned Caligula. This movie botched up so many good actors' lives and hangs over many heads today. Especially noteworthy is Malcom McDowell, who played the starring role. Soemehow it seems to be nearly impossible to watch him today without Guccione's cloud casting its shadow over him. Yes, he did Cat People, which was pretty racy, but Caligula made things tough for him and John Gielgud, Peter O'Toole and Helen Mirren, who images were badly marred....

[Worf101]

"HardCore" and "Caligula" are both contenders for the top spot on any thinking persons list. Very controversial but well acted films. Has anyone playe more twisted or sick individuals than McDowell and Perkins?

Da Worfster

Salo and The Devils, man do I have some scouring to do.

[Auricauricle]

I think that scouring is just the thing....I'm having a heckuvatime sticking this scrub-brush up ba dose do ba b-brain....

[emaidel]

Another contender in this category was the first of a stream of films labeled, "shockumentaries:" "Mondo Cane."

Mondo Cane, when released in 1962, startled audiences with its claim that everything in the film was real, and that it was "the duty of the chronicler not to sweeten the truth, but to report it objectively." With that opening, a series of odd, bizarre and often disgusting events from all around the world were pieced together, often cleverly juxtoposed with one another, and all to a "brilliant musical score," according to the New York Times film critic at the time.

Just one problem: most of everything was faked, or staged. While audiences in the early 60's bought the film's premise hook, line and sinker (myself included), it didn't take long for the truth to come out afterwards, especially in the sequel, "Mondo Pazzo," as it was called in the U.S. (Elsewhere, it was called, "Mondo Cane 2."), in which the film purports to show the immolation of a Buddhist monk in Saigon.

"Mondo Cane" is of interest today only in seeing what it was that all the fuss was all about at the time, but to today's far more discerning audiences, most of it is patently false, and looks it too.

[Troy]

More for you all to chew upon:

The Faces of Death series.
Bad Lieutenant
Fight Club
Triumph of the Will
Fahrenheit 9/11
The Last Tango in Paris
The Last Temptation of Christ
Blue Velvet
Pink Flamingos
Lolita
The Brown Bunny

[Feanor]

More for you all to chew upon:

The Faces of Death series.
Bad Lieutenant
Fight Club
Triumph of the Will
Fahrenheit 9/11
The Last Tango in Paris
The Last Temptation of Christ
Blue Velvet
Pink Flamingos
Lolita
The Brown Bunny

Interesting list, but at least a couple veer way from the sort of controversy that pertains to earlier citations by our members. Of course I'm talking about political controversy, viz. Triumph of the Will and Fahrenheit 9/11.

Is it just me? I don't actually see anything controversial about Triumph of the Will. It is what it is: a pure propaganda film that was, at the time for Germans, a rather successful attempt at putting glamorous face on a sordid political movement. From the perspective of a foreign country, Republican political advertising invokes an oddly similar assessment from me.

[Troy]

Interesting list, but at least a couple veer way from the sort of controversy that pertains to earlier citations by our members. Of course I'm talking about political controversy, viz. Triumph of the Will and Fahrenheit 9/11.

Hey look, I'm being controversial in a thread about controversial movies!

I looked at the OP and there is no mention that the controversy couldn't be political. It seems like an angle that no one posting simply thought about yet.

Is it just me? I don't actually see anything controversial about Triumph of the Will. It is what it is: a pure propaganda film that was, at the time for Germans, a rather successful attempt at putting glamorous face on a sordid political movement. From the perspective of a foreign country, Republican political advertising invokes an oddly similar assessment from me.

Yes, today Triumph of the Will looks eerily like an Abercrombie and Fitch ad. Everybody is so beautiful, robust and healthy looking. We've sort of become indoctrinated into seeing that cultural look in an idealistic light. Funny how that worked out, huh? Controversial as hell in it's day, but today? Not so much.

And so much of this other film controversy is subject to it's times as well: Is the Exorcist, Rosemary's Baby or Deliverance really THAT controversial or offensive in 2008?

However, Faces of Death will always be controversial. So much of it was fake, but I'll never forget the tourist in Yellowstone getting eaten by a bear. It's burned onto my cortex.

[Smokey]

Thanks Nightflier for that list.

I have heard of Kids where they do alot of crazy stuff together. Usually can not watching the type of movies since at such young age, judging right from wrong is bit cloudy. I know I did a lot of crazy stuff when was younger that would not dare to do now as an adult.

More for you all to chew upon:

The Faces of Death series.

That must be one of worst gruesome video I have ever seen back in the 80's. It made me sick to my stomach, especially the monkey scene. Animal right group probably would have field day if such a video would be made today. But they say alot of human death scene were fake. Don’t think I want to watch it to find out for sure.