BBFC News

The Gestapo's Last Orgy is a 1977 Italian prison film by Cesare Canevari.
With Adriano Micantoni, Daniela Poggi and Maristella Greco.

In the tradition of THE NIGHT PORTER, SALON KITTY and SALO only far more depraved comes perhaps the most notorious Nazisploitation epic of them all: Daniela Levy  stars as a beautiful young death camp prisoner forced into a nightmare of brutality, torment and sexual degradation. But will a Commandant's vilest urge trigger her ultimate vengeance? Marc Loud co-stars in this fetid slice of filth-strudel

The BBFC has just banned a Blu-ray re-release of the notable Video Nasty The Gestapo's Last Orgy. The video was banned as a video nasty in 1984 and has never been released in the UK since. The video is available uncut in the US though.

The BBFC seems to be embracing more politically correct language in its rating explanations and consumer advice lately, so it is getting hard to distinguish the reasoned explanation form exaggeration and propaganda. Anyway the BBFC explained the ban as follows:

THE GESTAPO'S LAST ORGY is an Italian exploitation film, from 1977, in which a Jewish woman revisits the site of a concentration camp in which she was formerly imprisoned and subjected to torture, terrorisation, humiliation and sexual violence.

BBFC Guidelines state that: As a last resort, the BBFC may refuse to classify a work --.where a central concept of the work is unacceptable, such as a sustained focus on rape, other non-consensual sexually violent behaviour or sadistic violence.

THE GESTAPO'S LAST ORGY is largely composed of scenes of strong sadistic violence, humiliation, degradation and non-consensual sexual activity, including rape, all of which occurs within a clearly anti-Semitic context. Its central concept is therefore unacceptable, and the sadistic and sexually abusive material it contains is too pervasive to be effectively addressed by cuts.

Accordingly, the BBFC has refused classification to this work.

Offsite Comment: Still Too Outrageous For Britain's Censors

27th January 2021. See article from reprobatepress.com

The very idea that a work of fiction -- a very clear work of fiction -- can somehow deprave and corrupt an otherwise normal person (and make no mistake, the idea of corruption is one of unbalancing the normal individual, not tipping an already morally disturbed individual over the edge) is one that belongs in a past that we have long left behind. There's no scientific evidence to back it up, and the whole idea belongs more to the enforcement of morality -- the prevention of bad ideas entering the public sphere -- than stopping actual harm to anyone.

Read the full  article from reprobatepress.com

The BBFC is launching a Youth Panel, for 16-19 year olds, to build on the organisation's existing youth work, and give the next generation an opportunity to influence classification policy as well as a chance to build vital life skills.

The BBFC Youth Panel will capture the youth voice and ensure that the organisation continues to meet the needs of young people, and classification policy captures their views. The group will also provide feedback on classification issues and decisions, and be consulted on other educational and outreach work.

Sarah Peacock, Compliance and Education Manager at the BBFC, said:

Over the last year we've all spent more time in the digital world than ever before. Choosing content well, and staying safe online, are vital skills to develop as a teen or young person. That's one of the reasons why we're launching our brand new Youth Panel this year - to ensure that we continue to reflect the opinions of the younger generation in our everyday work.

We know that teens and young people have been particularly hit hard by the pandemic. The world has shrunk for so many, and there are now fewer educational and extracurricular opportunities available. We now find ourselves in another lockdown, with homeschooling the norm once again. We want our Youth Panel to give members - who have missed out on so much over the last year - a chance to develop skills, make connections, have their voice heard, and influence policy.

Successful applicants will be given the chance to: shadow a Compliance Officer and see behind the scenes of the BBFC; influence education resources and outreach work; input into research and help shape the future of classification policy; guide and shape social media campaigns, including creating content for the official BBFC channels; develop practical work experience skills, including communication, presentation, teamwork and self-management skills; and network with different teams across the BBFC and gain a deeper understanding of the role of regulation and content classification.

Sarah added:

You don't need to be a film or media studies student to apply. We're looking for young people - of all backgrounds and from anywhere in the UK - with opinions, who want to have their voices heard. If you have a passion for digital culture, and want to gain valuable skills for university or job applications, we want to hear from you.

The BBFC Youth Panel will meet termly, with initial sessions held online. Sessions will be structured, and successful applicants will also be expected to complete short tasks between sessions, which might include filming a short video or filling in a survey. Panelists will be asked to initially commit to a year, but have the option to take part for up to two years.

I was earwigging on a Twitter conversation about the possibility of a film being released by the distributors Third Window Films. It revealed that declining sales for physical disks coupled with pay per minute film censorship fees by the BBFC were leading to longer niche market films being unviable for release in the UK.

Third Window were asked about the possibility of the release of the two and a half hour film Red Post on Escher Street . Third Window responded:

To be honest, the only things putting us off is the fact that the BBFC charge by the minute (making it an expensive release) and are raising their prices again, plus the fact it's been bootlegged big time already

[it's] Not the cuts as much as the costs! It's why we try to release short films as much as possible!

And referring to a previous release of a long film, Third Window said:

BBFC was a little cheaper back then, but the market was much better so you could take chances on longer films. Yes, with dwindling sales, expensive costs of bluray production and BBFC, it's much harder nowadays.