Barry Mahon’s Censored has an ingenious (and fake) gimmick. It purports to be a compilation of footage that was cut out of adult movies for being too spicy. Really, it was just a bunch of new stuff Mahon shot and threw together. By using the gimmick, that means he can dispense with such cinematic elements as plot, competent acting, a basic sense of storytelling, an intelligible soundtrack, or coherence and get right down to business. Brilliant!
Our host shows us clips from a wide range of sources. The scenes are taken from such genres as nudist camp documentaries, nude figure model flicks, horror movies, bondage pictures, as well as a collection of “bedroom scenes”. While he rails against moralistic censors, he doesn’t seem too pleased by the movies we are being show. Nevertheless, he defends the filmmakers’ rights to make them.
As an actual moviegoing experience, Censored is little more than a bunch of unconnected nude scenes strung together. Some nude scenes have a pretense of a plot, like a couple on their wedding night or a husband coming home to find his wife’s lover hiding in the closet. Many of these scenes are so tame you’ve got to wonder why anyone would’ve thought they were scandalous in any way, shape, or form.
There are some moments here that flirt with delivering what the premise promises. There’s a snippet from a horror flick where a girl gets her leg sawed off that has a kick to it (no pun intended) and the scene of Nazi torture would look right at home in an Ilsa movie. One kind of wishes Mahon pushed the boundaries a bit further. Then again, he probably would’ve run the risk of being… well… you know… censored. Whatever polish the flick lacks is a moot point. Seen purely as an exercise is exploitation hucksterism, Censored is top notch.
AKA: This Picture is Censored.
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