Nothing Is Unbelievable Anymore.
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I don't recall that this was the case, though some local councils may have banned it. There were reports at the time that people in audiences were being terrified and needed treatment, but I always suspected that this was the work of the studio's publicity department. Personally, when I see girls' heads spinning round I'm more inclined to giggle than go into shock.
The Life of Brian was banned!
There is no record of it being banned from cinema's. The Exorcist was accused of manipulation of its audience through the use of subliminal imagery; a claim that is verifiably false upon a viewing of the film. The imagery in question is readily apparent and easily recognizable as a simple, yet effective editing technique, designed to make the viewer ill at ease
In the UK, The Exorcist was included in the 'Video nasty' phenomenon of the early 1980s. Although it had been released uncut for home video in 1981, when resubmitted for classification to the British Board of Film Classification after the implementation of the Video Recording Act 1984 it was refused a release and no video copies were to be sold in the UK. However, following a successful re-release in cinemas in 1998, the film was resubmitted and was passed uncut with an 18 certificate rating in 1999, signifying a relaxation of the censorship rules with relation to home video in the UK. The movie was shown on UK television for the first time in 2001, on Channel 4.
The film was a huge international hit, grossing as of 2004 $402,500,000 worldwide. It was nominated for ten Academy Awards (winning two), and also won four Golden Globes.
The Exorcist was unavailable on video for many years. I remember reading an interview with the head of the Film Classification Board (or whatever they were called) who talked about the reason why the film had been refused a certificate. He said it was feared that, were the film to be released, it would probably be viewed by underage teenage girls and there was a worry about the effect that Linda Blair's performance would have on them.
He also talked about the film Straw Dogs which had similarily been refused a certificate. He said that the Board had discovered that many rapists and other sex offenders were turned on by the scene in which Susan George is raped.
To be accurate about A Clockwork Orange, it wasn't banned, Stanley Kubrick, the director, withdrew it in the UK after the hositle reaction it received and the fact it was blamed for some so-called copy-cat crimes. Since his death it has been made available by his estate.
As to the Exorcist, I saw it in the cinema when it was first released. It was hugely hyped up, with cinemas publicising that they had St John's Ambulance staff on hand to deal with fainting etc.
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