why is this film banned?
im wondering if anyone knows why this film is not available. its a genuine question as i really have no idea. thanks.
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MovieChat Forums > Cocksucker Blues Discussion > why is this film banned?
Flashes of people having sex on the Stones plane.
Drug usage...etc.
Plus, the Stones did'nt ever want to release it.
And the title made it unreleaseable in any mainstream mkt.
Mick and Keith said they liked it. But they're rich and dont need
to mkt films like this one. The Stones are still going.
Remember, the Rock and Roll circus was'nt released til 1995.
Also,
Robert Frank worked out a deal where it could never be shown
without him present. How do ya like that?? It's true, ya know.
From what I understand, the release of this film would have made it extremely difficult for the band to get travel visas. Their reputation at the time wasn't the best and this would have been used as evidence against them.
shareThat is interesting. I saw Radiohead refuse to answer a question about a rumor they accepted an award while tripping on mushrooms. They just hinted my country had customs that already gave them hard time every time they came here.
Doing drugs in a documentary is probably worse than actually getting convicted of drug offence, at least in the latter case you can act all sorry and just pay for a waiver. A movie with you enjoying drugs looks way worse and pisses the anti drug crowd off. And customs agents are very anti drug.
People often wonder why so few famous people admit to drugs, travel hassles are probably a huge factor in that.
The band wanted it to be banned. The subject matter is certainly risque, but that wasn't enough to keep it from being released, especially since at the time there were films with even more questionable content being released.
So it wasn't a matter of censors coming down on the Stones. It was the Stones coming down on the director. Mick Jagger's told Robert Wise "It's a f#%&ing good film, Robert, but if it shows in America we’ll never be allowed in the country again." So the Stones took Robert Frank to court in order to keep it from being released. Due to a court ruling it could only be shown with Robert present, and only a certain amount of times per year.
Aside from the fear that a behind the scenes look at just HOW crazy things were on the Stones tour could be seen by authorities who would deny work visas, it is also not a very flattering look at the band. And I think that has more to do with it, since nowadays they don't have to worry about not being admitted into the States on account of a 40 year old movie. Yet it's still not released officially. Footage of the "invincible" Keith Richards being dope sick, Mick saying potentially racist things (calling African Americans "those people" and explaining how they have a different mindset) and various other things are less than flattering to a band that is very conscious about their image.
Mick is a Knight now, he's Sir Michael Philip Jagger, and a movie that has him smoking joints, snorting cocaine, hanging out with an entourage of groupies and heroin junkies, playing with himself, and providing a tambourine soundtrack to a dirty hippy orgy on an airplane is not really something he probably wants to see released to the public.
"IF THE DEVIL HAD A NAME, IT WOULD BE CHUCK FINLEY!!"
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I think because of its sick title! The film should stay banned!
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