Across Irish history and the world at large, there is a history of iconic films being banned – sometimes by the creators themselves. 

The Easter weekend is a great time to devour chocolate eggs and settle in for the day to watch some classic films. It’s also a good time to remember how Irish society has changed and the films we once weren’t allowed to watch. 

Screentime presenter John Fardy told The Anton Savage Show one of the best films that was once banned was Monty Python’s Life of Brian. 

“It began sort of as a joke,” he said. “Eric Idle, casually said when they asked him, ‘What’s next?’ - this was like 1969, 1970 - he had this title Jesus Christ: Lust for Glory. 

“It was kind of this joke that developed into this satire – but it does have deep meaning. 

“It's all about groupthink, and not getting too caught up in what society is telling you to, so there is a serious dimension to it, as well as being a very hilarious movie.” 

Despite this high praise, when Life of Brian was first released in 1979, it was banned in Ireland for eight years. 

“At the time, it was considered incredibly blasphemous where you have someone being crucified and they start singing Always Look on the Bright Side of Life,” John explained. 

“[The actor’s] argument was they were just making a funny movie about mistaken identity.” 

A Clockwork Banned

Another classic film that was banned in Ireland was Stanley Kubrick’s A Clockwork Orange, a film about a young man whose “ultraviolent” acts results in him being drugged to get sick anytime he thought about violent or sexual acts. 

“It’s a wild trip of a movie,” John said. “The interesting thing is although it was banned, in a way, the person who most banned it was Kubrick himself. 

“He really couldn't handle the backlash – this was 1971 and if you look at it through the prism of that time, it was pretty in your face moments. 

“He got really nervous by the suggestion of ‘copycat violence’ and for years he attempted to take it off the market. 

“I don't think it really until his death in 1999 that it kind of came back public consciousness.” 

Other films in Ireland may not have been banned, but they were heavily edited to take out ‘immoral’ parts, such as The Graduate starring Dustin Hoffman. 

“It wasn’t banned but was so edited that it didn’t make any sense,” John said. 

“Mrs Robinson was this supposedly older lady - I think she was actually five years older than Dustin Hoffman – but they edited it to the point that you're not even sure if the relationship was meant to be.” 

Banning and editing films was common practice in Ireland in the 1960s under stricter censorship laws. Other films that were banned or edited in parts includes Casablanca, Dracula and Frankenstein.