Faces of Death

Dir Conan le Ciliare / 1978 / USA

An appeal to the Review Board in January 1981 failed.

***

In November 1983 it was back before the censors this time submitted by M.C Stuart & Associates. The  113min (v) videotape was again banned for reasons of:
Violence
Frequency: Frequent
Explicitness/Intensity: High
Purpose: Gratuitous

***

In the late 80's unofficial video releases of part one and two began to surface in Australia. The covers credit them to Gorgon Video, the label that first released the tapes in the U.S. The back cover reads:

Distributed by Silver Screen,
C.P.O. Box 1073
Auckland

This print is a direct dub of the U.S. Gorgon/MPI VHS and runs 105:39.

On the pre-cert forum Marc Morris wrote that the US Gorgon tape is actually cut. He also mentions that the uncut Dutch VHS has an Australian Roadshow Distributor logo at the beginning.

The Dutch tape (on the Standard Video label) runs 104m 2s at 25 fps.
The American tape (on the Gorgon Video label) runs 105m 45s at 24 fps.

Both versions are in English (the Dutch version adds Dutch subtitles), and both are full-screen, though the framing is slightly different - the Dutch tape favours the bottom of the image, while the American transfer favours the top. The Dutch transfer is superior in terms of brightness and colour.

Unlike the American version, the Dutch version begins with a distributor's logo: "A Film From Roadshow - The Australian Company".

The Gorgon Video version is cut in the following places.

1- 15m 42s in. A shot of a man holding a long knife has been slightly shortened (at the end of a reel).
2- 20m 33s in. Two shots of streets in the Middle East have been cut.
3- 32m 28s in. A single medium close up of a man has been cut (near the end of a reel).
4- 101m 14s in. A complete 2m 6s sequence involving a psychic has been cut.

***

These illegal releases attracted press coverage in February 1988 following their alleged link to a murder. Note that the M rating that is quoted below is definitely a fake.

(ARCHIVED) Brutal Video in Link to Murders. 
Sun-Herald 21.02.88 

A BRUTAL video series being examined by Melbourne police in connection with two murders is readily available in Sydney and renting well. 

The video, Faces of Death, comes in two parts, is rated "M" and boasts "the brutal and explicit depiction of actual death". 

Video outlets in Sydney yesterday said the video, banned in 46 countries, was rented out three times a week on average. Detective Inspector Graeme McDonald, of Melbourne Homicide Squad, said a man was charged with murder hours after viewing the video and another alleged killer was believed to have seen it, but died before he could be charged.

***

Presumably prompted by the news reports the NSW Police picked up the tapes and submitted them to the Censorship Board. In April 1988 a 108min videotape of FACES OF DEATH was again banned for reasons of:
Violence
Frequency: Frequent
Explicitness/Intensity: High
Purpose: Gratuitous

***

On March 30th 2007 a DVD was rated R18+(High Level Violence, Distressing Images and Themes). Umbrella Entertainment intended to release the first four FACES OF DEATH films on February 4th 2008 as part of a DVD box set. Unfortunately only part one escaped with an R18+, whilst the remaining three were banned. Umbrella Entertainment released part one in February 2008. The DVD is uncut and runs 105m 39s.

The disc contains the 1999 documentary FACES OF DEATH: FACT OR FICTION? as an extra. This contains clips from the parts two to four, all of which were banned in Australia.

***

Promo for the abandoned DVD box set.

Faces Of Death - Vol. I-IV (4 Disc Box Set) (797568) 
Coming Soon! Pre-Order Now - Available Monday, 04 February 2008 
$AU39.83 (inc GST) 

Possibly one of the most talked about series of all time, Faces of Death examines the many guises of death in the extreme close-up. Sure to shock and horrify, these brutal films are not meant for the faint of heart.

Volume I features a vicious pit bull fight, the clubbing of baby seals, a man setting himself on fire, an electrocution, San Francisco cultists dining on human organs, and a suicidal jumper taking his final leap.

Volume II shows guerrilla death squads in el Salvador, Napalm bombings in Vietnam, and a train disaster in India.

Volume III exposes viewers to a disaster on Germany’s Autobahn, a parachutist landing in a crocodile pit, and torture and murder in el Salvador.

Volume IV depicts a cremation, an electrocution, a terrorist destroyed by his own bomb, and a man-eating tiger turning on its trainer.

Audio: Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1 
Fullscreen Transfer Format: 4:3 
Category: Box Sets 
Documentary Horror 
Region: 4 Format: DVD 
Year: 1978 
Distributor: Shock Rating: R18+ 
Running Time: 485 mins

***

Umbrella Entertainment
E-mail Promo
February 2008

Faces of Death 
Possibly one of the most talked about series of all time, Faces of Death examines the many guises of death in the extreme close-up. Sure to shock and horrify, these brutal films are not meant for the faint of heart. Volumes 2-4 have now been banned by the censor, only volume 1 is available

Faces of Death 2 

Dir Conan le Ciliare / 1981 / USA

M.C Stuart & Associates had a 100min videotape Refused Registration in November 1983. The reason given was:
Violence
Frequency: Frequent
Explicitness/Intensity: High
Purpose: Gratuitous

***

In the late 80's unofficial video releases of part one and two began to surface in Australia. The covers credit them to Gorgon Video, the label that first released the tapes in the U.S. The back cover reads:

Distributed by Silver Screen,
C.P.O. Box 1073
Auckland

These illegal releases attracted press coverage in February 1988 following their alleged link to a murder. Note that the M rating that is quoted below is definitely a fake.

(ARCHIVED) Brutal Video in Link to Murders. 
Sun-Herald 21.02.88 

A BRUTAL video series being examined by Melbourne police in connection with two murders is readily available in Sydney and renting well. 

The video, Faces of Death, comes in two parts, is rated "M" and boasts "the brutal and explicit depiction of actual death". 

Video outlets in Sydney yesterday said the video, banned in 46 countries, was rented out three times a week on average. Detective Inspector Graeme McDonald, of Melbourne Homicide Squad, said a man was charged with murder hours after viewing the video and another alleged killer was believed to have seen it, but died before he could be charged.

***

Presumably prompted by the news reports the NSW Police picked up the tapes and submitted them to the Censorship Board. In April 1988 a 84min videotape of FACES OF DEATH 2 was again banned for reasons of:
Violence
Frequency: Frequent
Explicitness/Intensity: High
Purpose: Gratuitous

***

It was back before the censors in 2007 following a submission by Umbrella Entertainment. Twenty-five years after the original ban, it was Refused Classification again on December 17th 2007.

***

Umbrella Entertainment intended to release the first four FACES OF DEATH films on February 4th 2008 as part of a DVD box set. Unfortunately only part one escaped with an R18+, whilst the remaining three were banned.

***

Classification Board Annual Report 2007-08
RC (Refused Classification)
Films

Banned from TV and three films from the Faces of Death series were classified RC for gratuitous depictions of violence to humans and animals. Additionally, the Faces of Death films contained detailed depictions of deceased persons that are offensive and exploitative.

Faces of Death 3

Dir John Alan Schwartz / 1985 / USA

Umbrella Entertainment had this DVD banned on December 14th 2007.

Umbrella Entertainment intended to release the first four FACES OF DEATH films on February 4th 2008 as part of a DVD box set. Unfortunately only part one escaped with an R18+, whilst the remaining three were banned.

***

Classification Board Annual Report 2007-08
RC (Refused Classification)
Films

Banned from TV and three films from the Faces of Death series were classified RC for gratuitous depictions of violence to humans and animals. Additionally, the Faces of Death films contained detailed depictions of deceased persons that are offensive and exploitative.

Faces of Death 4

Dir John Alan Schwartz / 1990 / USA

Umbrella Entertainment had this DVD banned on December 14th 2007.

Umbrella Entertainment intended to release the first four FACES OF DEATH films on February 4th 2008 as part of a DVD box set. Unfortunately only part one escaped with an R18+, whilst the remaining three were banned.

***

Classification Board Annual Report 2007-08
RC (Refused Classification)
Films

Banned from TV and three films from the Faces of Death series were classified RC for gratuitous depictions of violence to humans and animals. Additionally, the Faces of Death films contained detailed depictions of deceased persons that are offensive and exploitative.

Continue...

   www.refused-classification.com

| Online Since April 2002