Extreme Cinema
The films listed below are (in)famous for arousing controversy on their initial release, be it for explicit scenes of violence, sex or extreme political beliefs . The best films in this collection use their notorious elements not merely to shock, but to provoke ('Salo' uses its disturbing sequences, borrowed from Sade, as a comment on Fascism, whilst the sickening rape scene in 'The Accused' rightly refused to soften the depiction of this despicable crime). The following films can still cause impassioned debate, in some cases decades after they were made...
See also the category 'Asia Extreme'.
Right: One of the most shocking debuts 'Man Bites Dog'.
Salo, or The 120 Days of Sodom (1975)
6/10
Director: Pier Paolo Pasolini
Starring: Paolo Bonacelli, Giorgio Cataldi, Uberto P Quintavalle, Aldo Valetti
Pasolini's final and most controversial film has been banned, censored and reviled the world over since it's first release. The film is based on the M... Read more
Salo, or The 120 Days of Sodom (Blu-Ray) (1975)
6/10
Director: Pier Paolo Pasolini
Starring: Paolo Bonacelli, Giorgio Cataldi, Uberto P Quintavalle, Aldo Valetti
Nazi-Fascist Northern Italy, 1943-44. Four senior members of government, aided by henchmen and Nazi soldiers, kidnap a group of young men and women. T... Read more
Scum (1980)
7.6/10
Director: Alan Clarke
Starring: Ray Winstone, Mick Ford, John Judd, Phil Daniels
A controversial and vivid story of the violence and mindless cruelty inside a government borstal. The brutality of the officers creates pressure on th... Read more
Tears of the Black Tiger (2000)
7/10
Director: Wisit Sasanatieng
Starring: Chartchai Ngamsan, Stella Malucchi, Supakorn Kitsuwon, Arawat Ruangvuth
One of the most elaborate productions ever mounted in Thailand, this is a candy-coloured Western made in the high-energy style that characterizes much... Read more
Thanatomorphose (2012)
4.7/10
Director: Eric Falardeau
Starring: Kayden Rose, David Tousignant, Emile Beaudry, Karine Picard
A Cronenbergian smorgasbord of rancid flesh and sexual gratification, Thanatomporphose (Hellenic word meaning the visible signs of an organism's decom... Read more
The Accused (1988)
7.1/10
Director: Jonathan Kaplan
Starring: Jodie Foster, Kelly McGillis, Bernie Coulson
A young woman is gang-raped in a bar while onlookers cheer on the attack. The subsequent court trials question her 'easy' lifestyle and whether she in... Read more
The Beast (1975)
5.8/10
Director: Walerian Borowczyk
Starring: Guy Trejan, Lisabeth Hummel, Sirpa Lane, Elizabeth Kaza
AKA 'La Bete'. Passing New Zealand censors for the first time, Walerian Borowcyzyk's official director's cut of his controversial film can finally be... Read more
The Birth of a Nation (1915)
6.7/10
Director: D W Griffith
Starring: Lillian Gish, Mae Marsh, Henry B Walthall
An epic tale of the Civil War which many consider to be the single most important film in the development of cinema as an art. It is a stunning summar... Read more
The Candy Snatchers (1973)
6.5/10
Director: Guerdon Trueblood
Starring: Tiffany Bolling, Brad David, Christophe Trueblood, Ben Piazza, Bonnie Boland, Vi...
Three depraved criminals kidnap 16-year-old Candy (Susan Sennet) and bury her alive, demanding a ransom from her father. When Dad refuses to pay, the... Read more
The Holy Mountain (1973)
7.9/10
Director: Alejandro Jodorowsky
Starring: Alejandro Jodorowsky
After "El Topo" and with the production assistance of John Lennon and ABKCO Films and the desire to become "the Cecil B. De Mille of the underground",... Read more