1. BBFC TIMELINE
1960’s-1980’s

2. Who are the BBFC?
The British Board of Film Classification, previously the British Board of Film Censors, is a non-governmental organization, founded by the film industry in 1912 and responsible for the national classification and censorship of films exhibited at cinemas and video works released on physical media within the United Kingdom.

3. 1960’s Films Title Director Year Controversial Matter? / Rating
Peeping Tom
Michael Powell
1960
Concentration on fear / X rating
Saturday Night And Sunday Morning
Karel Reisz
Language, violence and the theme of abortion / X rating
The Silence
Ingmar Bergman
1964
Sexual Matters / rated X with 35 seconds of cuts to sex scenes.
Lady In A Cage
Walter Grauman
Contained too much violence / Rated X
Alfie
Lewis Gilbert
1966
Contained a 'basically moral theme’ / Passed Uncut
Poor Cow
Ken Loach's
1967
Sexual References / Rated X
The Trip
Roger Corman
Concerns over drugs / Rejected in 1967
If….
Lindsay Anderson
1968
One Cut to male nudity / Passed
The Wild Bunch
Sam Peckinpah
1969
Levels of Violence / 10 Second Cut Rated X

4. 1960’s Case studies
Michael Powell - Peeping Tom: which had been seen by the BBFC at the script stage and provoked a remark about its 'morbid concentration on fear'. Various cuts had been suggested at script stage, the film was rated X in 1960 with cuts. The film failed to please the public, damaging Powell's reputation. The DVD remained at 18 until 2007 when it was re-rated 15. Walter Grauman - Lady In A Cage: The film contained too much violence and the film was rejected on the grounds that it could 'invite and stimulate juvenile violence and anti-social behaviour by young people'. The Greater London Council granted a cut version of the film an X certificate. After being rated 18 uncut on video in 2000, the work was re-rated 15 on DVD in Terence Young's - Dr No: The first of the long running James Bond movies. Rated A with cuts, this set a pattern for what followed, with From Russia With Love rated A with cuts to sexual innuendo in 1963, Goldfinger rated A with cuts to nudity and violence in 1964, and Thunderball rated A with a cut to a sexy massage scene in 1965.

5. 1970’s Films Films Year Problems with the film Trash 1970
BBFC rated only after several cuts
Straw Dogs
1971
Contained a rape scene
A Clockwork Orange
The Devils
Accused of blasphemy
Last Tango in Paris
1972
Accused of being obscene
The Exorcist
1973
Accused of having psychologically damaging effects on young people
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre
1974
The violence and terrorism was unacceptable
Emmanuelle
Additional cut requested to remove rape scene
Salo
1976
Indecent

6. 1970's CASE STUDIES
 Changes in the Age Ratings System – in the 1970s the introduction of the AA rating approved by local authorities and the industry. The minimum age that someone could watch X certificated films was changed from 16 to 18 
 The old A category was split to create a new advisory A which allowed children of five years or older to watch the films whether they were accompanied or not, however it warned the parents that the film would contain material which parents might not want their children under the age of 14 to see, without being accompanied by an adult. If the film was suitable for children of all ages, the film would be rated U.

7. 1970s CASE STUDIES
A Clockwork Orange - The film was passed at X with no cuts, The BBFC’s secretary, Stephen Murphy stated that: 
“Disturbed though we were by the first half of the film, which is basically a statement of some of the problems of violence, we were, nonetheless, satisfied by the end of the film that it could not be accused of exploitation: quite the contrary, it is a valuable contribution to the whole debate about violence”
There was a strong body of press and public opinion that the criminal and anti-social actions of the films main character, would be copied by younger people.

8. 1980’s FILMS Title Director Year Controversial Matter? / Rating
McVicar
Tom Clegg
1981
Gangland Characters, criminal biopic / Rated X
The Long Good Friday
John Mackenzie
Gangland Characters / Rated X
First Blood (Rambo Series)
Ted Kotcheff
1982
Uncut Rated 15 *
Mona Lisa
Neil Jordan
1986
Relates to Prostitution / Rated 18
The Krays
Peter Medak
1988
Cuts to mutilation scene / Rated 18

9. 1980’s Case studies Rambo Series:
First Blood (Ted Kotcheff), was rated 15 uncut in 1982, and the second, George Pan Cosmatos' Rambo - First Blood Part II was rated 15 uncut in 1985.  However, Rambo III was cut in 1988 to obtain an 18 rating.