CENSORED (1965)
Directed by Barry Mahon
Something Weird DVD-R
Reviewed 06.28.07
Buy it from Something Weird!
Review by Joseph A. Ziemba

THE FILM
Ideals must be challenged! Discountenance cannot roam free! Barry Mahon is our only hope.

In 1965, the methods of exploitive renaissance man Barry Mahon (The Beast That Killed Women) were at a peak. Nudity as sleep enhancement. Revolutions in static photography. Insightful regional casting. The iron, as they say, was hot. But, the government had a problem with "Adults Only!" films. Mahon had a problem with the government. Fists to paper, Barry Mahon cried, "Where does the fine line between Constitutional freedom and pornography lie?!", before adding, -CENSORED-.

Good God. I've been Censored!

Predating the taboo-yet-faked compilation trend of Faces Of Death by decades, Censored promises to show YOU, the audience, exactly what was cut 'n' banned from several films in Barry Mahon's vast arsenal. At the same time, it attempts to raise awareness regarding the horrors of artistic censorship by The Man. Sincerely. But Mahon couldn't find any excised footage from his movies. So, he made the whole thing up. Censor that.

Like The Weird World Of LSD, Censored is a black and white mishmash of random, escalating outrageousness, just bolstered with the unique fervor of Mr. Mahon. And a host/narrator straight out of a classroom scare film. You may grow listless with naked girls on the phone, naked girls talking about the weekend, and naked girls sitting on couches. Impossible, but true. Mahon hears your plea! Suddenly, Censored dives headfirst into stunning depths of weirdness. Bloodless basement dismemberment by saw. Knife killers in the ladies' room. An apartment house molester. A man who screams "I HATE TELEVISION!" before pouncing on his girlfriend. Close-ups of bra straps, moles, and lesbian petting. Butch Nazi-lesbo torture with a fireplace poker (in German!)...and so much more. Good ol' Mahoney.

Chock full of priceless dialogue ("It's unfortunate that human life, which is so rich in spiritual attainment, has to be conceived in the filth of a bedroom!"), 60s library music, and constant Art Vs. Government yuks, Censored is Barry Mahon's cracked masterpiece. On its own, the concept breaks the barometer of innovative huckster filmmaking. Luckily, Mahon takes his idea to its absolute pinnacle, coalescing creeps, nakedness, boredom, and abnormality into 60 minutes of total disconnection. All for the good of the people.

Barry Mahon has made a statement. Donn Davison, Dale Berry, and Peter Perry would be proud; we should all be grateful.

AUDIO AND VIDEO
Censored looks surprisingly slick. The print carries deep blacks, very little damage, and delectable blasts of hi-fi, mono sound. Compression artifacts never entered the picture. Mahon wouldn't have it.

EXTRAS
Naturally. Something Weird fills up the second hour of this DVD-R with a terrific trailer for Censored ("This motion picture is CENSORED!"), trailers for Mahon's Good Time With A Bad Girl and The Sex Killer, seven additional sexploitation trailers, and the lengthy Mahon short "Nude A Go Go", which is exactly what it sounds like. Except for the superimposed photos of rooftops. I didn't get that.

FINAL THOUGHTS
Art. Politics. Mahon! Censored is a shining moment in contempo 1960s exploitation, not to mention Barry Mahon's peculiar career. If you have a thirst for surreal, cut-rate 60s obscurities, it doesn't get much more quenching than this. As ever, I remain -CENSORED-.

This man is CENSORED.


These breasts are CENSORED.


This dismemberment is CENSORED.


CENSORED!!