Buzz
Occasionally, a film is released that ignites intense global debate, and in certain cases, the movie even faces a ban. This list highlights ten films that have sparked major controversy, with some still remaining contentious to this day.
10. Last Tango in Paris [Bernardo Bertolucci, 1972]
The Story: While searching for a place to live, Jeanne, a stunning young woman from Paris, crosses paths with Paul, a mysterious American expatriate grieving the recent loss of his wife. Drawn to one another, they embark on a tumultuous, passionate affair, choosing not to share their names. Their intense relationship profoundly impacts their lives as Paul struggles with his wife’s death and Jeanne prepares to marry her fiancé, Tom, a filmmaker working on a cinéma vérité documentary about her.
The Controversy: The film, an X-rated erotic psychodrama, split critics and viewers alike. Its raw portrayal of emotionless, primal sexuality shocked some and led to obscenity charges for its director and cast in an Italian court.
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If you're interested, check out one of Bertolucci’s more recent films, the 2003 release The Dreamers, available at Amazon.com!
9. Natural Born Killers [Oliver Stone, 1994]
The Story: The tumultuous journey of Mickey and Mallory, two outcasts who are also lovers and serial killers. As they travel down Route 666, they commit psychedelic mass murders—not for wealth or vengeance, but purely for thrill. The media elevates them, turning them into folk heroes; their story is told by the only survivor they leave behind at each of their killings.
The Controversy: Meant to satirize the media, the film instead inspired several copycat killers, who sought their own moment of fame, sometimes even using the film's imagery and lines. More than 12 murders, both in the U.S. and internationally, have been linked to the film. One victim's family even attempted to sue Stone and Warner Bros.
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8. The Birth of a Nation [D. W. Griffith, 1915]
Plot Summary: Two brothers, Phil and Ted Stoneman, travel to visit their friends, the Cameron family, in Piedmont, South Carolina. Their friendship is tested by the outbreak of the Civil War, forcing the Stonemans and the Camerons to join opposing sides. The film highlights major historical events, such as the Civil War itself, the assassination of Lincoln, and the formation of the Ku Klux Klan, showing how these events shape the lives of the families involved.
Controversial Aspects: The film’s portrayal of African Americans as subhuman, deceitful, and sexually aggressive, paired with the glorification of the Ku Klux Klan as noble protectors, led to widespread protests, particularly from the NAACP. It also became a tool for Klan recruitment. The film has faced ongoing debates about censorship and has remained a controversial figure, even after being added to the National Film Registry in 1993.
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7. The Last Temptation of Christ [Martin Scorsese, 1988]
Plot Overview: Jesus, the carpenter from Nazareth, struggles with inner demons, the guilt of creating crosses for the Romans, compassion for humanity, and the persistent voice of God calling him. He embarks on a journey to discover God's true purpose for his life. As his mission comes closer to completion, he is confronted by his ultimate temptation: the life of a regular, good man. The story is inspired not by the Gospels, but by Nikos Kazantzakis' novel of the same name.
Controversy: Religious activists organized protests and threatened boycotts well before the movie’s premiere. One group even proposed to purchase the $6.5 million film from Universal with plans to destroy it. Several theaters, along with Blockbuster, refused to show it. Additionally, the French responded with riots over its release.
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6. JFK [Oliver Stone, 1991]
Plot Summary: Chronicles the efforts of New Orleans District Attorney Jim Garrison, who takes it upon himself to probe the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in Dallas, Texas, in 1963. Garrison grows deeply distrustful of the official FBI narrative, and what he already knows, combined with new revelations, leads him to believe there is more to the story than the public has been told.
Controversy: Some critics viewed Stone's dramatic, documentary-style treatment of these theories as lending them an air of legitimacy, sparking concerns that viewers might mistake it for genuine history. As a result, a 1992 congressional act was passed to release classified documents (which ultimately revealed no new information).
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5. Deep Throat [Gerard Damiano, 1972]
Plot Overview: Linda, dissatisfied with her otherwise vibrant sexual life, seeks medical advice. The doctor diagnoses her with an unusual condition: her clitoris is mistakenly positioned at the back of her throat. Thankfully, there is a straightforward solution, which the doctor and several men demonstrate.
Controversial Reception: The film was hailed by intellectuals for defending First Amendment rights, while conservative groups succeeded in banning it in numerous locations and brought actor Reems to trial on obscenity charges. Lovelace, the film’s star, later condemned the project, revealing that she had been coerced during filming, claiming, “there was a gun to my head.”
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4. Fahrenheit 9/11 [Michael Moore, 2004]
Plot Summary: In this documentary, investigative filmmaker Michael Moore focuses on George W. Bush and his handling of the War on Terror. Moore critiques how this businessman with deep ties to the Saudi royal family and the Bin Ladin family managed to secure the presidency under questionable circumstances and mishandled his presidency, ignoring warnings of betrayal from his foreign allies.
Controversial Reception: The documentary sparked a firestorm among right-wing America, igniting protests and campaigns to have it banned (which ultimately failed). Moore was the first to challenge the post-9/11 taboo on criticizing Bush, setting off a season of intense verbal battles between the likes of Bill O’Reilly and Keith Olbermann.
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3. The Passion of the Christ [Mel Gibson, 2004]
Plot Summary: The Passion of The Christ focuses on the final twelve hours of Jesus of Nazareth’s life. The film begins in the Garden of Gethsemane, where Jesus prays after the Last Supper. He must resist Satan’s temptations, and after being betrayed by Judas Iscariot, Jesus is arrested and brought within the walls of Jerusalem. There, the Pharisee leaders accuse him of blasphemy, and his trial leads to a sentence of death.
Controversial Aspects: Gibson intended to create a raw and uncompromising portrayal of Christ’s suffering for mankind. However, this effort ignited a cultural firestorm unlike any in Hollywood history. Months before its release, The Passion was both condemned and praised without anyone having seen it, amid reports that the film was not only brutal but also tinged with anti-Semitic sentiments. Gibson refused to let anyone view or critique his self-financed film before its release.
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Other Noteworthy Titles: Cannibal Holocaust
2. A Clockwork Orange [Stanley Kubrick, 1971]
Plot Summary: Set in a dystopian future Britain, a group of teenage delinquents embark on nightly sprees of violence, including beating and raping helpless victims. After one of the boys suppresses a rebellion within the gang, they betray him, leaving him to be caught by the authorities. In exchange for a reduced prison sentence, he agrees to undergo 'aversion therapy.' Upon his release, he detests violence, but his former gang members continue to pursue him.
Controversial Reception: The film’s initial X rating and its classification as pornographic in the U.S. pale in comparison to the uproar it caused in the U.K. Social chaos and reports of imitation crimes prompted Kubrick to pull A Clockwork Orange from circulation in his adopted home country. It remained unavailable there, in theaters and on video, until 2000, a year after Kubrick’s passing.
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1. Salò [Pier Paolo Pasolini, 1975]
The Story: Set in the Nazi-controlled, northern Italian state of Salo in 1944, four dignitaries round up sixteen perfect specimens of youth and take them together with guards, servants and studs to a palace near Marzabotto. In addition, there are four middle-aged women: three of whom recount arousing stories whilst the fourth accompanies on the piano. The story is largely taken up with their recounting the stories of Dante and De Sade: the Circle of Manias, the Circle of Shit and the Circle of Blood. Following this, the youths are executed whilst each libertine takes his turn as voyeur.
The Controversy: The film caused outrage throughout the world when it was released in 1975, and has proved a hot potato for film certification boards. In Britain, the first cinema to screen an uncut version of the film in 1977 was raided by police. A heavily cut version was shown until six years ago, when the British Board of Film Classification agreed to reclassify the movie.
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