The Last Temptation of Christ (1988)

Our librarian ST Harker is back to talk Jesus over the holiday break with the story of the Crucifixion told a little different. What would Jesus do?

Banned

• Book was banned by the Catholic Church and the author was excommunicated from the Greek Orthodox church

• September 1988 banned from Savannah, GA, New Orleans, LA; Oklahoma City, Santa Ana, CA upon release

• Unless otherwise stated, various countries banned the movie for blasphemy

• 1987 - Argentina, Mexico, Philippines, Turkey

• 1988 - Singapore, and Israel (who said it could offend christian population)

Sources

Scorsese, Martin (dir.) The Last Temptation of Christ. Universal Pictures, 1988.

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"Dances and Dames." Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com). Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Da Vinci Code (2006)

Our librarian gets into the secrets of the church and symbolism following Tom Hank's mane around Paris and England!

Banned

• 2006

  • Jordan, Lebanon, Pakistan, Philippines all banned it for "blasphemous content."

  • Samoa - Church leaders screened the film and filed a complaint with the censorship

  • Solomon Islands - Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare said it "undermines the very roots of Christianity in the Solomon Islands."

• Reports of simular banning in China, Egypt, Peru, Singapore, and Sri Lanka

Sources

Beany, Howard. "Controversial Cinema: Top 10 Banned Films." Berlin Film Journal. Retrieved 2018 December 16 from http://berlinfilmjournal.com/2014/09/controversial-cinema-top-10-banned-films/

Howard, Ron (dir.). Da Vinci Code. Starring Tom Hanks, Audrey Tautou, Jean Reno. Columbia Pictures Corporation, 2006.

Pacific Islands Report. "SOLOMON ISLANDS TO BAN ‘THE DA VINCI CODE.'" Retrieved 2018 December 16 from http://www.pireport.org/articles/2006/05/24/solomon-islands-ban-%E2%80%98-da-vinci-code%E2%80%99

Radio New Zealand. "Samoa's government censor bans Da Vinci Code film." Retrieved 2018 December 16 from https://www.radionz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/162182/samoa's-government-censor-bans-da-vinci-code-film

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"Dances and Dames." Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com). Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Ben-Hur (1959)

Our librarian ST Harker goes back to Jesus times to follow the story of Jewish Charlton Heston as he gets betrayed and makes his way through life as a slave and gladiator.

Banned

• 1959

  • Jordan - Banned for actress Haya Harareet's nationality (Israeli) and because Jordanian officials traditionally banned films perceived to be pro-Israeli.

  • China - Banned under the regime of Mao Zedong for containing "propaganda of superstitious beliefs, namely Christianity." (Never given permission to screen)

Sources

Ben-Hur. Directed by William Wyler, Performances by Charlton Heston, Jack Hawkins, and Stephen Boyd, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), 1959.

"Ben-Hur (1959)." Internet Movie Database. Retrieved December 6, 2018 from https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0052618/

"Ben-Hur (1959)." TCM.com. Retrieved December 10, 2018 from http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/415095/Ben-Hur/notes.html

Yingjin, Zhang (1999). Cinema and Urban Culture in Shanghai, 1922–1943. Stanford University Press.

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"Dances and Dames." Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com). Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

The Crucible by Arthur Miller

When a few girls go sick from late night dancing, the town gets excited that witches might have come to Salem

Banned

1982 - Pennsylvania - Challenged at Cumberland Valley High School for "sick words from the mouths of demon-possessed people. It should be wiped out of the schools or the school board should use them to fuel the fire of hell."

1987 - Kentucky - Challenged as "junk" for the required reading at Pulaski County High School in Somerset

1999 - Pennsylvania - Challenged but retained at West Middlesex High School

Sources

Doyle, Robert P. Banned Books: Challenging Our Freedom to Read. ALA. 2014.

Miller, Arthur. The Crucible: A Play in Four Acts. Penguin Books, 2003.

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"Dances and Dames." Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com). Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien

The Things They Carried

By Tim O'Brien

War is hell but not in this book of truth-telling fiction. Crank up the Credence because we're going to 'Nam and learning what the war was really like.

Banned

#65 Top Banned and Challenged Books 2000-2009

1992 - Wisconsin - Because of "anti-American attitudes, offensive language, political bias, and disturbing fiction" it was removed from Waukesha classrooms

2000 - Pennsylvannia - Challenged but retained at Pennridge high school for language

2002 - Mississippi - Banned for profanity from George County schools

2006 - Illinois - Retained on the Northwest Suburban High School District 214 reading list in Arlintgon Heights with eight other titles based on excerpts from the internet. The board member instigating the challenges was elected amid promises of bringing Christian beliefs to decision making.

Sources 

ALA. "Top 100 Banned/Challenged Books: 2000-2009." Retrieved on 17 Aug 01 from http://www.ala.org/advocacy/bbooks/top-100-bannedchallenged-books-2000-2009

Doyle, Robert P. Banned Books: Challenging Our Freedom to Read. ALA. 2014.

O'Brien, Tim. The Things They Carried. Houghton Mifflin. Boston, Mass, 1990.

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"Dances and Dames." Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com). Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/