Visions
of Ecstasy is a 1989 UK erotic short by Nigel Wingrove.
With Louise Downie, Elisha Scott and Dan Fox. See
IMDb
It was originally banned by the BBFC for a 1989 Axel VHS.
It was the only film banned in the UK solely on grounds of
blasphemy.
The BBFC decision was subsequently appealed to the Video Appeals
Committee, who upheld the ban. Then director
Nigel Wingrove
then took his
case to the European Court of Human Rights, but again lost his case.
In 2008, section 79 of the Criminal Justice and
Immigration Act abolished the common law offences of blasphemy and
blasphemous libel. And now the film has been passed 18 uncut for a 2012 4Digital
home video release.
But don't expect too much. Director Nigel Wingrove was a bit defensive
when
talking to the BBFC:
If I made the film now I would make it very
differently, I was exploring areas of dark eroticism, but I had worked
chiefly in prints, not films.
People say I should put it out, but on a personal
level I have reservations. If I did release it, I would need to put it
into context and perhaps release a documentary to accompany it.
The
film has now been passed 18 uncut for nudity and sex involving religious
images for:
- UK 2012 4DigitalRedemption R2 DVD
at
UK Amazon for release 26th March 2012
The BBFC have explained their decision to unban the film in a
press release:
Visions of Ecstasy is a 19 minute short film,
featuring a sequence in which a figure representing St Teresa of Avila
interacts sexually with a figure representing the crucified Christ. When the
film was originally submitted to the BBFC in 1989, for video classification
only, the Board refused to issue a classification certificate. This decision
was taken on the grounds that the publication of the film, which the issue
of a BBFC certificate would permit, might constitute an offence under the
common law test of blasphemous libel.
The Board is required, as part of the terms of its
designation under the Video Recordings Act 1984, to seek to avoid
classifying any work that might infringe the criminal law. Therefore, the
Board had no alternative at the time but to refuse a classification. The
Board's decision to refuse a classification to the film was subsequently
upheld by the independent Video Appeals Committee.
In 2008, section 79 of the Criminal Justice and
Immigration Act abolished the common law offences of blasphemy and
blasphemous libel. This means that the BBFC is no longer entitled to
consider whether the publication of the film might comprise a blasphemous
libel.
The BBFC has carefully considered Visions of Ecstasy
in terms of its current classification Guidelines. These reflect both the
requirements of UK law and the wishes of the UK public, as expressed through
regular large scale consultation exercises. With the abolition of the
offence of blasphemy, the Board does not consider that the film is in breach
of any other UK law that is currently in force. Nor does the Board regard
the film as likely to cause harm to viewers in the terms envisioned by the
Video Recordings Act.
The Board recognises that the content of the film may be
deeply offensive to some viewers. However, the Board's Guidelines reflect
the clear view of the public that adults should have the right to choose
their own viewing, provided that the material in question is neither illegal
nor harmful. In the absence of any breach of UK law and the lack of any
credible risk of harm, as opposed to mere offensiveness, the Board has no
sustainable grounds on which to refuse a classification to Visions of
Ecstasy in 2012. Therefore the film has been classified for video
release at 18 without cuts.
