Visions of Ecstasy [DVD]

Banned for 20 years......

One of the most controversial films ever to be released in the UK

The only film in the UK to ever been banned for blasphemy

Visions of Ecstasy, a short, experimental art film made in 1989, is the only film ever to have been banned outright in the UK solely on the grounds of blasphemy. Further its depiction and interpretation of the erotic imaginings of the 16th Century Carmelite nun, St. Teresa,were such that the films banning was upheld in an historic judgement at the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg in a case that took seven years to reach its conclusion. Now, due to the abolition of the UK's blasphemy laws in 2008, Visions of Ecstasy is finally being released.

Included with this historic film is also a 40 page, booklet written by the films director, Nigel Wingrove, in which he explains how the film came to be made, the effect its banning had on his life and future work, and how his continuing battles against film censorship led eventually to the resignation of the BBFC's then director, JamesFerman, the legalisation of pornography and a general relaxations of film classification overall.

Also included on this DVD are the director s first erotic short film, Axel (1986) and his nunsploitation feature, Sacred Flesh (2000), in which a Mother Superior struggles with her sexual desires in a series of imagined dialogues with Mary Magdalene will her mind torments her with images of sexual perversion, lesbianism and sadomasochism.

Additional extras include extensive stills, press gallery and interviews.

BBFC Certification Letter

"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."