Forbidden Under Censorship of the King Review

Distributor: Stoll Road Films Edition Details: Manufacture on Demand DVD Movie Specs: Genres: Classic, Feature Film, Comedy Also known as: The Flasher, F.U.C.K. Run Time: 77 minutes Rated: X Release Year: 1972 Director: Barry Kerr, Lewis Jackson Written by: Barry Kerr Cast: Harry Reems (as Herbert Lungapatao), Clair Clavere, Michael Backus, Bob Livigne (as Robert Levigne), Marshall Anker, Cynthia Karr, David Karr, Charly, Andrea Krangle, Susan Moss, Seth Edward, John Dollar, Lee Rey, Jamie Gillis (as Jamie German), Barry Richards, Tiffany Pitt, Annette Tagliafarro, Perry Gewirtz, Arlana Blue (as Alana Blue), Leslie Gay, Cecil Williams, Annette Lauritzen, Herbert Kaplow, Barry Kerr, Greg Pardes, Monica Rivers Voices: Lee Marshak, Billy Arrington Release Specs: Audio: English Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono Subtitles: none Video: Full Frame, 1.33:1 Video Format: NTSC Format: MOD-DVD Regional Code (for DVD/Blu-ray): 0 (All) Number of discs: 1

It is easy to see why Forbidden Under Censorship of the King never managed to connect with an audience during its short theatrical run. Originally designed by writer and director Barry Kerr to be a softcore spoof of hardcore films, Barry Kerr shot the film hardcore and then snipped out the hardcore portions but was unable to find a buyer. Barry Kerr ultimately had to put back in the hardcore footage and shoot some inserts to create the final version of Forbidden Under Censorship of the King that was released theatrically.

Forbidden Under Censorship of the King, which until recently was thought to be a lost film, combines zany skits which are barely connected with animation and hardcore sex, an odd combination for an audience that at the time was likely looking for masturbatory material. The hardcore sex in Forbidden Under Censorship of the King isn't overly erotic nor is it overly plentiful and, honestly, the hardcore material seems out of place in Forbidden Under Censorship of the King.

There was a one night vaudeville rock concert produced by Barry Kerr called “Spend an Evening With the Flasher” at the Beacon Theatre, NYC, in August of 1973 with Pool-Pah, the band that did most of the soundtrack for Forbidden Under Censorship of the King, to promote the softcore version of Forbidden Under Censorship of the King, but it is unclear if the softcore version ever played theatrically.

The loose story behind Forbidden Under Censorship of the King is that Mervin “M.C.” Continually (Harry Reems) is a researcher studying abnormal sexual behavior for a paper. M.C. takes an advert out in underground newspapers so he can observe and record abnormal sexual behavior.

This story structure sets up the essentially vignette-style nature of the film where adult film conventions are brought to literal absurdity along with the other various skits that play out during the film. Barry Kerr used a segment from Lewis Jackson's currently lost 1970 film The Deviates, that Barry Kerr produced, for one of the skits that make up the body of Forbidden Under Censorship of the King. Forbidden Under Censorship of the King has a raw feel to it and all the segments kind of collide together instead of moving from one to another gracefully, however, those with an odd sense of humor will find some genuine laughs within the film.

Due to Beck and his 2001 Vanity Fair article on records, the soundtrack for The Flasher by Pool-Pah is likely more well known than the film it comes from due to the obscurity of the title over the years. Viewers who go into Forbidden Under Censorship of the King looking for an adult film will be sorely disappointed. Viewers who have always wondered what a porn made by the folks at National Lampoon during their heyday would have been like, this is probably the closest you will ever get.

Stoll Road Films has done a poor job with their manufacture on demand DVD of Forbidden Under Censorship of the King. Forbidden Under Censorship of the King was shot on film and Stoll Road Films has used a video master for this release. Forbidden Under Censorship of the King is presented in the Academy aspect ratio of 1.33:1 in 480i. The image for the film doesn't have great definition and the colors in the film are on the lighter side; dark scenes are very murky. The image contains grain, artifacts, print damage, and occasional glitches in the video. The film wasn't properly lined up for the telecine process either making the image improperly framed. Despite being an authorized release, Forbidden Under Censorship of the King looks like a bootleg.

Forbidden Under Censorship of the King is presented with an English Dolby Digital 2.0 monaural audio track. The audio quality fares better than the video quality. There is a hiss in the audio and pops and crackles aplenty, however, the dialog is clear and can be easily understood throughout the film and the soundtrack sounds nice.

Stoll Road Films hasn't included any extras on this release.

Forbidden Under Censorship of the King is an odd adult film that was never able to find the right audience during its short theatrical life. The film is more of an oddball comedy than a porn film and, frankly, the film isn't that erotic. Forbidden Under Censorship of the King likely would have done far better as the softcore film that the writer and director Barry Kerr intended the film to originally be. Forbidden Under Censorship of the King is worth watching for those with an odd sense of humor. The manufacture on demand release from Stoll Road Films is disappointing though.

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