List of films condemned by the Legion of Decency

1936

• Adolph Armstrong, a Swedish import.
• Extase or Ecstasy, an import from Czechoslovakia.
• Les Amours de Toni, a French import directed by Jean Renoir.
• Carnival in Flanders, a French import
• Gambling with Souls, described by the New York Times as "a so-called exposé of the vice racket".
• Living Dangerously, produced by British International Pictures.
• Pitfalls of Youth, possibly an alternative title for Marihuana.
• The Private Life of Henry VIII
• , a French import originally titled Remous.

  1937

• Assassin of Youth, an exploitation film about marijuana.
• Club de femmes, a French import.
• Damaged Goods, released by Grand National Films Inc., a minor producer-distributor that operated from 1936–1939. Also distributed as Marriage Forbidden.
• Damaged Lives, an exploitation film about venereal disease.
• The Lie of Nina Petrovna, a French import.
• Lucrezia Borgia, a French historical drama directed by Abel Gance.
• Slaves in Bondage, an exploitation film about prostitution.

  1938

• Children of the Sun
• Human Wreckage, a sexploitation film about venereal disease, also distributed as Sex Madness.
• Indiscretions, a French comedy from Sacha Guitry.
• Orage, a French import, which the Legion calls L'Orage.
• The Pace That Kills, an exploitation film about cocaine use.
• The Puritan, a French import.
• Race Suicide, an exploitation film about prostitution and abortion.
• The Wages of Sin, an exploitation film about prostitution.

  1939

• The Human Beast, a French import originally titled La Bête Humaine, directed by Jean Renoir.
• Le Jour Se Lève or Daybreak, a French import directed by Marcel Carné, condemned for its "general atmosphere of sordidness and abnormality".
• , a French–Italian import.
• Mad Youth, an exploitation film.
• Rasputin, a French import.
• Reefer Madness, an exploitation film about marijuana.
• Sinful Daughters
• Smashing the Rackets, a U.S. production based on the early career of Thomas E. Dewey.
• With a Smile, a French import.

  1940

• Hôtel du Nord, a French import directed by Marcel Carné.
• , a French import
• Lash of the Penitentes, an exploitation film from Harry Revier.
• The Merry Wives, a Czech import.
• Pépé le Moko, a French import starring Jean Gabin.
• Souls in Pawn, a sexploitation film, one of several directed by Melville Shyer.
• Stolen Paradise, also released as Adolescence and condemned by the Legion under that title.
• Strange Cargo, initially condemned. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer made revisions and the Legion changed its rating to "unobjectionable for adults".
• This Thing Called Love, initially condemned for failing to reflect the "Christian concept of marriage"; the Legion revised the rating to B after Columbia Pictures removed fifteen lines of dialogue identified by the Legion.
• Time in the Sun, a documentary compiled from footage shot by Sergei Eisenstein. The Legion called its account of Mexican history "an ideological perversion of the subject to purposes of Marxian Communism".

  1941

• City of Sin
• Fighting the White Slave Trade, a sexploitation film.
• Nine Bachelors, a French import.
• The Girl from Maxim's, a British import. The Legion said: "Vice is portrayed attractively; virtue ridiculed."
• No Greater Sin, a sexploitation film about a campaign to prevent the spread of venereal disease.
• Le Roi, a French import.
• Two-Faced Woman, Greta Garbo's last film, initially condemned for its "immoral and un-Christian attitude toward marriage and its obligations; impudently suggestive scenes, dialogue, and situations; suggestive costumes". Within a month Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer made changes sufficient for the Legion to revise its rating to B.
• , a French film directed by Maurice Tourneur.

  1942

• Passion Island, a Mexican import directed by Emilio Fernández as La Isla de la Pasiòn.

  1943

• , a Mexican import.
• Child Bride, also presented under the title Dust to Dust, an exploitation film about underage marriage.
• Confessions of a Vice Baron
• Tentaciòn, a Spanish import directed by Fernando Soler.
• The Outlaw, a Western produced and directed by Howard Hughes, initially condemned. Rating changed to B after revisions.

  1945

• Mom and Dad, a sexploitation film that purported to teach sexual hygiene.

  1947

• Black Narcissus, a British import about Anglican nuns challenged by life in an exotic environment, initially condemned. The Legion reclassified it A-II after revisions to "all prints of this film".
• Forever Amber, when 20th Century Fox encountered distribution problems because of the C rating, its president Spyros Skouras got the Legion to call off its pickets and boycott campaign by making cuts to the film, adding "an innocuous prologue", and making "a humiliating public apology" to the Legion.
• Nais, a French import.

  1948

• The Bandit, an Italian import starring Anna Magnani.
• César, a French import from 1936 by Marcel Pagnol, in which the Legion found "Irreverent and blasphemous treatment of religious practices".
• Dedee, a French import condemned for its "low atmosphere" and "sordidness".
• Devil in the Flesh, a French import condemned for its "sympathetic portrayal of illicit actions."
• Fric-Frac, a French import produced a decade earlier.
• The Genius and the Nightingale, an Italian import produced in 1943 and titled Maria Malibran, a biopic of soprano Maria Malibran.
• Incorrigible, a Swedish import directed by Arne Mattsson.
• Merry Chase, an Italian import starring Rossano Brazzi.
• Passionelle, a 1947 French film by Roger Blin, also known as Pour une nuit d'amour, initially condemned. Rated B following revisions for copies distributed in the U.S. and Canada.
• The Room Upstairs, a French import starring Marlene Dietrich and Jean Gabin.
• Sins of the Fathers, a Canadian import.
• Street Corner, an exploitation film.
• Torment, Ingmar Bergman's 1944 Swedish film, initially condemned. When revised, its rating was changed to B for prints distributed in the U.S.
• , an Italian romantic musical.

  1949

• The Devil's Sleep, an exploitation film.
• Germany, Year Zero, an Italian import from director Roberto Rossellini.
• Hollywood Burlesque, a filmed performance from the Hollywood Theater, San Diego.
• ', a French import condemned as "totally lacking in moral compensation".
• Rozina, the Love Child, a Czech import.
• The Story of Bob and Sally, an exploitation film.
• ', a French import.

  1950

• Bitter Rice, an Italian import, initially condemned for "Suggestive situations and costuming. Suicide in plot solution." Revisions earned a B rating, which applied only to prints in the U.S.
• The Blue Angel, a new release of the 1930 film starring Marlene Dietrich.
• Bullet for Stefano, an Italian import starring Rossano Brazzi
• Flesh Will Surrender, an Italian import.
• Gigi, a French import starring Danièle Delorme.
• ', a French import.
• Jungle Stampede, which according to the Legion "purports to be a documentary and educational in nature" but condemned for its handling of its subject matter, "native customs and habits".
• Lovers of Verona, a French import.
• Manon, a French import; the Legion said it "condones immoral actions".
• No Orchids for Miss Blandish, a British gangster film.
• Oh, Amelia, a French import.
• The Paris Waltz, a French import.
• ', a French import starring Maurice Chevalier.
• Scandals of Clochemerle, a French import.
• , a French import directed by Julien Duvivier.
• The Young and the Damned, a Mexican film directed by Luis Buñuel.

  1951

• Behind Closed Shutters, an Italian import.
• It's Forever Springtime, an Italian import.
• Latuko, a sexploitation film in the form of an anthropological pseudo-documentary about a tribe in Sudan better known as the Lotuko people.
• A Lover's Return, a French import.
• La Marie du port, a French import starring Jean Gabin.
• Miss Julie, a Swedish import.
• , a French import.
• The Raven, a French import.
• La Ronde, a French import directed by Max Ophüls starring Simone Signoret.
• Scarred, an Italian import starring Anna Magnani.
• She Shoulda Said No!, a film about the dangers of marijuana.
• The Ways of Love, the umbrella title used for distributing three foreign language films, which the Legion condemned as a group. The principal film, both in length and in terms of the controversy it generated, was Roberto Rossellini's The Miracle, distributed in Europe as L'Amore with a companion film, The Human Voice, also by Rossellini. The two other short films that The Ways of Love included were Jean Renoir's "A Day in the Country" and Marcel Pagnol's "Jofroi.
• White Cargo, a French film distributed by Beverly Pictures. Listed by the Legion of Decency as French White Cargo''.

  1952

• Of Love and Bandits, an Italian import.
• ', a French import.
• ', a French import.
• The Thrill That Kills, an Italian import also known as Cocaine.
• Women Without Names, an Italian import.

  1953

• Girls Marked Danger, an Italian import.
• The Moon Is Blue, an Otto Preminger comedy for United Artists. Denied Production Code approval as well.
• Le Plaisir, a French anthology film import directed by Max Ophüls.
• The Seven Deadly Sins, a French–Italian production.
• Three Forbidden Stories, an Italian import.
• Times Gone By, an Italian import.

  1954

• The Bed, a French import.
• The French Line, an RKO musical starring Jane Russell, condemned for "grossly obscene, suggestive and indecent action, costuming and dialogue". The Legion said it was "capable of grave, evil influence upon those who patronize it, especially youth".
• Garden of Eden, a sexploitation film set in a nudist colony.
• Karamoja, a sexploitation film.
• Mademoiselle Gobete, an Italian import that the Legion said "dwells constantly on a farcical presentation of the virtue of purity".
• One Summer of Happiness, a Swedish import.
• Sensualità, an Italian import starring Marcello Mastroianni.
• Summer Interlude, a Swedish import directed by Ingmar Bergman. Condemned under the title Illicit Interlude.
• Violated, a U.S. crime drama.
• We Want a Child!, a Danish import.

  1955

• Adorable Creatures, a French import.
• The Desperate Women, a Majestic Pictures film; the Legion said that "it ignores completely essential and supernatural values associated with questions of this nature".
• A Husband for Anna, an Italian import.
• I Am a Camera, a British import the Legion condemned for its "basic story, characterization, dialogue and costuming".
• The Game of Love, a French import.
• Rififi, a French import, initially condemned; assigned a B after "substantial revisions".
• Son of Sinbad, "a challenge to decent standards of theatrical entertainment" and "an incitement to juvenile delinquency".

  1956

• And God Created Woman, a French import directed by Roger Vadim and starring Brigitte Bardot.
• Baby Doll, produced by Elia Kazan and Tennessee Williams; the Legion called its subject matter "morally repellent both in theme and treatment" and said its "scenes of cruelty are degrading and corruptive".
• Bed of Grass, a Greek import the Legion charged with "sheer animalism", originally titled Agioupa, to koritsi tou kampou.
• Female and the Flesh, also released as The Light Across the Street; a French import.
• ', a French import.
• Letters from My Windmill, a French import directed by Marcel Pagnol.
• The Miller's Beautiful Wife, an Italian import.
• ', a French–Italian import.
• Rossana, a Mexican import.
• The Naked Night, a Swedish import directed by Ingmar Bergman, also distributed as Sawdust and Tinsel.
• Sins of the Borgias, a French import.
• Stella, a Greek import starring Melina Mercouri.
• , a French import the Legion called Snow was Black.
• Nana, a French import.
• Woman of Rome, an Italian import.

  1957

• The Flesh is Weak, a British import.
• Mademoiselle Striptease, a French import also distributed as Please! Mr. Balzac.
• Maid in Paris, a French import.
• Mitsou, a French import.
• The Night Heaven Fell, a French import.
• Smiles of a Summer Night, a Swedish import from Ingmar Bergman; condemned for "unmitigated emphasis on illicit loves and sensuality".
• Untamed Youth

  1958

• Heroes and Sinners, a French import.
• Lady Chatterley's Lover, a French import starring Danielle Darrieux.
• Liane, Jungle Goddess, a German import.
• Love is My Profession, a French import.
• Lovers of Paris, a French import, originally Pot-Bouille and based on the Zola novel of that name.
• A Question of Adultery, a British drama condemned for justifying artificial insemination.

  1959

• The Third Sex, a German import directed by Veit Harlan; also known as Bewildered Youth or Different from You and Me, originally Das dritte Geschlecht.

  1960

• Breathless
• Never on Sunday
• Oscar Wilde, a British import starring Robert Morley.
• The Trials of Oscar Wilde, a British import starring Peter Finch.

  1961

• L'Avventura, Antonioni's 1960 Italian film was deemed "totally unacceptable", "grossly suggestive and pornographic in intent". The Legion said that "the theme of this film is developed in an atmosphere of complete moral ambiguity".
• A Cold Wind in August
• Jules and Jim
• Viridiana The Vatican protested when this film shared the grand prize at the Cannes Film Festival.

  1962

• Boccaccio '70 The Legion noted its "grossly suggestive concentration upon indecent costuming, situations and dialogue". By this time the Legion had adopted a policy of not reconsidering a film's rating once it was widely distributed, even if revised, but in this case the Legion allowed that the film's C rating would not be valid once the film was edited for television broadcast.

  1963

• 8½
• Contempt

  1964

• Kiss Me, Stupid, produced and directed by Billy Wilder.
• Of Human Bondage

  1965

• The Pawnbroker, condemned "for the sole reason that nudity has been used".

  1966

• Blowup

  1967

• Hurry Sundown
• The Penthouse
• Reflections in a Golden Eye
• Valley of the Dolls

  1968

• The Anniversary
• Barbarella
• , a French film starring Jean Seberg
• The Boston Strangler
• Dark of the Sun
• Deadfall
• The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
• If He Hollers, Let Him Go!
• Joanna, a British import
• Lady in Cement
• The Legend of Lylah Clare
• The Magus
• The Producers
• Rosemary's Baby
• The Secret Life of an American Wife
• The Sweet Ride
• Weekend, a French import directed by Jean-Luc Godard

  1969

• The April Fools
• Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice
• I Am Curious
• The Killing of Sister George
• Marlowe

  1971

• Billy Jack
• A Clockwork Orange
• The Devils
• The Last Picture Show

  1972

• The Carey Treatment
• Pink Flamingos

  1973

• High Plains Drifter
• Last Tango in Paris
• Lemora, A Child's Tale of the Supernatural
• The Wicker Man

  1975

• The Rocky Horror Picture Show

  1976

• Carrie
• J. D.'s Revenge
• The Omen
• The Outlaw Josey Wales
• Taxi Driver

  1978

• Dawn of the Dead
• Ice Castles
• Pretty Baby
• Same Time, Next Year