Censorship Causes Blindness: The 5 Best Banned Books Turned Films

September 25, 2011

This just in: Mothers in Williamstown, NJ, object to “drug-fueled homosexual orgies.” Well, technically they object to their teenagers reading about them in Haruki Murakami’s revered 1987 novel Norwegian Wood, about nineteen-year-old Toru Watanabe’s relationships with two girls. In August 2011, complaints from a small group of parents that the book contained “illicit scenes” succeeded in getting Norwegian Wood pulled from a tenth-grade summer reading list in Williamstown High School, weeks before school was to start. Fortunately, it won’t be that easy to get rid of Murakami, given his literary-rock-god status, in addition to the rumors that Norwegian Wood is expected to receive U.S. theater distribution. We have been salivating over the trailer for the last few months in anticipation.

The news that Norwegian Wood has recently been banned in this school in New Jersey comes at a time of year when the literary community prepares to talk all about banned books. Beginning in 1982, The American Library Association (ALA) sponsors the annual Banned Books Week celebration the last week of September each year, recognizing the freedom to read by highlighting books and authors that have been challenged or banned. Though many assume that book banning is a thing of the past, incidents like this year’s Murakami ban add to the mounting pile of evidence that book banning is unfortunately alive and well. It seems that books are being challenged more than ever, to the point where the ALA has started issuing annual lists of the top ten most frequently challenged books.

Since we have a soft spot for banned books as much as we do for great films, coming up with the five essential banned-book-based films proved to be a challenging undertaking. We want to hear about your favorite movies based on banned books. Check out our picks and then tell us: What banned book is long overdue to be adapted into a film?

American Psycho

Controversy is hardwired into the DNA of Bret Easton Ellis’s 1991 novel American Psycho, about New York investment banker Patrick Bateman and his affinity for minimalist business cards, Phil Collins, and, of course, committing grisly murders. What Ellis intended to be a satirical look at the yuppie overindulgence of the 1980s offended many, and guaranteed American Psycho a place on The American Civil Liberties Union’s list of most frequently challenged books published from 1990 through 2000. Australia took their distaste a step further, shrink-wrapping American Psycho, and preventing readers under eighteen from being able to purchase the book. Christian Bale starred in the 2000 film adaptation and did not hold back in bringing the sordid descriptions of Bateman’s murders to the big screen. Though it was initially branded with the cinematic scarlet letter rating of NC-17, it was eventually downgraded to an R-rating after the film’s director, Mary Harron, agreed to tone down some scenes.

Lolita

The story of a middle-aged man who falls in love with his new wife’s twelve-year-old daughter is bound to raise eyebrows in most cultures, so it is no surprise that Vladimir Nabokov’s 1955 novel Lolita has become one of the most challenged books of all time. By the time Stanley Kubrick’s 1962 film adaptation hit theaters, five countries had already banned the book, citing obscenity. Due to the lingering sensitivities around the theme of pedophilia, Kubrick changed Lolita’s age from twelve to fourteen and cleaned up other suggestive scenes from the book. This resulted in Kubrick ultimately using only a small portion of Nabokov’s original work in the film. Almost thirty-five years after the original film, “Lolita” received a re-adaptation featuring Jeremy Irons and Dominique Swain. Though many are loyal to Kubrick’s classic, we think that the modern film adaptation succeeded in being more faithful to Nabokov’s original story.

A Clockwork Orange

Anthony Burgess’ 1962 novel, A Clockwork Orange, follows the exploits of Alex, a juvenile delinquent who is subjected to an experimental behavior-modification procedure as part of the government’s attempt to rid society of crime. Soon after Stanley Kubrick’s 1971 film adaptation of “A Clockwork Orange” was released, protestors started targeting Kubrick and his family with death threats, prompting him to request that Warner Brothers withdraw the British distribution. The graphic violence and rapes featured in the film did not sit well with British authorities, who banned the film after a string of copycat incidents that were inspired by the film rocked the country.

Lord of the Flies

Since its publication in 1954, William Golding’s The Lord of the Flies, about a group of English schoolboys stranded on a deserted island following a plane crash, has been both lauded and challenged. Though Golding won the Pulitzer Prize Nobel Prize for literature in 1983, many continued to challenge The Lord of the Flies for reasons ranging from profanity to violence. Parents have often been the most vocal group to oppose The Lord of the Flies, given the subject matter of civilized schoolchildren descending into savagery being taught to their children. Lord of the Flies has received two film adaptations: The first in 1963 and most recently in 1990. We are of the opinion that the original film trumps the modern adaptation, as it follows Golding’s story better by featuring a British cast, in addition to keeping with the ambiguity of the characters, making it not immediately apparent which are “good” versus “bad.”

The Handmaid’s Tale

Margaret Atwood’s beloved 1985 novel, The Handmaid’s Tale, takes place in a future plagued with widespread infertility, forcing women able to bear children into sexual slavery to serve reproductive functions for the ruling class. In 2001, parents in Dripping Springs, TX, challenged The Handmaid’s Tale, citing that it contains “sexual and anti-Christian content.” Other objections followed, which guaranteed The Handmaid’s Tale a place on the ALA’s most frequently challenged books. In 1990, a film based on The Handmaid’s Tale was released, featuring Natasha Richardson, Faye Dunaway, and Robert Duvall. Though many found the quality of the movie to be a far cry from Atwood’s revered novel, we found the performances to be powerful and the creepy undertone of the story to be very much in tact.

Tags: A Clockwork Orange, American Psycho, Banned Books, Bret Easton Ellis, Christian Bale, Faye Dunaway, Haruki Murakami, Lolita, Margaret Atwood, Mary Harron, Norwegian Wood, Robert Duvall, Stanley Kubrick, The Handmaid's Tale, The Lord of the Flies, Vladimir Nabokov

10 Comments

Kathy says:

September 26, 2011 at 11:17 am

While the idea of book banning is abhorrent to most of us, I don’t think it’s the same thing as a parent questioning or objecting to a book assigned as required summer reading for their 14 year old. I personally don’t think my own child had the maturity for some of these books at 14 and 15 years of age. If I choose to have my child postpone some mature or violent subject matter, that doesn’t make me a book banner. No one would question me if I didn’t allow her to view these movies at her age, why make her read the book before I feel she is ready?

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- Kevin says:
  
  September 27, 2011 at 11:01 am
  
  Kathy,
  
  Well written and good point. If educators would not try and usurp parental authority, there would be much less controversy. It would be nice if educators would send a list of possible books to be read in literature classes, along with accurate synopes, and parents could become part of the selection process.
  
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- Alisia says:
  
  September 27, 2011 at 12:37 pm
  
  I agree and disagree with you Kathy. I would certainly object to the majority of books on this list for a child under sixteen years of age in regards to class work and discussion.
  
  However, it all depends on the development of the child. If they truly understand satire, than maybe they are ready for American Psycho. Some children will read this just to get a thrill, they won’t understand the work and it has no developmental benefits. I personally don’t think certain books have a place in the classroom as their literary benefits aren’t that great. (American Psycho, Lolita, A Clockwork Orange).
  
  Still, certain students will love these books. I did. I’ve read them all, every single one and the majority were read in high school. Still, I didn’t do my book reports on them. I read them as hobby.
  
  Certain books that have been banned are incredible works of fiction and absolutely belong in a classroom, to be understood with the help of a teacher. Lord of the Flies. Norwegian Wood. The Handmaiden’s Tale. These are books with true themes, they’re not too grisly and they push critical thinking.
  
  I really think it’s up to the student. The maturity of the student matters. If there’s a sixteen year old boy who won’t read The Good Earth (one of my favorites) but will read A Clockwork Orange, why not let him? Video games and movies are worse when it comes to violence, and kids pollute their minds with that garbage all the time.
  
  Oftentimes, when it comes to book banning, the students are really pushing FOR the book while others are arguing against them. They want something from the book, whether it’s to hear the tale of a watershed year (Norwegian Wood) or if it’s to see the world from a dystopian viewpoint (Handmaiden’s Tale, Brave New World). I say, if the majority of kids want to read something, let them read it! Otherwise, we’re heading right into Fahrenheit territory.
  
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- M says:
  
  September 27, 2011 at 3:52 pm
  
  Banning books is most definitely separated from parental discretion. Every parent with young children has the right to decide what is or is not appropriate reading material for their *own* kids. It’s when people start trying to make these decisions for *others* that banning becomes an issue.
  
  Reply
Chris says:

September 26, 2011 at 5:36 pm

Why is Norwegian Wood up there when you use a different book?

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Arne says:

September 27, 2011 at 12:35 pm

William Golding was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1983, for his body of work rather than Lord of the Flies in particular. He never won the Pulitzer, but he did win the Booker Prize in 1980 for Rites of Passage.

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- Word and Film says:
  
  September 28, 2011 at 9:29 am
  
  Thanks, Arne, for pointing out our mistake. We’ve corrected it in the story above! –Word & Film
  
  Reply
sakara says:

September 28, 2011 at 2:27 pm

KUBRICK HIMSELF BANNED THE MOVIE CLOCKWORK ORANGE FROM ENGLAND—-after the british authorties told him they couldn’t protect him in his isolated estate, if somebody were to try to attack kubrick.

and liberal hollywood now days is a big believer in censorship—-all those lousy teenage movies, which makes up 99 percent of today’s movies, is a form of censorship, against anything even halfway adult.

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CJCarlin says:

September 30, 2011 at 11:57 am

Those of you who have no problem “shielding” your offspring from the content of a book, what do you think you’re protecting them from? Violence, when they live in a world surrounded by it, from the nightly news to video games? Sexual references, when every advertiser in the country uses half-naked women to sell their product? Foul language, when any foray beyond the boundaries of your house may put them into direct contact with it? I think it’s your own tender sensibilities that are being offended here, and you simply project that onto your kids because it’s more socially acceptable.

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- Kelly says:
  
  October 21, 2011 at 12:12 pm
  
  CJ, I agree with your point. While I understand Kathy’s concerns with what she wants her children exposed to, the fact of the matter is that they are already being exposed to it in modern society. It is better, as a parent – and this is what my parents did – to be the ones teaching this to your children, then for someone else to shape them before you ever bring it up. There are age-appropriate ways to approach these subjects, it just takes a little effort on the part of the parents.
  
  Rather than banning a book, or even pulling it from your own child’s book list, isn’t it better to have them read it with you, and then have a good discussion of what is right in the story, what is wrong, what uphold’s your family’s values, what goes against them? I think the parents have a responsibility to challenge their children to think about their own morality as reflected in these works of art, to confront the world in all its truths in order to explore the ones you not only want them to hold, but also the ones you feel they need to understand are wrong in your eyes. Teach them how times have changed; the truism that “those who ignore history are bound to repeat it” is one of the greatest pieces of advice for any generation.
  
  As a historian, I am usually upset when controversies arise, such as the current discussions about certain words in Huck Finn. This is a *great* learning tool for children, when used age appropriately, and in the proper setting. When I teach a college history course, it is often the first time many of my students – who are now adults and not children anymore – know about jim crow and segregated society. But by that time, their own biases are strong. You don’t know how many times it breaks my heart when kids say, “My parents don’t want me exposed to this because it goes against what they say happened,” when all you are doing is teaching them the truth. I would rather that children – yes, children – learn the gritty truth, as appropriate for their age, than believe in beautiful lies that they carry into adulthood.
  
  Life is about sex, violence, social upheaval. There is no life without sex – it is a completely *natural* compulsion. I call it false morality when people don’t want their children to learn about sex or hear expletives or see the naked body or the true face of racism and xenophobia or the truth behind their “heroes.” They also need to know their options in life – and these works of literature explore sides of life that they *will* encounter, and they should know ahead of time how they want to present themselves when they are faced with it.
  
  Often what happens is that people don’t get the complexity of life, they develop a sense of “great” people as somehow being without “sin,” above the reach of “common” people, and don’t see themselves as being up to the challenge. They are filled with misinformation, misconceptions, and misunderstandings. Then it is passed down generation to generation, because of a false morality in which works such as Huck Finn are taken out of the classroom, and thus discussion of difficult subjects, such as jim crow and modern prejudices, are never explored.
  
  The fact of the matter is that life is dirty. You can’t grow up only hearing fairy tales. If you have a religious faith, instead of following it blindly, explore it. Explore opposing arguments with an open mind. It will only strengthen your faith if you are true to your faith. When you dictate to people what they can and cannot learn, you are closing their minds to the truth. Your children are already feeling these things, they are already exploring it in their minds, regardless of their age. By being in control of incoming information without censoring what they read, you will create a more well-rounded person. They should be able to answer the question, “Why do you believe what you believe?” with more than, “Because that is what my parents told me.” That leaves them way open to acting inappropriately, because they do not know why they should act differently.
  
  The use of expletives does not make one immoral. Not facing up to the complexity of life, knowing the choices available to you and how to choose how to act, and how society changes over time through literature, does not help your children grow. It stunts their growth and leads to a lot of social ills, as natural inclinations are suppressed until they eventually come out in destructive ways. Teach your kids what the vagaries of life are and how they should act when they face them. Literature is a great guide for that. Spend time with your kid as they learn this, don’t just remove it from their bank of knowledge.
  
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