Subscribe to watch - 14-day free trial, then £6.99 a month
Visions of Ecstasy
Nigel Wingrove's experimental depiction of the erotic imaginings of the 16th Century Carmelite nun remains the only film ever to banned under Britain's blasphemy laws.
Director: Nigel Wingrove
Overview
Visions of Ecstasy, an 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 film's banning was upheld in an historic judgment at the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg in a case that took seven years to reach its conclusion.
Following the abolition of the UK's blasphemy laws in 2008, Visions of Ecstasy is now available for UK viewers to see what all the fuss was about.
Related
The Turin Horse The Turin Horse
Drama 2011 155 mins Director: BΓ©la Tarr
BΓ©la Tarrβs devastating, starkly pared-down final feature, inspired by Nietzsche.
Werckmeister Harmonies Werckmeister Harmonies
Drama 2000 147 mins Director: BΓ©la Tarr
A stuffed whale sparks social apocalypse in this haunting cinematic masterpiece from BΓ©la Tarr and Γgnes Hranitzky.
The Man from London The Man from London
Drama 2007 139 mins Director: BΓ©la Tarr
Tilda Swinton stars in this profoundly nocturnal Georges Simenon adaptation.
Pandora's Box Pandora's Box
Drama 1928 134 mins Silent Director: G.W. Pabst
Louise Brooks dazzles as the iconic showgirl who leaves a trail of destruction in her wake, in one of the great silent films of the Weimar era.
Disco Boy Disco Boy
Drama 2023 92 mins Director: Giacomo Abbruzzese
Franz Rogowski (Bird, Passages) is superb as a migrant mercenary with a heart of darkness, in this trippy jungle odyssey.
The Queen of My Dreams The Queen of My Dreams
Comedy 2023 99 mins Director: Fawzia Mirza
Soulful story of the love and war between a queer woman and her mother, spanning across decades and continents.
The Arbor The Arbor
Biopic 2010 90 mins Director: Clio Barnard
Clio Barnard's film about Bradford playwright Andrea Dunbar mixes reconstruction, interviews (performed by actors) and scenes from the plays.
By Our Selves By Our Selves
Animation & Artists Moving Image 2015 80 mins Director: Andrew KΓΆtting
The latest psycho-geographical excursion from Andrew KΓΆtting and Iain Sinclair
The Castle of Otranto The Castle of Otranto
Animation & Artists Moving Image 1977 18 mins Director: Jan Svankmajer
Czech animator Jan Ε vankmajer's adaptation of Horace Walpole's Gothic novel.
Central Bazaar Central Bazaar
Drama 1976 142 mins Director: Stephen Dwoskin
Five strangers explore their fantasies over a period of five days in Stephen Dwoskin's remarkable experimental film.
Un Chien Andalou Un Chien Andalou
Animation & Artists Moving Image 1928 16 mins Silent Director: Luis BuΓ±uel
A scabrous study of desire, the subconscious and anti-clericalism - BuΓ±uel and DalΓβs provocative first film is a classic of Surrealist cinema.
Decasia Decasia
Documentary 2002 67 mins Director: Bill Morrison
Decasia is an artful collage of found archival footage, shot pre-1950 on a cellulose nitrate base and most of it in advanced stages of decay.
The Turin Horse The Turin Horse
Drama 2011 155 mins Director: BΓ©la Tarr
BΓ©la Tarrβs devastating, starkly pared-down final feature, inspired by Nietzsche.
Werckmeister Harmonies Werckmeister Harmonies
Drama 2000 147 mins Director: BΓ©la Tarr
A stuffed whale sparks social apocalypse in this haunting cinematic masterpiece from BΓ©la Tarr and Γgnes Hranitzky.
The Man from London The Man from London
Drama 2007 139 mins Director: BΓ©la Tarr
Tilda Swinton stars in this profoundly nocturnal Georges Simenon adaptation.
Pandora's Box Pandora's Box
Drama 1928 134 mins Silent Director: G.W. Pabst
Louise Brooks dazzles as the iconic showgirl who leaves a trail of destruction in her wake, in one of the great silent films of the Weimar era.
Code 46 Code 46
Science Fiction 2004 93 mins Director: Michael Winterbottom
Michael Winterbottom's cult sci-fi stars Tim Robbins and Samantha Morton as star-crossed lovers in a totalitarian world; set to an intoxicating soundtrack by David Holmes' Free Association.
Disco Boy Disco Boy
Drama 2023 92 mins Director: Giacomo Abbruzzese
Franz Rogowski (Bird, Passages) is superb as a migrant mercenary with a heart of darkness, in this trippy jungle odyssey.