Tom Bancroft

I have ordered a DVD of the 1953 film "The Yellow Balloon". The seller describes this as the first British X rated film. The Time Out website describes it as the second.

Got me wondering which actually was the first - did a quick search through the forums, but couldn't find if this has been covered before.

Can any of our resident experts provide the answer?

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batman

I tought the first X film was The Quatermass Xperiment, hence the spelling in the title.

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phil

As far as I know COSH BOY was the first.

batman

Now that you have said it, I think you might be right.

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phil

Sid James appearing in YELLOW BALLOON, COSH BOY and, getting more vague all the time, QUATERMASS 2.

Steve Crook

Note that the "X" certificate only lasted for a while, between 1951 and 1982.

There were other films before Cosh Boy that probably would have been awarded the "X" certificate if it had been available. But it wasn't, so they weren't.

From 1951 - 1970, it meant "Suitable for those aged 16 and over", and from 1970 to 1982 it was redefined as meaning "Suitable for those aged 18 and over." The X certificate was replaced in 1982 by the "18" certificate

Steve

Simon Coward

According to the BBFC's website the earliest films to be rated 'X' were all classified on 15th January 1951. The films were "Traffic In Souls", "Occupe-Toi D'Amelia", "Passionnelle", "La Vie Commence Demain", "Manon", "The Miracle" and "Clochemerle". Both "Passionnelle" and "Clochemerle" required cuts.

By contrast, according to the same site, "The Yellow Balloon" was passed 'A' on 25th November 1952 though again, this work was cut. I suppose it is possible that if the cuts had not been made it would only have been passed as an 'X'.

Again, from the same source, "Cosh Boy" was classified 'X' on 12th November 1952 - with no cuts required.

batman

Perhaps Cosh Boy was the first UK film to be 'X'-d.

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orpheum

The demise of the X certificate was partly due to the fact that double bills were sold to the public on the basis of their being X certificates.You cannot imagine distributors thesedays trying to sell a film on the basis of an 18 certificate

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kelp

Dealt with a long time ago. James Kenney in Cosh Boy WAS the very first "X" certificated film. Trivia: James co-starred in the film with Joan Collins (debut) and the Birmingham Watch Committee banned the film from its cinemas, the Coventry Council allowed it to be played and it played to packed houses.

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Steve Crook

All those naughty French films

Steve

m35541

The demise of the X certificate was nothing to do with double-bills but everything to do with the BBFC wanting to change the rating systems to remove the X stigma and making it clear what AA and X meant (and it allowed them to raise the AA level by 1 year).

In 1970 the X rating was raised to 18 from 16 when AA was introduced. Trevelyan says in his autobiog this was because more than 50% of films were now being rated X and he wanted to create some mezzanine category rather than a black and white divide between films suitable for children and adults. However, the real problem for the BBFC was that by this time the US ratings system had got ahead of the UK system and many US PG rated films were being rated X by the BBFC (in some cases after cuts).

Joe Fraguela

I'm sure I read somewhere that Britain's first X rated film was Women of Twilight from 1952?

howard 65

I thought it was WOMEN OF TWILIGHT too

Steve Crook

That was certified before Cosh Boy but I can't see any indication that it was released until 1953 which was after Cosh Boy. Maybe they couldn't find anywhere that would show it

Steve