Precert Peek - CIC selections · 12:19pm Mar 13th, 2017
Hey Nova Arc, Scootaloo96 and VitalSpark! I dug up some precerts one may have missed. These precerts come directly from CIC, meaning they're either Paramount or Universal movies. Sources I used for this include Wikipedia, http://pre-cert.co.uk and eBay. Click Read More to read The Five Precerts.
MANDINGO
Mono
Released: 11-83
Cinema Cert: 18 (X)
BITS: Based on the Kyle Onstott novel, and produced by Italian filmmaker Dino de Laurentiis, MANDINGO has James Mason (then one of the prime heavyweight boxers, along with the late great Muhammad Ali) as a slave trained to be a hard-knuckle fighter by a ruthless slave owner in the 1840s Deep South. One of the (uncredited) men there to cheer him on is John Rambo himself, Sylvester Stallone.
PRESSING NOTES: Even though the film made some money for Paramount (and enabled de Laurentiis to easily apply for American citizenship), the late great Roger Ebert denounced it as "racist trash, obscene in its manipulation of human beings and feelings, and excruciating to sit through." Have not seen the film myself (and am pretty sure you haven't) so we can't be sure what the picture and sound quality are like on the tape.
RELEASE HISTORY: MANDINGO was never released in the post-cert era. We're probably all better off, if Roger Ebert's review of it is anything to go by.
STUDENT BODIES
Mono
Released: 11-83
Cinema Cert: 15 (AA)
SELLING POINTS: In one of the very first Hollywood stabs at mixing comedy and horror, a killer named the Breather makes an attempt to build up a score of teenage bodies, all of whom aren't pleased with the idea of him killing them. The film spoofs every slasher film from the grade-A (Stanley Kubrick's THE SHINING) to the grade-Z (the public domain CARNIVAL OF SOULS).
PRESSING NOTES: The film contains a rare instance where EVERYONE, even in countries that went without the MPAA's rating system (used in the US only), knows what rating the film was given in the US, suddenly cutting to a scene featuring a long zoom-in on a man discussing that the film doesn't have enough features to warrant its American R rating (i.e.: nudity, profanity, violence), even though research (in 1981) showed that "R-rated films are by far the most popular with the movie-going public". He then closes the scene by giving one of the very few examples of the film's R rating (and one of the very few profanities spoken in the film) by stating that "the producers of this motion picture have asked me to take this opportunity to say... fuck you." The film then cuts to the original 1970 MPAA bumper (like the scene itself, it's at the 23-to-25-minute mark due to time constraints excised by differences between NTSC and PAL) and then the film resumes.
RELEASE HISTORY: This was released in the post-cert era as part of the Horror House Unlimited series. For some reason, the copyright on the back cover (and tape) of the release is attributed to Universal City Studios, Inc., if you look closely enough, even though STUDENT BODIES is a Paramount film:
DOCTOR DETROIT
Stereo
Released: 02-85
Cinema cert: 15
SELLING POINTS: Still sticking with the point that the '80s were more an addictive drug than a mere decade, this stars Dan Aykroyd as a timid college professor, conned into posing as a flamboyant pimp, who finds himself enjoying his new occupation on the streets. Howard Hesseman, Lynn Whitfield, Fran Drescher, and Donna Dixon also star; Drescher went on to star in the hit American '90s sitcom THE NANNY and Dixon became Mrs. Dan Aykroyd. (some of you are old enough to figure THAT out so why am I telling you?) The film also contains a mini-concert supplied by the Godfather of Soul himself, James Brown.
PRESSING NOTES: This has vibrant colors and brilliantly separated linear stereo; it's possible I'm regurgitating thoughts I had on the US release, but still . . .
RELEASE HISTORY: DOCTOR DETROIT left shortly after the Video Recordings Act was passed by the Parliament. He has not turned up since.
STROKER ACE
Stereo
Released: 06-85
Cinema cert: 15
SELLING POINTS: What a guy! What a girl! What a team! What a late pre-cert! In order to appear in this film (which Warner had control of in America) Burt Reynolds turned down what became Jack Nicholson's Oscar-winning role in the highly acclaimed TERMS OF ENDEARMENT, the 1983 Oscar winner for Best Picture; Reynolds "felt [he] owed [STROKER ACE's director] Hal [Needham] more than [he] owed" TERMS OF ENDEARMENT's director James L. Brooks. Here, Burt is a popular NASCAR driver who clashes with the fried-chicken mogul that sponsors his racing team. TERMS OF ENDEARMENT became the more successful film and, again, won Best Picture at the Academy Awards, while STROKER ACE flopped badly and was a contender for Worst Picture at the fourth Golden Raspberry Awards. Reynolds told the LOS ANGELES TIMES upon reflection that STROKER ACE was "where [he] lost [his fans]".
PRESSING NOTES: Have still not seen it but probably wouldn't like to see it especially since it, well, landed on Siskel & Ebert's "Stinkers of 1983" list.
RELEASE HISTORY: Although TERMS OF ENDEARMENT entered the post-cert era, STROKER ACE did not.
SMOKEY AND THE BANDIT
(Box art recreation from magentastormcrow, a DeviantArt user)
Mono
Released: 01-81, in a carton
Cinema cert: A (PG)
SELLING POINTS: This remains the ultimate Southern comedy film, and one of those rare Deep South films to be a hit on both sides of the Atlantic, to the point where it was even a favourite of Mr. Good Evening Ladies and Gentlemen. Burt Reynolds is Bo Darville, the Bandit hired on to run a tractor trailer full of beer over county lines and brings a lady with him to do so while being under constant surveillance from a pesky sheriff, played by Jackie Gleason in one of his "Great Ones". "A total lack of respect for the law" ensues, of course.
PRESSING NOTES: If this is anything to go by, this tape uses a speed-up of either the Red Bumper or the Orange Bumper version of the film's MCA DiscoVision release. Needless to say, my favourite scene in this film is the one in which Burt Reynolds stops his car in the middle of the screen and winks at the people watching the film before driving off. It was quite nice of him to do that.
RELEASE HISTORY: This was the by-default release of the film on UK VHS. It was released on DVD in 2001:
For some reason, the back cover of that release has the MCA/Universal Home Video logo on the back even though that company was NEVER heard of in the UK (aside from American imports): 
