I can imagine how shocking A Clockwork Orange must have been. I was born in 1975, so grew up aware of the UK ban. It had an almost mythological, Holy Grail like status. Eventually I picked up a VHS copy from Amsterdam (along with various other banned or censored films). I had quite a reputation for such things a a student (none of my videos were pirated - they were legitimate European PAL copies smuggled back to the UK, though they did have burned in Dutch subtitles).

Good point about Bonnie and Clyde and Peckinpah (especially The Wild Bunch). I'd argue those films pretty much invented modern screen violence. As for dissuading the idiot you mention from taking his children to see The Exorcist (well done, by the way), in the UK, the film had an X certificate (18 these days) which prohibited anyone under 18 attending. The UK film certification system includes both 18 and 15 mandatory minimum age certificates, which is typically where US R-rated fare lands. 12A is advisory in that under 12s can attend if accompanied by someone over 18 (our equivalent of PG-13). Then we have PG and U which reflect PG and G in the States (though not entirely - many PG rated films in the US have wound up with U ratings over the years, including several animated films from Disney, Star Wars, and E.T. The Extra Terrestrial).

Thank you for reading and commenting. :)