The Third Pig.

I love happenstance.

Happenstance is what causes films that would have been forgotten almost immediately to be immortalized.  Happenstance is life at its' best, the minor confluences that cause everything to mean something because of the simple juxtaposition of everything else.

Jesus Franco was excited to make Bloody Moon because he was misled into believing he would be able to work with Pink Floyd.  That film was immortalized because it had been released on video in the UK without a certificate from the BBFC.  The furore over uncertified videos was in part touched off by the distributors of Cannibal Holocaust writing to "moral decency" advocate Mary Whitehouse, a conservative activist who was head of the National Viewers' and Listeners' Association, complaining about their own film with the purpose of gaining free publicity.  Mary Whitehouse is the woman who first referred to these films as "Video Nasties".  And in 1977, five or six years before the whole thing started, Mary Whitehouse was herself immortalized on vinyl by British progressive rock band Pink Floyd.

I love happenstance.

The album in question is Animals.  The song is "Pigs (Three Different Ones)".  The third verse is entirely about Whitehouse, including mention of her name.  Described in the lyrics as a "house proud town mouse" who is "trying to keep our feelings off the street" with her "tight lips and cold feet".  She's referred to as a "charade" and the tone of the piece is purely derisive.

Obviously, Pink Floyd was on the side of artistic expression.  Being artists themselves, is anyone really surprised?

I just love how things go full circle.  Die Sage des Todes was a minor German-financed B-movie from a Spanish director that would have been ignored and forgotten had Go Video (who had nothing to do with Bloody Moon, remember, they were promoting Cannibal Holocaust) not had the brilliant idea to piss off the self-appointed moral watchdog of the UK.  Congratulations, Mary Whitehouse, Commander of the Order of the British Empire.  Because you had such a problem with it, people who would never have cared are still watching the movies you tried so hard to keep out of our hands.  Great job.  All your moral crusading sure got the job done, didn't it?

Freedom of expression wins again.  It always will.  But you never know where the next threat will come from, so I'll keep fighting for artistic freedom.  Because my name's Justin.  JustinCase.