If a movie is "banned"...?

Question

that means it cannot be sold in stores, but can it be bought online or out of the country and brought/owned inside it?

Answer 1

Speaking from the American's side of the ocean, usually when something is banned it is only banned from being shown publically or in a theatre. You can still buy it (most of the time). The thing is is that most movies that have been banned in this country were banned in the 70s, before they could be bought on video/dvd. Then by the time video/dvd became available these banned movies were deemed 'not so bad' because by this time we were more used to the gore or sex or whatever. Nowadays, a movie hardly ever gets banned. Some movies are not banned, however. Just taken off the market and taken out of print. Such is 'The Song Of The South' by Walt Disney. Also, remember, the MIAA are the ones who are capable of banning a movie. But they can only ban a movie from theatres that are members of the MIAA, which of course is most all theatres, and certainly the ones that show new movies. But a privately owned movie theatre that shows 'alternative' movies to that of Hollywood and is not associated with MIAA can show any movie they have the rights to show, banned or not. The government (in America) and law can not ban a movie because that would be directly against our 'Freedom of Speech'. So the MIAA gets all the power! I think there's a name for that too ;-)