The naughty bits of BLOOD OF THE VAMPIRE were censored in Great Britain and in America. The version most people know was cut according to the censorship board or releasing company of whichever country showed the film. As the "ultimate Sadeian movie" (CULT SHOCKING HORRORS), this was bound to happen. I think that Baker and Berman were prepared for this, as they wanted to push the envelope whenever possible in this film and in the few that followed: JACK THE RIPPER, THE FLESH AND THE FIENDS, and THE HELLFIRE CLUB. Those films had "Continental versions" and showed a bit more than what could be shown in the home countries. Besides, the publicity would be great.
Nowadays we don't have to worry about this kind of censorship and expect to see everything, even the naughty bits. Hammer Films had similar "Continental versions" during this time, and Baker and Berman were very much aware of what Hammer was doing.
BLOOD OF THE VAMPIRE did not have the Continental version of their future Sadeian films (nudity), but it did have scenes that were cut: disturbing shots of gore and chained females tormented by a gloating and very ugly assistant.
The Artus French DVD has these scenes, possibly taken from 16mm, so the quality is a bit less than 35mm, but still very welcome, as they represent the full film as it was shot. The Italian film picture story magazine, MALIA, also had these scenes.
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