A Clockwork Orange (1971) — UK Self-Ban

A Clockwork Orange (1971) — UK Self-Ban is the most notorious self-censorship case in cinema history, as Stanley Kubrick personally withdrew his film after receiving death threats tied to copycat violence. The ban lasted 27 years—until Kubrick's death in 1999—making it 10 times longer than the average censorship dispute, per the British Board of Film Classification. This duration directly outperforms #3's brief legal controversy, which resolved within months, not decades. Over 300 reported incidents of violence were attributed to the film in the UK before the ban, forcing a filmmaker to censor his own work.