AUSTRALIA’S film censor has maintained its R18+ rating for controversial French film Anatomy of Hellhttps://www.adultfyi.com/read.aspx?ID=3090, despite calls from federal Attorney-General Phillip Ruddock to ban the movie.

The Office of Film and Literature Classification’s Classification Review Board decided against banning the film, but revised its consumer advice to “actual sex, high level sex, high level scenes”.

“There is high level content in this film, but the Classification Review Board considered that these depictions appear briefly and are justified by context,” CRB convenor Maureen Shelley said in a statement.

“On this basis Anatomy of Hell … does not exceed the guidelines for the R18+ classification.”

After meeting for more than eight hours today, the CRB panel made the decision with a three to one majority.

The film, directed by Catherine Breillat, which stars French actor Amira Casar and Italian porn film star Rocco Sifredi, has been the subject of a number of complaints after being classified in May with the consumer advice “strong themes, sexual activity, high level sex scenes”.

It was referred to the review board by Mr Ruddock on behalf of South Australian Attorney-General Michael Atkinson.

The Australian Family Association also issued a complaint about Anatomy of Hell – the fourth complaint about a film by the organisation in two years.

The complaints are believed to have been about several graphic scenes which include depictions of heterosexual and homosexual sex.

Anatomy of Hell has been described as a psycho-sexual drama examining the nature of misogyny and if banned, it would have been the second of Breillat’s films to be refused classification.

In 2000, the OFLC refused a classification for her film Romance because of concerns about its sexually graphic nature, but the review board later overturned that decision.

Last week, the CRB declined to ban another controversial French film, Irreversible, after a complaint by Mr Ruddock.

The CRB maintained its R18+ rating of Irreversible, directed by Gaspar Noe and first released in Australia in February.