OYER A MILLION FEET.

Press, Volume LII, Issue 15767, 7 December 1916, Page 4

OYER A MILLION FEET.

TIBWBD BY FILM CENSOR.

IN TWO AND A HALF MONTHS,

''Up to and including November 30th I had censored just over a million feet of film," said Mr W. Jolliffe (censor of cinematograph pictures) to a "New Zealand Times" representative on Saturday. The exact tally, he stated, was 1,001,554 feet in the two and a half months that the film censorship had been in operation. Not a bad record. The length of film dealt with during the month of November was in round figures 36-2,000 feet. Two films were turned down absolutely during the month, making a total of six in all to date. Besides tho two absolutely turned down, added .Mr Jolliffe, he had also during th*> months ordered a fairly considerable number of excisions of undesirable matter. H 0 did not keep an exact record of the excisions ordered, as they were made there and then and were done with. He endeavoured wherever possible to so improve the picture by excisions as not to destroy the story. In many cases that could be done, but in the few cases where it was impossible the pictures had to bo turned down. If he had a doubtful picture, he seldom condemned it at the first view, but would sleep on it and see it again next morning, when he generally got some idea how to deal with it. He had censored in all 118 separate pictures. But, of course, in some cases there were four or five reels of film to one picture story; and be was getting quite a drawerhil of the bits of film that he had had to cut out. Some of them were innocent enough in themselves. But when incorporated with the rest of the film these innocents seeming portions gave an undesirable note of suggestiveness to tho picture, and he was in duty bound to excise them. Asked by the pressman whether he had seen that the Women's Christian Temperance Union a few days ago had complained about tho character of some of the pictures still being exhibited, and had expressed the opinion .that many of the posters needed censoring even more than the films, Mr Jolliffe said that he had not had his attention directed to the matter before. He added that at a previous interview lie had himself commented on the low standard of the films coming through, both as regards the poverty of the story the average drama-films had to tell, and as regards the poor quality of the comedies. It was, however, he added, impossible to raise the standard greatly all at once, and under war conditions it was particularly difficult to key up the standard. Owing to tho war there was practically no competition in regard to the films, all of which were coming from America. As for tho posters, which h c agreed required censoring, he had no powers under the Act to deal with them. It was intended to include posters, but that had not been done. Mr Jolliffe stated that he had turned down one other film besides the halfdozen already referred to; but on being approached again in regard to the matter, ho had passed it for exhibition to those over 21 only. "But. how will you restrict the exhibition of the film to those over that age?" asked our representative. "That is their look out," replied the censor. "The police have been notified of the restriction, and the proprietors of the shows are held responsible for seeing that it is observed."