FILM CENSORSHIP

Press, Volume LVII, Issue 17061, 4 February 1921, Page 7

FILM CENSORSHIP

I • A MINISTERIAL EDICT. | (PEESS ASSOCIATION' TELEGSAM.) j WELLINGTON, February 3 , The Minister of Internal Affairs .ias j ' notified kinema importers and agencies . that no film, or portion thereof, .in , which thieving, murder, suicide is made a feature, «i. :e i<a~scc j for circulation in New Zen .inc. us j will take effect from May next. , Film businesses here r c pj"' r u !r it i ..ui pi , „„J that while thousands I great novels, and ll h °M? ia''whi cli punishment , tion was in the u, children, thor <lon't want them, and would sooner see the law aga-nst any children under sixteen attending picture theatres. s ' I t'sFKcur. to "th™ pniss."> I WELLINGTON. February 3. j For some time past there have been ] many complaints in Wellington about j the kind of films shown in certain pic- j turo theatres. The Minister of Internal j Affairs took the matter in hand, and has tightened the regulations. His latest dc.-isicn, backed by Cabinet sanction, is that any portion of a film where thieving, robbery, murder, or suicide is mado a feature of such film, must be cut. out. This has roused tho ire of the film importers, v.'ho suggest that the regulation will prevent the exhibition of pictures of some of the world's greatest classic* in literature. • The Minister's reply to that will probably bo that there is no desire to shut out the classics, and that the objection is* to tihe lower-class of films that come from America, and depict crime in various pliases, and do not always make •'the punishment fit the crime." « There is another class of iilin, the suggestive variety, to which exception, if; taken by most decent,people, and I understand the film censor is exorcising a more rigid censorship in sudh cases. A deputation of film agents is to wait on the Minister to-morrow to state its rase. It is understood that the deputation asked that the Press should be excluded from this interview, but that the Minister will not agree to this stipulation, and that if there is to be no Press there will be no deputation. LOCAL MANAGERS' VIEWS. "Flabbergasted" only mildly describes the state into which managers of loenl motion picture theatres wore thrown on learning of the decision of the Minister of Internal Affairs to bar, through the film censorship, any film in which thieving, murder, robbery," or suicide is made a feature. On the face of it this ukase appears to limit the class of 'films that will have a chance of passing tho censor to industrial and pcenio pictures. 0 • . "I would like fjjie Minister to mention any motion picture in which murder, robbery, or suicide is 'featured'," said one manager to a reporter. "By 'featured' I mean so emphasised as to be-made attractive, or presented in such a way that anyone wiio saw the film would get the notion that it was possible to escape mmishment for misdeeds. Personally, I have never" 1 seen such a film; always the irforol aspect is mado prominent, and vice is held up to detestation. The public is,' after all, the best censor, and the manager of a motion picture theatre soon finds out class of picture fills his house." As to the principle underlying the Minister's edict, the opinion was expressed that to bo logical and consistent, the Minister ought to apply it tobooks, pictiires, theatrical performances, and, perhaps, most of all, to newspapers, .In some instances newspapers "featured'' murders and robberies even more prominently than any motion picture could be said to do so. If tho principle were applied to some i of Shakespeare's plays, for instance, they f would lose all point and significance. , Tf the reason for the Minister's edict was to protect the morals of the rising generation, the end sought to be . attained could be better effected by pro-" hibiting children under a certain age from attending motion picture theatres; the general run of managers were not anxious to have children in their audi' ences. Other managers expressed similar views, and were quite willing that youths under a certain age should bo harred from attending picture shows. Stress • was laid upon the fact that, speaking generally, moving pictures have a great educative value, and exert considerable influence in raising the ideals of those who saw them. Some managers were very anxious that the Minister should mepfioQxany moving picture that has been exhibited that featured (in the sense of holding up to admiration and emulation) murder, suicide, thieving, or robbery; One "manager .expressed the opinion that the proposed action of the Minister' showed the great necessity that exists for aft association of thoso connected, with paction picture theatres >• for the purposes of protecting the moving picture form of amusement from unfounded and damaging attacks, and •for taking -united action by way of pro-, test.