CRIME ON THE FILM.

Press, Volume LVII, Issue 17062, 5 February 1921, Page 8

CRIME ON THE FILM.

i STRAIGHT TALK FROM THE . MINISTER. tSPECIAL TO "THE PRKSS.f ) I WELLINGTON, February 4. This afternoon a deputation from the Film Renters' Association, headed by Mr E. J. Righton, of the New Zealand Pictures Supplies, Lto.. waited upon I the Hon. G. J. Anderson in reference ! lo tho recent edict about cutting obI jectionable scenes and incident-; regard- ; ing rnbhery. murder, etc.. nut of the ■ picture?. I Noticing that the Press were present, i Mr Righton said the deputation under- ■; f,tood the interview was w he- private. Mr Anderson said there had been '■ some statements already published by ' those in the trade, so lie hud invited) . the Press to come along, so that the ; public would 'hear both sides of the i question. i Mr "Righton said he did not know I how the statements got in the Press. I No member of their Association had • discussed the matter with the Press. | Possibly it came from the firm thn.fi was I outside the Association. I Mr Anderson pointed out that ! opinions from three different; sources j wore given. He was not, ho said, com- ! plaining of their having done this. All ho wanted was that, these opinions having been published, the- otiher side of the | question also should he put. The public should know the whole thing. Mr Righton : We did not commit any breach of faith. Nothing got in with. the approval of the Film Renters' Association. Tho Press made it their business to pick up information from irresponsible people and men in the street, and the article referred to might have been got in that way. .Mr Righton went on that he liadl been asked for a statement for publication in the Christchurch morning papers, andi had replied that ho could not make any statement. Mr Anderson said that if the deputation wanted to have a private talk with him, he had no objection to that, but he would just make his point of view public. He then -went on to refeu to complaints that had come from the public in the past regarding the quality of the pictures shown, and the improvement thai had been made as the result of the censorship. Within the last twelve months there had been a further agitation, and six months ago it was agreed that the pictures should be marked "adult and universal." That was done. Then there, were complaints about the* posters. The trade agreed to censoring them, and a considerable, improvement took place. There wera still complaints about the class of pictures shown, and at his suggestion, tho Government carae to the conclusion that these low-class pictures of American "shysters," "crooks," and all that sort) of thing hart got to go. Those pictures were such that a. boy seeing them, if inclined that way, would be; likely to go off the rails. One gentleman, he noticed, had stated that, this would cut into the English classics. "Gentlemen," added the Minister, "if you confine yourselves to pictures of the English classics you need not be afraid) of the censorship, because it is a very different thing from the 'Guide' shows that will do for the Bowery, the slums J of American cities, and perhaps the Chinese quarter of San Francisco. That sort of thing won't do here, and we are not going to have it." Mr Anderson added that if the producers objected to the cutting-out of any film, they could take the matter to the Board of Appeal, to which Mr H. M. Gore, president of the local Art Society, and Mrs A. R. Atkinson had been appointed. The idea of the Government was that the pictures should be an educative agent, that they ought to educate the public morally, aesthetically, and civically; but no one could say that these low-class pictures were going to do amy good to anyon«. One of th*> picture people, he noticed, had stated that if the present decision were persisted in it would see the "close of the industry." "Well, gentlemen," said the Minister, "if you aire dependent on that class of picture, the sooner your industry goes, the better." Mr Anderson continued in the samestrain to emphasise the fact that lowclass pictures showing crime and immorality would not be tolerated in New Zealand. At the conclusion of his remarks, Jh# suggested that the deputation should put their case while the Press were present, but this the deputation preferred not to do, and the Press representatives withdrew while the film renters remained: to have a private interview.