THE PICTURES

Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 18970, 7 April 1927, Page 9

THE PICTURES

WHAT THE CENSOR THINKS. "NINE-TENTHS PIFFLE." [THE PBESS Special Service] WELLINGTON, April 6. To provide programmes for the Dominion's multitudinous picture houses, about 1000 miles of films aro required annually. Every single foot of this stupendous length of celluloid is screened in front- of the censor before being passed for public exhibition, and if anyone- deserves a medal for endurance, surely it is Mr W. Joliffe, who, for ovor ten years, has witnessed the screening of films at .1 daily rnto of about three miles. Mr Joliffo is justly proud of the fact that he has outlasted all his rivals. There is no record of a film censor iu any other part, of the world having persevered with his job for so long. During his ten and, a half years of censorship, Mr Joliffo has witnessed the screening of approximately ten thousand miles of pictures —to be exact. 40,743,260 feet. His tally for the year closing nt the end of last month was 5,415,370 feet, nearly a million feet more than the previous year's total. This length of celluloid comprised 2751 different pictures, an increase of 800 on the previous year. These pictures were of all kindsj dramatic, scenic, industrial, and comic. Every cinematograph film destined for public exhibition in Now Zealand must be passod by the censor, I even if it is only a small scenic effort made by the Government Publicity I Department. There aro no exceptions to this rule.

Hour by hour and day by day, in his little theatre aits the censor, watching. The prevalent idea that "movies" are bad for the eyes finds no support from Mr Joliffc's own experience, and he ought to know if anyone does. "What they are bad for," ho stays. "is the nerves (for a good nine-tenth* of the pictures are piffle)." That crime amongßt juveniles era be traced to a largo degreo to the pictures is not believed by Mr Jolifre. He admits that children may, and do, get quite a wrong impression of life as it really is, by watching American dramas, but this is counter-balanced by the fact that tho children, at any rate, are being kept out of mischief. Were it not for tho pictures they would probably bo roaming the streets and getting into all kinds of mischief. Condemns Fashion Parades. A source of harm,'"Mr Joliffe reckons to be in fashion parades. Such pictures, he says, tend to make the young girls who see them dissatisfied with what thoy have and tho result may be disastrous. "If you ask me if continuous attendance at the pictures is bad for th* morals, I can only Bay that I do not' think that mine have deteriorated during the last ten. years," he said. During his long exporionce of censorship Mr Joliffe has not found that 'the quality of the pictures submitted for his approval has changed very • much. There is still very little art to bo seen on the screen, .and tbjc, function* of tho pictures seems still fa entertain, and not to uplift. Bri> tish-made films, since August of la*i, year, numberod only .256, as against, 1978 American productions. Their aver; age length was about 1200 ft, againsfe 2000 ft, and they were mostly "topit cals" and scenics. '.'

"British dramatic productions," xe*. marked Mr Joliffe, "are unfortunately rare. I wish that there were mote of them." >& When it came to a discussion of the question of censorship, Mr Joliffe pointed out that he had long ago given tap any idea of pleasing everybody. "It iB impossible," he said, "to work of any fixed rules. What, ten years flgjtf would have been considered decideffly indelicate is now accepted withoutHHquestion." During the last year ho liar seen fit to reject 32 films aa totally iy fit for exhibition, and cuts were mad© f 202 more. In only one of* these ea was appeal made against his decisj (and the censor's verdict was upheld* Outside of New Zealand Mr" Job has a reputation for strictness. A ■'■*":■ tain English trade journal in desa ing a new 'film said, '<lt is dolli ~ harmless, and would pan even the 1 "X Zealand censor." W