Film Advertising

Press, Volume CV, Issue 31023, 31 March 1966, Page 12

Film Advertising

Sir, —I have watched with concern for some months the declining standards of film advertisements in your excellent newspaper. The advertisement in Thursday’s edition compels me to voice my contempt for the degrading tone of the description and sensational language used to promote the latest “nude” film from Britain. 1 know our films are censored, but perhaps it is time our advertisements were, also. —Yours, etc., FILM-LOVER. March 25, 1966. [Mr J. R. Sullivan, advertising manager for Masters Suburban Theatres, replies: “1 am amazed that ‘Film Lover’ should find fault with the advertisement for the latest naturalist film from Britain, ‘The Reluctant Nudist.’ if the writer had analysed the ad vertisement more closely, he would see quite clearly that rather than ‘the degrading tone of the description,’ etc., it was more a statement of fact. First, the paragraph containing ‘because of the controversial nature of this film no scenes will be reproduced in this advertisement’: this is fact. There would be an outcry if scenes of nudism were depicted in an advertisement. The paragraph containing Another side of life, much discussed but rarely seen’: there, again, without elaborating, this is fact. The term ‘nature’s playgirls’: this is a beautiful and very apt description of the female nudists in this film. Personally I consider the censorship in this country, both of film and display material (also censored) of a standard which other countries should follow. If any individual wants to take up the position of a self-ap-pointed censor, he is wasting his time, as the job is efficiently done by experts.”]