'Shocking' film seen uncut

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 33887, 5 July 1975, Page 16

'Shocking' film seen uncut

I 'N Z Press Association) ’I WELLINGTON, July 4. Wellington theatre ■ audiences saw an un- ; censored version of the : RlB film, “The Night >!Porter,” for more than i two weeks. The chief censor, Mr D. C. • Mclntosh, said today that the '.film had been passed fit for; audiences of 18 years and 1 ' over after cutting. ’ However. United Artsts, Ltd, released another copy of the film. This copy, completely un- • abridged, had been shown at , a Wellington theatre from

Friday, June 13, until last] Tuesday. Mr Mclntosh said that dur-1 ing this time a “number of allegations” had been made! to his office about the film-i He examined the film on I Tuesday and found it was un-!' cut. I The same cuts as those made in the copy originally submitted were made and the >film released for viewing. Mr Mclntosh declined to say how much had been cut I from the film, nor would he name the people making the allegations or the nature of the scenes removed. REACTION Reaction from the New Zealand Federation of Film; Societies was tongue in I cheek. • •

The acting chairman, Mr Harold White, said: “I am greatly alarmed that for more than two weeks thousands of adults have been corrupted without their knowing it.” “The host of paid and unpaid guardians of our morals have fallen down badly in their vigilance and obviously need a good shake-up.” Mr White, who has not seen the film, said his society' was against anv form of censorship for films to be shown to adults. The manager of the theatre where the film is being shown has had no complaints from theatre patrons about the film. ADS CHANGED j The film is advertised as “a (shocking sensation.”

Before the cuts were made all newspaper advertisements carried a warning that “this film may offend.” This message has now been dropped from the advertisements. A decision on whether any prosecutions will follow will be made by the Department of Internal Affairs. An assistant director of the department, Mr D. A. Kerr, said that legal advice was being taken on the matter. He did not know when a decision on legal action would be made, but saw no reasons for delay. Mr Kerr said that this was the first time a company in New Zealand had failed to follow the censor’s instructions when showing more than one copy of a film.