Miss Bartlett’s claims dismissed by Censor

Press, 3 November 1984, Page 30

Miss Bartlett’s claims dismissed by Censor

PA Wellington Adult film-goers ought to be prepared to take the responsibility for what they chose to see on the screen, the Chief Film Censor, Mr Arthur Everard, has said in response to criticism by .the Society for the Promotion of Community Standards, Miss Patricia Bartlett, that he passed a record seven R2O- - films in one month. “If Miss Bartlett thinks that such people are less >erceptive and discerning, jeing more susceptible to moral corruption, than she is, this says more about Miss Barlett’s confused appreciation of reality than it does about standards of censorship in this country,” he said.

Mr Everard said that Miss Bartlett was “up to her old tricks again — ‘Let us get the Film Censor, even if

we ignore a few of those facts of which we are quite well aware but which do not help our crusade’.” He said that Miss Bartlett’s statement that during August he passed a record seven films with an R2O rating ignored the fact that during February he passed only one; in March, April, and May, none; and so far this year not more than 12. “Why does she not point out that R2O-rated films represent only a very small proportion of all R-rated films?” Mr Everard said. “What Miss Bartlett cannot seem to grasp, even after years of being told, is that films submitted for censorship come randomly and do not follow a neat, tidy, arithmetical progression. That is, we do not get, say, X sex films, Y thrillers and Z family films in those exact proportions each

month, or even each year, for that matter. “If ‘two of these seven films (with R2O classifications) are on videotapes and could presumably be seen at home by minors’ I have to reply that at present all films and videotapes can be seen at home by minors. “My jurisdiction over the screening of films and videotapes applies only to exhibition outside private residences, that is .in public.” Mr Everard said he thought Miss Bartlett might be indulging in a little wishful thinking, for although she submitted a petition of more than 21,000 signatures to Parliament asking that the Film Censor’s Office register and classify all videotapes, including those intended for private use, the whole question of who should do this, or even if it should be done at all, was

still under Ministerial discussion. “Miss Bartlett omits from her statements the information that an R2O certificate (which often carries a warning note) is the strongest one we give to a film, even after cutting. The next step would be rejection,” Mr Everard said. “With an R2O film we are saying in effect, ‘This is a tough, possibly disturbing, controversial film which is suitable only for mature adult audiences.’ “We are not suggesting that it is ‘suggestive,’ ‘sexy,’ ‘obscene,’ ‘tasteless’ or any other similar pejorative adjective. “I think that ordinary, adult film-goers ought to be prepared by and large to take the responsibility into their own hands for what they choose to see on the screen.”