THE FILM AND THE CENSORSHIP
MR. O'CONNOR, EXPLAINS his POLICY TO THE TItADE. —— : ; !• . O'Connor, M.P., the new British Film Censor, was the chief guest at a luncheon' givenby the directors of the "Era" recently in London, when he dismissed his policy and position from every point of view. "The dimension and possibilities of the film trade," Mr. O'Connor declared, "are yet scarcely realised, oven by tho trade itself." lii dealing with the., educational side of the kincmatogfapb, ho deplored.the waste of time which ho spent' as a boy in. the acquisition of dead languages. Greek, he added, could be of no use to him now— except, possibly, for the purpose of swearing at King Constantino, and even then lie was not'siire whether His Majesty would understand him. By means of the kinema geography, now a painful study, could be made to live and be a delight to the learners. "I express my strong opinion," he said, "that the day is not far'distant when there will be no school in this country in which there is not, a kinema. He hoped soon to see a kinema evening paper.
"No kinema," he proceeded, "so far as,l know, has a license, or has ever applied'for a license, to sell drink. I hope that if any kineina'theatre does apply for a license it will be refused."
We must, beware of thinking, he said, "that what is good enough for the stage is good enough for the film— that anything permissible on the' stage must necessarily andl inevitably , be ?erraissible on the film. It is not true. don'iTsay that any subject which can be treated in the drama cannot . be treated on the film; butl say you cannot treat them in quite, the same way." ■_ i .Our public opinion in stag© matters was, on the whole, sound and healthy —with a hatred of indecency, : indecorum, and unreserve.! • The knockabout kinema (always within limits) was not a.matter for him to criticise, but he associated himself with the rule already set up by the Board! of Censors that the representation of/crims was only to be permitted when .it was merely incidental in the action'of the pjay. ••■' •- ' ■ ; ' ■ ■ •
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Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3041, 30 March 1917, Page 6
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359THE FILM AND THE CENSORSHIP Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3041, 30 March 1917, Page 6
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