MOVING PICTURES

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3056, 18 April 1917, Page 3

MOVING PICTURES

CENSORSHIP AND OTHER QUESTIONS In ' view of the prominence in the Press given to"censorship control, and other matters connected with the moving picture industry, certain aspects of the questton, as stated to our representative by Mr. Geoffrey Nye, general manager of the N.Z. Pioture Supplies, Ltd., should prove of interest. In respect to the conference called by the Catholic Federation',' Mr. Nye expressed the opinion that a repre-sentative-of the picture business should have been given an opportunity of either being present or supplying the conference with a few facts relative to the general benefits conferred on the public by, the industry, i.e., the great eduoational value, the enlightenment of the mind, the bringing in touch, as it were, of one side or the globe with the other, the characteristics and modes of living of various classes of society in all parts of the world, and the splendid vehicle the film is for teaching moral lessons. Such facts would, he suggests, be of material benefit to the conference. One object Bet out is to secure the right of appeal against the passing of any subject. c This would be wclcoined s by the controllers of the film business if they in turn had equal rights in nominating tho Appeal Board'. Otherwise, if such a right of appeal wa-s given to any section or single person in the community, be it a religious body, political, or otherwise, it is obvious that opportunities would be allowed of the interference to a growing industry not being for the public benefit but purely in the interest of tho body making tho appeal. It is well known, for instance, that the growth of picture business has materially affected tho liquor trade, in which case an appeal could be lodged against any picture relating to the evils of drink. . ■ . It is also well known in America that picture sermons have competed with sermjons from the pulpit, as in such pictures as "The Hypocrites," "The Market of Vain Desire, - ' "Where Are My Children?" Pictures enlighten and broaden the mind, and this may cause appeals from bodies who in all good faith may consider the old waya are tho 'best.

Mr. Nye states fiat statistics prove that wherever plotures abound children are more intelligent and quicker to acquire knowledge than in places where no such, shows exist. The film' now has its place as a popular necessity that, cannot be interfered with with impunity, and for that same Teason it is daily being recognised: that the screen itself provides a powerful means of influencing publio opinion. . By way of support for many of his views, Mr. Nye quotes from tho main points of the speech of the British Censor, Mr. T. P. O'Connor, made to a gathering of the English trade:—The dimensions and the possibilities of the kinematogrnph trade have scarcely yet been realised. The day was not far distant when there would not be a single school in the country where there was not a kinema.. The-first business of the kinema was amusement. Many people learned, from the film of-things they had not heard of before or even realised. Tho War Office and the Government had taken up the film, and the kinema had given tho nation a new inspiration to carry on the great work of this war. He was. afraid that some of the difficulties of tho trade were due to the fact that they'came up against the "powerful vested, interests of the nowspapers. He believed that he would live to see a lnnematograpS evening paper, containing ' pictorial representation in movomeht of the events of the day. No picture theatre had. a drinking license; he believod none had applied for a license; he hoped if they did apply for one that it would bo refused. ;Very feiv trades had been subject, to; such vile and virulent attaoks as the kin£--matograpb. He believed an _attempt had been made to steadily poison the minds of the people against/the kinema.' He advised them not to underrate the. seriousness of the gravity of this peril. He had always -hated cranks, and faddists, and lunatics all his life. As these wore the people they had most to iear, perhaps they had selected the right man in him as Censor. He had accepted the bar against lurid novels laid'down by his predecessor, Mr. Redford. The principles of film censorship were very hard to lay down, and hedidnot'intond to lay them down tod strictly, or dogmatically. It was rot the business of a censos to dictate to tho publio as to what should make them laugh or what should not make thorn laugh. Crime was unfortunately a part' of human lifo. They were entitled to produce' a film ini which crime was an moident, but they were not entitled to make a film which consisted entirely of crime. He would like to see some limitation put upon the reproduction of conditions in the life of other countries less further advanced than our own.