BANNED.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20866, 5 November 1929, Page 6

BANNED.

FINE BRITISH TALKIE. AUSTRALIAN CENSOR’S ACTION. (From Our Own Correspondent.)' SYDNEY, October 24. The refusal of the Australian Film Censorship Board to license the British picture “ Blackmail,” has come as a complete surprise to the picture people of Australia generally, as well as to the official of the producing company—British International Pictures, Ltd. Reports from England and America, following the official trade releasf of the picture late in June, were in the most eulogistic terms. It was expected that the pipture, when shown in Melbourne and Sydney, would have had record runs, and the decision of the hoard—if not reversed on appeal—will at least cause serious loss to the producers, even if the more serious effect of discouraging British enterprise, to the advantage of American production, does not follow. British International Pictures, Ltd., has its headquarters at Elstree, Hertfordshire, the largest individual film studio in the world. The company, coincident with the coming of sound films, invested enormous sums to produce such films, with the expressed intention of heating the popularity of American pictures by taking advantage of the clearer diction of British actors and actresses. It is explained that “ Blackmail ” was hailed as the best British talking film yet, and that it was well received even in New York, where one critic said, “ Pictures of this calibre will receive a welcome in America, and will more speedily gain entree thin a waggon-load of- quotas.” In Australia the British Company which produced the film is represented by Kinenia Art Films, Limited, and the manager (Mr I. Smith, V.C.) made the' following comment:—“The information I received on the completion of ‘Blackmail 5 was that it was the finest film ever seen and heard in Britain. Then when it was exhibited all newspaper critics regarded its success as so important. as affecting the British industry that they treated it as a drama first night, and devoted great space to their reviews. In fact some of the papers sent their ordinary dramatic critics, and all of them wrote highly of the talkie. They pointed out, in effect, that American exhibitors would have to take second place in the Empire if the standard of ‘Blackmail,’ with its English diction, was maintained in future talkies. Many of the scenes were filmed at Scotland \ard, with the approval of the authorities, showing interiors and men, and I cannot think that the subsequent release of these scenes would have been permitted in conjunction with other sections that were regarded as objectionable. 1 uun further °suriirisod for in the last few months I have seen films in Melbourne in which the details of the plot and the theme might be deemed to offend the moral sense in an infinitely greater degree than anythin** in Blackmail V* The company has appealed against the ban and this will be one of the few occasions in which the newly established appeal board has been called upon to act. The result in being awaited with great interest, for there is a groat public demand for pictures in which the characters talk English and not American. Pictures with pure English diction have had the greatest success in the theatres of Sydney and Melbourne,, and the public would welcome it if British talkies became firmly established.