THE "PURITY CAMPAIGN"

Press, Volume LXXI, Issue 21411, 1 March 1935, Page 5

THE "PURITY CAMPAIGN"

EFFECT OF AMERICAN MOVEMENT NEED FOR IMPROVEMENTS ADMITTED Being the unloved stepchild of the arts, the cinema is accustomed to being chidecl more in sorrow than in anger, stated a writer in the "New York Times" recently. But even the most apologetic of Hollywood's Uriah Heeps were unprepared for the criticism the screen received in 1934. In a brief history of the year just gone, such comparatively minor phases of the cinema as reside in artistic achievement must be pushed back to a position in keeping with their unimportance. It is even to be feared that the historic rise of Shirley Temple, together with the emergence of the screen as a medium for serious political and social argument, and advances in colour photography, are among the minor events of the last 12-months by comparison with the phenomenal success achieved by the champions of a purity renaissance. History of the Crusade Since the decency campaigns are certain to exert a profound influence upon Hollywood's efforts during 1935. a summary of the cycle that has just passed would be incomplete without a brief examination of the history of the crusade. Hollywood for many months had affected a gay disregard of the opponents of vulgarity. The embers (to change the figure of speech) burst into a tiny flame toward the end of May, when Father Daniel A. Lord, editor of Queen's Work in St. Louis, issued posters to several thousand Catholic parishes, high schools and colleges in which he listed five of the current films as "unfit to be seen and a menace to decency." The campaign gained amazing velocity and in a brief period had been so effectively publicised that it swept the country and shook the film city to its foundations. Indeed, for a perilous week or two, the spectre of Federal censorship appeared in Hollywood. Frightened by the unmistakeable lynch spirit which confronted them on every side, the cinema people hastily revised their production schedules, sidetracked the spicy narratives they had scheduled for production, and altered thousands of feet of

questionable fdm. So overwhelming was their bewilderment and so acute their terror that they even permitted the Hays office to install an internal censor for the industry, vesting in him the supreme authority to reject, rewrite, and mutilate photo-plays before they reached the screen. Influence on Films The influence of the campaign became evident in the autumn, when a procession of photoplays bearing a remarkable resemblance to the spirit of 1900 appeared on the horizon. "Mrs Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch,"' "Girl of the Limberlost." "Anne of Green Gables," "Bright Eyes," and "The Little Minister" were symptomatic of the entertainment which awaited the film public during the new year. Although several of the exhibits, notably "Ann of Green Gables" and "The Little Minister," were photographed with extraordinary skill, they represented to discerning critics a ruinous assault- upon the beginnings of an adult cinema, as well as an abrupt retreat from the vital questions which were being discussed in .he best products of the new literature and the new theatre. It seemed probable that the cinema as an adult entertainment medium would suffer grevious wounds during the general assault upon vulgarity. Confused opponents of the, screen, intent on their determination to protect junior audiences from the corrupting influences of the photoplay, argued that the solution lay in a drastic levelling of the art down to the lowest common denominator of the public intelligence. Because of its widespread public support this kind of distortion threatened to discourage the finest minds in Hollywood and to relegate the screen j to an inferior position. Necessary Improvements Late in the year a list of approved and disapproved pictures was issued, which recognised the perils inherent in the crusade by breaking down the groupings into three classes, thereby providing grown-ups with the privilege of attending movies which were definitely unsuitable for children. At this moment there is evidence that activities will be focused on the two fundamental factors concerning which there can be no possible disagreement among thoughtful citizens. The first is the necessity for eliminating cheapness and vulgarity from the screen and for suppressing the false standards of human behaviour which Hollywood has undeniably glorified in the sex and glamour films of the last few years. The second is the necessity for encouraging films for children and the formation of cinema programmes for junior audiences. A number of intelligent movements in this direction have taken root during the year. One of the interesting commercial events was. the establishment of the Bijou Theatre for the exhibition of animated cartoons, thus creating in the heart of the Broadway area an incorruptible haven for children and their parents.