THE CENSOR AND THE FILMS

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3016, 1 March 1917, Page 6

THE CENSOR AND THE FILMS

EDUCATION BdARD COMMITTEE INTBR- : VIEWS MR. MIFFE A CANDID REPORT i At the monthly meeting of the "tt'el- ■■ line Education Board, held. yesterday, a .special committee of tho City members l>roucht down a report deuling with kinematograph pictures, the influence of n certain type of picture, and the result of its interview with the official censor (ilr. Win. JolilTe). The report is as folJotvs:— Suppliers Aim Too Low. ■' "The committee ie etyongly of opinion Vthat the suppliers have in many instances 'aimedfar too low to meet the aesthetic requirement:;; of this community. The • -Jaw rightly -prohibits with great etrictaiess the sale of adulterated • foodstuffs, "or of stale milk, vegetables, fish, or meat; the sale to the young of certain comanodities, such as whisky and tobneco. is prohibited. If then, regard for the physical ivelL-being of our youth dictates "such a public"polic.y, is it not equally .■reasonable to ineist on tho protection of • that which is of infinitely greater value receptive mind of the child—from Sim exhibitions, which by their impurity of suggestion, vulgarity of conception, and of accompanying letter-press, will ~undoit b tedlr do life-long,harm to many ,) individual minds?

"Tho committee is of opinion that, if Jnly for the preservation of our mother Hongue, the explanations- and descriptions should be expressed in language possessanz some claim to literary form. At tho present time much of the letter-press dismleases not only by its erudeness of expression,. J>ut ; by its vulgarity as well.

The Censor's View. L, ,rWittl a view to tetter understandinc who problem and the difficulties of a reacensorehip of kinema films, the Members met in friendly conference with, itho censor, Mr. Jolifle, who Bndly discussed the particular aspect of the subject which primarily concerns them Biamoly, the protection of the child and Me youth of either sex, by a strong Isane oensorehip, from exhibitions iinproiper to their years. j. "The censor pointed out that the severity of the censorship was beiny steadily increased as contracts .made before the of the law work out; he was, of opinion that the common jssense pf those in the business,- and their experience that the vulvar exhibition not only quickly satiates the mind of the public, but that, as taste improves, it gloee not continue to pay, would result pn ■■ • a standard of. film prodncft'on., pure in conception, artistic jan execution and with connect™? Hter-wess of appropriate diction, -'be film bneiness is one in which an immense amount of money is invested; .4mt if it is to win a permanent, placo W usefulness in the community, it ranst Jp that place, in the public' apnroba-

Censorship Should be Extended. b " Th ? «2 m , mittee - after consideration, Suggests that an adequate censorship injl Mies not only to the' cenioi-ship of films uut also t!i« censorship' of ,-,.lvi}i-|.is--ments, the censorship of. hoarding anil other placards, and the censorship of flilm letterpress, and that the - : ssue of the censors certificate should iavplre his approval under the last-named three. A reasonable interpretation o* the pur. tpose of the Act requires this wide conception of the censorship, and thi>t if it as not now within the Act f:ri<J Emulations, these should be ame.wi«{ at the Hirst opportunity. Iu reference to the *lass of fijms the exhibit*!), e< , which Inay be proper for thosj of adu't years, ?>ut improper for the ys'issg, the problem is undoubtedly difficult. While the ■committee desires on t.i-a ono hand fo Jiqyit out the grave iesr>o:isi!ii|Hv. -shicli Tests on the parent who the Tital interests of his chiiO, H wisaen on the other to ccramcrifi !:■■> flis; ;-,»prif. tore • the plan, already to soine extent developed in America, of providing films jpiiited to ' the young (even ibesa of an older growth)—innocent, • deiightfcjl, entertaining—sruch films, ns would lender the censor's "duties in that department of his work entirely a, sinecure."

Some Discussion. . On the report being: -presented. Mr. A. JMackßy (Blenheim), in approving of its ■tenor, said that they attacked the total;ssator and the !iquur< traffic ai evils in itheir midst,, and many of th 6 pictures shown were just as injurious to the child linind as the others were to adults. If jihe had his way, those who kept theatres ijiliat Aaah pictures should be •treated as criminals.

■ Mr. London thought that Mr. MacSkay's suggestion was an extraordinary one jito make. The pictures perhaps did , as itauch. good as the Churches, as many ■(people went to the pictures who never jivriit to cliurch.

; Mr. Mackay: "Have you got a picture ■ftheatre?"

••' Mr. B. A. Wright thought Mr. MacIJtay's criticism very sweeping. JTe did rnot ..often go., to. picture shows,'but. in l.some respscte ho conceded that "they •jwere artistic and good. But there, was is bad side to them as in other things. fJ'he committee had -waited on the censor iiind brougut under his notice certain fjfentiires of pictures that might be quite {correct for adults to seej but were not ipood for children. Very often the harm '/wns in the letterpress more rha-ii the picture—slang words were used, such as irlic use of the' word "some,"' as .in "He is some scholar or somo scricketer." Their children wenf, ■tond the next thing was that they had .[picked it up and were usiDg it in their conversation. He was g',jd ito know, that the censor. \yas doing his (host to stop it. It was quite clear That jthey must do something to. obviate the difficulty of showing certain pictures inHseximinately to adults and children plike.

■'• Mr. Penney thought pictures were Shown which exercised a subtle inifluence on the minds of children by suggestion. What" , they saw they toolc for granted to he real in -normal life. Where (the Education Department should stop ; jn was in utilising the kinematograph ty 'educate the young people. The report was , adopted.