“CROOK” FILMS.

Hokitika Guardian, 24 August 1921, Page 3

“CROOK” FILMS.

! A-HEAVIER CENSORSHIP. WELLINGTON, Aug. l!) Since the first of May the New Zealand film censor, Mr Joliffe, has been carrying out the instruction of the Hon G. J. Anderson that “crook” pictures, in which murder and burglary and other crimes figure largely, shall he eliminated from the programme of Now ■Zealand picture theatres. The announcement of this policy caused more astonished comment outside New Zealand than in the country itself, for the film suppliers, having had long exi>erionre of the commonsen.se lines of the Dominion censorship, did hot anticipate that the business would be revolutionised. As a matter of fact, tilings are going along very much as before, though the increasing severity of the censorship of crime episodes has resulted in tlu> turiiiing down, by the censor, of twelve complete films. He lias made “cuts” in others, but not to an extent which interfered with their use in the" programmes. In the course of a chat with the film censor a representative of the “Lyttelton Times” learned these facts, and heard something of Mr Jolifle’s methods. “It must be a question of commoiiseiise,” he remarked, when asking his guiding principle in eliminating the “crook” picture. “It does not do to make hard and fast rules,” continued the censor, “but I will not pass what might be called unredeemed rascality, Intel I share the feelings of most people who see the pictures, in preferring that (rime shall not go unpunished. If 1 have a fuie, it is that crime must he shown to he pull tailed, and substantially punished, otherwise out goes the picture.” Prior to May 1 file' censor’s slaughter- ■ ing of complete fillils averaged about I per cent of the total submitted. Since the tightening of the censorship the rejections have gone up to about It per cent, and the ‘‘cuts” in proportion, As there wore hundreds of pictures on circuit when the new rule came into operation its full effect on picture ' theatre programmes "ill take a long time to become evident. However, one prompt result has been to improve the quality of the imported films. Mr ' .Joliffe puls this down not only to the new rule lie lias to apply, hut to the demand in Other countries for an effective censorship. The result has been h to cause producers to turn to classic t stories, and to improve tin-* quality of the plots . j