THE CENSOR SAYS—

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 370, 2 June 1928, Page 25

THE CENSOR SAYS—

HAMILTON IS NOT “A THROBBING METROPOLIS! ” “HUMOURS OF CENSORSHIP” Neio Zealand has produced a censor who should take a high place among those who have added to the gaiety of nations, says the “Waikato Times," in an editorial headed “The Humours of Censorship.” There was once an English dramatic censor, a Mr. Larpent, who refused to allow the word “gammon” to be used in a play “because he had a friend of that name in Hampshire.” Our censor seems to have improved on this. He will not permit the word “Hamilton” to be used in the title of the cinema comedy produced here and has also ordered tne excision of the town’s name from a sub-titie containing an ironical allusion to the Sabbatic atmosphere pervading Hamilton on a Saturday afternoon. One can only conclude that the censor may have a friend, or perhaps a distant relative, who lives in Hamilton, and who resents the least insinuation that any one of Hamilton’s husbands might fall short of perfection or any hint that this town is not a throbbing metropolis even at the week-end. We hesitate to spoil the rich flavour of the 'humour. But if there is to be a censorship it ought to be a serious matter. When the many deliberate shocking titles of American films are considered, none of which have met with the censor’s disapproval, it must be very puzzling to producers to know what is the standard of judgment between good and bad. No great harm will be done in the present case. The main title would probably have been changed in any event when the film was taken to other towns for exhibition, as the word “Hamilton” would not have had a general appeal. A touch of humour is lost by the excision of the sub-title referring to the “throbbing metropolis of Hamilton.” But that also is a small matter. The serious thing is the effect that such action will have upon the confidence of producers and others in the censorship.