MORE WORK FOR THE CENSOR

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 396, 3 July 1928, Page 8

MORE WORK FOR THE CENSOR

IT is announced that the censorship of film posters will come * into operation shortly and Mr. Tanner will have other worries added to those which attach to his office as censor of films. Judging by the number and variety of posters that are to be seen in the city the task of the censor will be rather a formidable one. It is said that the work of examining the actual posters and advertising sheets would entail the establishment, at considerable cost, of a new branch in the censor’s department and to avoid this it is proposed to work from publicity booklets supplied to film distributors and containing reproductions of all posters. ’ Before definite steps are taken, however, inquiries are being made into the methods followed in Australia. While the censorship of posters may be in order in certain eases, it should be borne in mind by those in authority that there is a danger attaching to all forms of censorship. The censors of literature, in all truth, have performed some queer pranks in the Dominion. Art productions and literary effort cannot he classed and graded as one would staple commodities and, at best, the opinion of a censor is but the opinion of one man who has, therefore, to realise that he must not lay down inexorable standards. There have been very few complaints of late against the cinema posters. So far as can be seen the designers seem to regard osculation as the great drawing-card with the British public—and little objection can be raised to that. As a matter of fact the pornographic poster is not popular with exhibitors and although occasionally illustrations are exhibited which cannot truthfully be described as the last word in good taste it may he accepted as a general rule that managers themselves aie fairly reliable censors. If Mr. Tanner bears this in mind lie will be able, with an easier conscience, to concentrate on his mam work—the censorship of films and the appending of his signature to those annoying permits that flutter between the art introduction and the picture proper, in some eases completely destroying the initial atmospheric effect so carefully built up by the producer.