CENSORSHIP OF FILMS

Taihape Daily Times, Issue 220, 7 June 1917, Page 6

CENSORSHIP OF FILMS

PROTEST FROM D.UNEDIN.

DTJNEDIN, Monday

Emphatic protests have been made by a number of clergymen against a moving picture, entitled "Intolerance," shown here last week. In their sermons last evening the Re-v. R. Evan Davies, of Knox Church, the Rev. Clanence Eat on, of the Central Mission, and the Rev. R. S. Gray, of the Baptist Church, referred to the picture, and criticised the censorship.

Mr. Gray described the picture "Intolerance" as vicious. It was tnue that the magnificence of the spectacular obliterated for the time being some of its coarseness and sensuality, but it was there and its effect, especially on young people, could not but be injurious to the moral tone of the community. Certain happenings in Dunedin pointed to a distinctly low moral tone among a considerable section, and anything which caused people to accept as normal the situation portrayed in the picture was to be wholly condemned. A board of censors should be again demanded, and on it should be a sane, strong woman. Mr. Eaton-said that since the appointment of the film censor the evil had gone on unabated. It was difficult to see where the least improvement had been made. The picture which had been shown had met with the severest ; criticism in Australia. A motion picl ture and theatrical magazine had der scribed it as "sexual indecency and chaotic confusion," "historical and fictitious incidents used chiefly to send people in a wrong direction." Certain scenes had been described as "disgustingly immoral and wholly intolerable," and th e writer said of the whole film, "it should be censored with a sword of fire." There were many beautiful pictures to which no exception could be taken, he said, but he did not knowhow th e . picture mentioned bad ever parsed the censor.