CENSORSHIP

Censorship of films has been much in the news lately, following an article in Wellington's Evening Post severely critical of the present system. The matter was considered at the Annual Conference of the NZ Federation of Film Societies held in Timaru in Januarry, and again at the Annual General Meeting of the Wellington Film Society last month. Both bodies came to similar conclusions: that the present censor is doing a diffucult job remarkably well, but that the powers that be should take a long hard look at the Cinematograph Films Censorship Board of Appeal. The meeting in Timaru described the members of the Board as "vintage material", the meeting in Wellington found them "not in touch with informed public opinion."

The Sunday Times. also  published an interview with the censor, Mr D. C. McIntosh, containing some factual errors which Mr McIntosh would not have made. He is reported as saying that every film society member can bring a friend to the society's screenings, whereas the Cinematograph Films Act stipulates that visitors at film society sceenings must be limited to ten persons or 10 per cent of the membership, whichever is the greater. Visitors could not be permitted if the film carried a "film societies only" certificate. The Wellington Film Society, because of the limited accommodation, does not at present permit visitors in any circiumstances, and membership cards must be shown at the door to gain admittance.

Mr McIntosh is also reported as saying that he offered The Balcony to film societies, but they declined it. Mr McIntosh - unfortunately perhaps - is not in the film distribution business and has no power to offer any film to film societies. What really happened in this case is that the censor found he could not give this film a certificate for public exhibition, but suggested to the distributors that it could be given a certificate for film societies if they were willing to make it available for such screenings. The distributors, whose business is to make money, were not interested in such a proposition, and film societies could not have used the 35 mm print. At no stage were film societies consulted at all.