Whatever happened to the two Cinematograph Bills that were before the Social Services select conmittee earlier this year? That was a question asked of the Minister of Internal Affairs by a deputation from the N Z Federation of Film Societies during September. Mr Highet assured the Chairman and Progranrne Organiser of the Federation that the select conmittee was still working on the Bills and was expected to report to Parliament in about a month. The deputation also expressed its concern to the Minister about the new censorship fees, pointing out that the extra costs would mean substantially greater subscriptions would be required from members unless there could be some relief. The Minister said that provision would be made in the new Bill when it came into effect, but as that may not become law until next year he would investigate ways that the present provisions would not be so harsh on the film society movement.

A member of the Film Censorship Appeal Board, Dr Andrew Sharp, told an Auckland audience last month how the Appeal Board has been introducing new criteria for judging indecent language in films. He said the circumstances in which language was used in a public place had always been taken into account by courts, but now the circumstances of characters in a story on a screen were also being considered. This had led to the Board approving four letter words in films like Lenny, where they were deliberately used to make people think, and Dog Day Afternoon and The Last Detail where they were fair representations of the way real people spoke. Dr Sharp said he would also like to see a wider range of certificates available to restrict films to specific audiences who might be more ready than the general public to accept things normally considered indecent.

The Cinematograph Films Censorship Board of Appeal met on 9 July to consider two films, and, though their decisions were entered in the Censor's register later the same month, the details were not made available until mid September.

The first appeal was against the decision of the Censor who had demanded a number of cuts in Gator, the first film directed by Burt Reynolds. In ruling, the Board, in a unanimous decision, said: "It was the opinion of the Board that the decision of the Censor should be upheld with regard to the excision involving the breaking of the glass over Bones' head and an excision reducing the fight on the beach, which the Board considered should be specifically cut at a point as soon as possible after the helicopter appears, so that the sequence of Gator slamming the shutter on McCaw's head is removed entirely. It was the opinion of the Board however, that the decision of the Censor concerning the remaining three excisions should be reversed." So, although the film is registered twice in the the Censor's book as A cut, it has fewer cuts under the Appeal Board's decision.

In its second July hearing, the Board heard evidence against the Censor's decision to cut parts of Goodbye Norma Jean, which would have been released, after cuts, with a R16 certificate. In this case, "The Board determined that the decision of the Censor regarding the reduction of the rape scene be upheld but that the decision regarding the age of persons entitled to view the film should be restricted to persons aged 18 years of age and over. The Chairman (Mr A J L Martin) determined that the decision of the Censor with regard to the excisions he required concerning the language used be upheld, but a majority of the Board. Mrs M R Nolan and Dr R A Sharp, determined that taking into account the restricted audience and the context of the film such decision of the Censor regarding the use of such language be reversed, and the appeal upheld with regard thereto, provided that a certificate be appended to advertisements of the film warning persons that they might find the language used offensive."

- Sequence, October 1976.