Motion Picture Commission : hearings before the Committee on Education, House of Representatives, Sixty-third Congress, second session, on bills to establish a Federal Motion Picture Commission (1978)

148 MOTION PICTURE COMMISSION. point is that of obscenity; but we are not contending merely against obvious, open obscenity; we are speaking of the suggestiveness of pictures, of the things which are insidious; the pictures which tell a boy how to steal, tell a boy how to commit this crime or that crime. The ordinary citizen can not pass an accurate judgment upon such a matter. We want trained experts to do that work and, in my opinion, it is very much to be preferred to police censorship. The policeman or even an ordinary judge is not qualified to pass upon the moral effect of a motion picture. It seems that this bill will certainly do away with unreasonable, ignorant censoi^hip by the police, and that it v/ould be of very great advantage to my oi)ponents, who are ignorantly and foolishly, it seems to me, opposing this bill. Mr. Fess. Do you not think that the ugly, otl'ensive, and obscene picture would probably be cared for by public opinion, such as has been suggested, but that the dangei- is the sr.btle and sug'j:estive picture of which the ordinary individual does not see the signifi- cance? Is not that one of the great dangers^ Dr. Chase. N(}t exactly. This might be a good time to take up this specific case. My opponent said we had ni.t given any sj^ecific cases, and this will definitely answer your (luestion. One of the members that I met here said that the National Boai'd of Censor- ship had never approved the picture called " The Ti-ailic in Souls." That statement was made here at one of the liearings. Mr. ScHECiiTER. I afterwards said that tlio natioiuil board did approve it. I)r. CiiASE. I sent to the superintendent of the Society for the Prevention of Crime in New York and a>ked him foi- his authority in telling me that it did have the appro\ al of the National Board of Censorship. I received a letter from liim, and it goes into the matter in detail. He sent me this [indie: ring], \vhi<'h was supplied at the office of the National Board of Censorship: Special Rn.LKTiN. The Xntionnl P.onid of ('(Misorsliip vf Motion I'h'Iui-os on Ortobor 27 ro- viowod flic film. " Trnftic in Souls." t'uivers.-il siiocinl ro'ci-^e. :iiitl imssod it with five minor iilterations. 'IMiis lihii divils in :i moro tlelil)>'rnt»' .-lud extensive way than any i)rovious film with the so-callel while-sluve ti-;itiif. The hoard felt that a pVeeedent would be created by any action taken on this film and invited representatives of a number of societies ronre-ned with welfare work to attend the review and advise with the board Tlu' followini;; societies, not inemb(>rs of the National l?oard of ('ensorshi|i. wi>re repr»>s*>nted : riiion Theoloi^ical Seminary. Camii Fire (Jirls. ('(Hiimittee of Foui'teen for Supin'(>ss!on of Kaines Law Hoti'ls. City \i,i,'iiance ("ommil Ice. Sanitary and Moral Pi-ophylaxis Society. Greenwich llon.s<». Trnvolers' Aid Society. Civic TluMter Movement. Distiict attoi'iiey's ollicc. Aflei- tAvo reviews of the film and leiiixthy discussion, the l)oard decided that this subject and this method of treatment were le;;itimate in motion i)iclnres; that tiie film in (piestion did not cimtain obscene, sns.i-'ostive. or demoralizing; elements; and Ihat while it was not i)erfect as an educational pro.ject, it was on the whole calculated to do ;,'ood. Such eliminations as were made wei'e in the direction of lakin;; away any elements of su:r,!.:esii\cness ;ind also of rediic-