Reel and Slide (Jan-Sep 1919)

©CI.842645 5 M ACAZINE VOL. II JANUARY, 1919 NO. 1 Policy Standards of Review Board What Has Been Learned in a Decade of Practical Censorship by National Body Ideas of Value to Educators and Ministers in Selection of Pictures for Own Use (Reel and Slide magazine herewith begins publication of a series of special articles, outlining, in detail, the standards of policy of the National Board of Review of Motion Pictures. Educators and others interested in the improvement of the moving picture screen will find much to guide them in these articles when selecting productions for their own use as well as in co-operating ivith the local commercial theater. — Editor.) (Copyright) THE National Board of Review, formerly the National Board of Censorship, was established by the People's Institute of New York and is still affiliated with it. It was founded in March, 1909, by representative volunteers at the request of the New York exhibitors of motion pictures. It became national in Tune, 1909, at the request of manufacturers of the national output. It reviewed 65 per cent of the films in 1909; in 1918 it reviews 99 per cent of the dramatic films shown to the American public. The membership has always been entirely voluntary. This has grown from seven in 1909 to 225 in 1918. It is self-governing in all particulars. The General Committee establishes and enforces standards and rules of procedure. It elects its own officers and members and selects its executive staff. It permits no votes on any pictures by anyone even remotely connected with the film industry. The General Committee, through its Executive Committee, raises and controls its own finances. No member, therefore, passing decisions upon pictures is paid directly or indirectly for his services. The General Committee, composed of thirty representative citizens, is self-perpetuating and is the governing body. Its membership is drawn from persons of training who are identified with various welfare and civic movements. This committee elects a smaller Executive Committee and standing committees. It also elects members to the Review Committee which deals directly with the motion picture output. The members are drawn from as many diverse groups as possible and are all intelligently and sympathetically interested in the motion picture. The General Committee chooses and directs the executive staff and office. It decides on policies formulated by standing committees, carries on negotiations with_ the producers ; it establishes standards ; it maintains relations with correspondents throughout the country. National Board a Clearing House Audiences of motion pictures and the public do not discriminate^ They hold all producers responsible for the faults of one. A single producer or exhibitor of obscene or demoralizing films may bring discredit and attack upon all other producers and exhibitors. All suffer. This means the motion picture art must rise or fall as a whole. The only method of control which is effective is one which is outside the film industry. It must be disinterested, skilled and sympathetic. It must register fundamental public opinion. The National Board is simply this agency. All manufacturers submit their product for impartial criticism and moral regulation. All learn of final decisions and of principles defined. All are advised of harmful tendencies. All are protected from the recklessness of the few. The National Board recognizes no such thing as business rivalry. All producers are equal and are treated as equals. All pictures_ are shown in advance of publicity to the Review Committee. This is divided for convenience into several divisions which meet one morning or afternoon a week. After the pictures are reviewed they are passed with or without definite eliminations. Any picture can be appealed by a member of the Review Committee,_ by the secretary, or by the manufacturer to the General Committee. If a picture is appealed it is shown to the Gen eral Committee, which has power of final review and final decisions. After final action is taken the owner is notified immediately in writing and acts in accordance with the decisions rendered. Each week notification of action taken on all pictures submitted during the current week is sent to national correspondents in the form of bulletins. Final decisions are checked for the United States by (1) regular and effective inspection in the New York theaters ; (2) comparison of the lists of motion pictures with those contained in the trade papers and the advance sheets of producers; (3) cooperation with numerous officials, local correspondents who follow productions as they appear in their cities ; (4) regular reports from officials in these several parts of the country. If the National Board learns that any manufacturer has made a film public without submitting it to this body or that he has wilfully failed to carry out its decisions regarding alterations, the public is promptly notified through the official bulletins and the producer warned to avoid repetitions. The relations can exist oniy on the basis of complete co-operation. When films are presented to the public uncriticized all correspondents are inforemd of this fact and requested to take appropriate action. In the few isolated instances when objectionable pictures are circulated the National Board has been able to render them so unprofitable that they have been returned to the manufacturer with serious loss of money. Instances of this kind are increasingly rare. Difficulty of Absolute Consistency _ It has been the policy of the National Board with difficult social problems to call to its assistance men and women who are specialists. They have rendered decisions which in the nature of the case were impossible for those with a general training. It was after such conferences that the National Board formulated its policy on the white slave, drug, nude, race and war films. No principles or standards can be enforced with machine-like consistency. Those who review pictures, however, must reduce their personal views to a minimum and allow those of the playgoing public to control. It must be recognized that the influence of motive, method of presentation, actors, scenery, written titles, etc, in individual pictures will modify set rules. A few changes, eliminations or a different phraseology may entirely change the effects. In case of reasonable doubt, the reviewers should give the picture the benefit of the doubt so that the public may decide. Unless the theme of a picture be questionable it should be passed rather than have the National Board restrict freedom of discussion. Ordinarily the will of the majority of a review committee should govern after full discussion of a picture. In order to approximate uniformity certain methods are employed to unify the judgments of the review committees. These are (1) frequent discussions among the members of the review committees of the standards which have been clearly defined by a previous decision; (2) attendance by members of the review committees _ at meetings of the General Committee when pictures dealing with new or involved questions are discussed ; (3) all members are provided with these standards with which they are expected to be absolutely familiar; (4) four secretaries spend their entire time at the various committee meetings. They see the pictures, hear all discussions, and may be consulted when a picture is being discussed. Though unanimity of opinion is not attained, the members accept the final decisions. These actions are consistent with the standards of the National Board. It is frankly acknowledged that in reviewing nearly 200,000 feet of film a week there must inevitably be some errors in judgment. The greatest problems of the National Board arise from the fact that the same picture goes to all audiences. These audiences