Filmindia (1941)

HUbbO! PRRERTS! blSTER! Don't make Hour Children Criminals ! Pick and Choose Your Entertainment. Dear Parent, You surely have seen films — some good, some bad, others indifferent. You have sometimes been moved by the plight of some heroine or the torture of somebody or the harrowing conditions of some race or section of people. You have also been amused by pictures or some characters or situations. No doubt you remember some episodes — -good and bad — the names of some stars, some directors perhaps, and of course some pictures. There have also been some moments when you wished you were in the place of the exploited or harassed man or woman and you wished you could give the exploiter a sock on the jaw. Some of these experiences you must have had while seeing pictures. You surely can recall some of them today. I would like to put it in this way. The films you saw have had some effect, some sort of reaction, on you. It might have been good, (I trust it was) or it might have been bad, or unhealthy. You probably could resist any temptations or at least check those that may have been aroused by some film. You could do that (if you really have done it) by strength of character which you as a man of mature abilities have developed. Now have you thought over this, what would be the impression on and the reaction of the child who has seen the same or similar films? You cannot argue that the child does not react to the films it sees. That is a fallacy which most parents believe in fondly, but their complacency must be shaken, as the complacency of some American parents was shaken by the revealing studies of a talented group of American researchers w'ho set out for four long years to study every phase of the motion picture in its relation to the child. NO TWO CERTIFICATES. Let me disabuse your mind of the notion that what is true of America may not be true of India. I do not say it is in all cases but movies are a d,ifferent thing. Some of those movies are seen by our children too, and human nature and reaction while varying according to the environment cannot be very different. What is more, we in India are considerably handicapped by this fact that there are no two Censor Certificates — for adult and for universal exhibition. All films that are passed are for universal exhibition and the child as well as the adult may see the films without let or hindrance of any kind. I do not wish to be another Mrs. Grundy or to dissuade parents from permitting their children from seeing films. That is far from my object. I can have nothing to do with those old-fashioned orthodox people who consider films as something reactionary, something that should not be touched with a pair of tongs. Happily the number of such people is fast dwindling. They have no place in our scheme of things. Whatever you mig'ht say, the movies are to-day an inevitable intei-national medium of entertainment to suit all tastes of people. Their potentialities are immense. No one can estimate the power of the Press. No one can even imagine the power of the Motion Picture. Children should be encouraged to see pictures as pctures are another medium of education. It is a pity that as yet in this country educational films have not played the part they should play. SEX ILLUSTRATIONS. But children should be guided by responsible people, their parents, elders, or teachers. It would be foolish to let them see all films because there are films to suit all sorts of tastes. There are books to Mr. P. Venkatram, the popular film critic of 'The Bombay Sentinel' suit all sorts of people, but we rarely allow our children to read anything they like. It would be revolting to see a book on sex with a child of twelve or thirteen, but why do we allow children to see films in which the technique that is described in some of these books is so brilliantly executed, vividly illustrated, to our great delight? You might say we do not allow them or encourage them to see such pictures. But all the same you take no particular care to see that they do not go to such films. That is important. It is admitted that we must give our children a large measure of freedom so that they may develop unhampered. Now, they can develop properly only if evil influences are not at work. As Huxley says, "too much liberty is as life destroying as too much restraint." It is very vital for the proper mental growth of your children that you eliminate the evil influence that is in some movies and encourage them to see those films which will help to make of them good citizens. Now what films make for evil influence? Broadly, these three kinds • — crime, sex and horror. I must be very brief, for whole volumes can be. and have been, written on these three aspects. 55