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)

128 MOTION PICTURE COMMISSION. contrary to the spirit of liberty for n few officers- in the name of the people to protect all the cliiklren. Mr. TowKER. I will ask you a question, and to my mind it con- stitutes one of the chief objections that mio;lit be raised, although it was not raised here by counsel representing these companies against national censorship, and that is this: Censorship, and especially na- tional censorship, must be in the general nature of things. In other words, they must cut out; they can not discriminate. I suppose there is none of us so unliberal in" our views but Avhat we recognize the fact that there are some defections or scenes that might not only be objectionable, but objectionable to the mature man or woman and at the same time be objectional)le to the children. I do not want to go into details, but certainly we must admit that. Now. national censorship would almost necessarily be with a view of presenting that which could be presented to everybody, and therefore, a very strict standard would have to be established for the national censor- ship. Now. Avould that not relieve a serious objection to the national censorship? Would it not in reality be a matter that ought to be governed by the localities in which they might say that certain films could be exhibited only to mature people, or that certain theaters should only allow the' children to go at whicli only certain films might be exhibited? In other words, is there not. after all. an abso- lute necessity for a local censorship and government of these mat- ters? I Avill not ask you to answer that now. but I would like to have you give it careful consideration and present your views fully to the committee. Dr. Chase. Pardon me for just a moment. I liaxe thought about it and appreciate the impoi'tance of what yor, >ay. But I do not think that the difficulty will be remedied but hindered by local cen- sorship, unless the local censorship is assisted l>y a Federal censor- ship. My answer to the question is twofold. In the first place. I would suggest that your connnittee make a ])rovision in the bill so that certain pictures will have to be approved by the committee as morally fit for children and adults and others as aj^proved for adults only. I think the whole country wotdd be benefited by such an arrange- ment. It might possibly complicate the situation and hinder the passage of tlie bill if the'people of the Nation were not ready to un- derstand the importance of such a provision. That is the reason wdiy in the past I have not favored putting such a provision in the bill. But. in my opinion, (here would be great advantages if the bill could be enactecl into law Avith a reciiiirement that the Federal com- mission must divide the motion pictures licensed by them into two classes. One class to consist of the very best pictures from the moral, educational, amusement, and artistic point of view, concerning which no one coidd have any doubt but that they would have a healthful, moral, intellectual, and social influence upon both children and adults. Tiiis class when it dealt with the sex (luesiion or with love scenes would do so in such a pure, sane, and truthful way that they would purify and sanctify the sex life of our children. The second class would consist of pictures which, for some reason, it might not be thought wise to show to young children. It would not contain any picture which woidd clearly have an immoral influence upon adidts,