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)

232 MOTION PICTURE COMMISSION. commercially profitless. They put the " han " of public opinion upon individ- uals who break over accepted standards or attempt to sprend harmful doctrine. The laws and the courts reflect such public opinions. This public opinion is not static but is ever changing. Since these are the facts, there Is well-formulated opposition both to the j)uritanical and the ultraliberal positions. It manifests itself in politics, social life, industry, morals, and the church. Far more can be accomplished in cooperative ways than through legally appointed boards main- tained under a paternalistic rather than a democratic ideal of government. LEGAL CENSORSHIP OPPRESSIVE .\ND UNNECESSARY. Legal censorship comes too late to obt;iiii the greatest results from the manufacturers. They desire to market their product just as other legitimate producers have the right. Their outlay in money and time has been consider- able. They have Incurred expense not only In producing the pictures but in publicity and in the manufacture of from 2r> to 100 separate films for tlie exchanges throughout tlie country. When pictures were condemned by such a Federal board with legal powers, the manufacturers would develop a bitter- ness and sense of opposition which makes them desire to fight the decisions, through the courts, to the limit. Without making any concessions or losing one iota of independence, a voluntary board is able to influence its decisions at a period when compromise is possible. State laws and local city ordinances already exist which more effectively handle the situation than Federal censorship could do. Motion-picture ex- hibitors who present immoral or indecent scenes can be checked by the police or mayors with suppression of films or temporary or permanent sui)pression of show licenses. Such laws to punish any action, ])nblications or utterances against public morals are adequate for the protection of tl\e public. For five years the national board of censorship has called upon local authorities, mayors, license bureaus, and police officials to suppress films which are not deemed proper for circulation on the Anierir-an market. The response to these appeals has demonstrated the ability of localities to handle moral situations without any recourse to P'ederal enactment, NERVE AND EYE SIRAIN—MAGNITUDE OF THE WORK. Few persons understand the details of the work involved in th"^ censorsjin of the product of motion-picture manufacturers. There are being placed on the market of the United States at present from 135 to 150 films subjects per week. Within the last six months, the niiunifacturers have turned to the production of themes which require from 1 to 10 reels of 1.000 feet each to produce. This means that those who censor the entire product of the motion picture are will critically examine from 225.000 feet to 25O,0(X> feet of film weekly. The increase over the production for 1912 was in 1913 63i^j per cent. There is no indication of a falling off in this volume of production. It takes 12 minutes to look a.t each re^l of 1.000 feet. While 80 per cent of the film subjects require no criticism or changes, the conscientious critic nmst examine them all impartially. He must be in the frame of mind of the average spectator. When the film subject has passed in review, he inunediately assumes the attitude of a moral critic. If eliminations, changes in subtitles or scenes are to be made, he must note not only the effect of the Individual scene but its relation to the subject as a whole. This results in a tremendous nerve strain. No criticism or change can be made without re;;sonable justification. The censor, therefore, with hi:s fellows, must have reasons for his opinions and state them in conjunction with otheis. A small official board will find the work of examining and justly criticising 225,0(K) feet of film a week, a well-night impossible problem. The national board with 19 conunittees a week and membership of 105 persons, finds the nerve strain exhausting. It is needless to say that the work of cen.sorship is valueless unless it is done completely, impai-tially. judicially, and justly. When the nianuf;!ctnrer is mrgrieve.!. and the niend)ers of the committee or the secretary feel that large portions of the iiicture should be eliminated, an appeal is made to a disinterested group of highly intelligent citizens serving voluntarily on the general connnittee, a court of last apiieal. A quorum of seven is necessary for devislons. The action of this group is final.