Motography (Apr-Dec 1911)

April, 1911. MOTOGRAPHY 29 (2) The conditions surrounding their presentation. The discussion of this first point may well be brief. As a result of the agitation against moving picture shows in 1909, several of the more progressive firms of film manufacturers secured the co-operation of the Peoples Institute in organizing a disinterested board of censorship to. pass upon all motion pictures presented to the public in New York. This board, which is entirely a voluntary organization, composed of representatives from a large number of civic bodies, has assumed a national character, and at the present time it passes upon practically all films produced or imported into the United States. As a result of this censorship the character of rtioving pictures has greatly improved in the last two years. It can now safely be said that there are no obscene pictures publicly exhibited in New York. Occasionally an indecent film, unauthorized by the Board of Censorship, is surreptitiously introduced by a manufacturer. Such a film is, however, immediately run down and eliminated. It is not claimed, of course, that the pictures exhibited in New York are of the highest class. The members of the Board of Censorship are necessarily influenced by the practical necessities of the moving picture art which ask for a policy of steady but gradual improvement rather than uncompromising severity. Many pictures exhibited today may be classified as silly. Others, in the course of unrolling a dramatic theme depict the commission of some crime. It is against this latter class that criticism is frequently directed. Pictures of this sort are approved by the Board of Censorship on the theory that the motion picture is a form of dramatic art and, together with the theater, must be allowed a certain liberty in depicting moral problems. The Board of Censorship, however, condemns any sensational representation of crime, or "crime for crime's sake." Some crimes, needless to say, are always debarred, as for instance, pictures of arson, poisoning, etc., together with certain socially forbidden themes. The attitude of the Board of Censorship toward motion picture shows in general is illustrated by the following paragraph from one of its circulars : In struggling with the moving picture problem the Censorship is dealing with nine-tenths of the total theater problem. Moving pictures are now the most important form of cheap amusements in the country. They reach the young, immigrants, family groups, the formative and impressionable section of our cities, as no other form of amusement and cannot but be vital influences for ill or good. They are the only theaters which it is possible for the entire family of the wage-worker to attend. In their social and educational possibilities they provide the basis for a neighborhood theater of the people. We are satisfied from our examination that the intelligent work of the Board of Censorship has largely curtailed the objectionable features of moving picture shows in New York as far as the pictures themselves are concerned. This much cannot be said for the vaudeville which frequently accompanies the motion picture, but which is of a much lower order. It is not possible to extend over the vaudeville the same kind of censorship that holds for motion pictures Under present conditions, with the industry practically restricted to the small "store front" shows, the low price paid for vaudeville cannot obtain on the average a superior grade. CONDITIONS SURROUNDING THE OPERATION OF MOVING PICTURE SHOWS. As already stated, we were able to come into touch, directly and indirectly, with nearly every motion picture show in the city. A special study was made of fifty shows selected at random in Manhattan, Brooklyn and The Bronx, thirty-two of which operate under a common show license, and eighteen under a concert license. Generally speaking, the conditions found to exist are such as attach to cheap and impermanent places of amusement, to wit : poor sanitation, dangerous overcrowding, and inadequate protection from fire or panic. Of the fifty places examined, thirtysix were crowded to the danger point; in twenty the ventilation was poor, and in seventeen positively bad ; in thirty-one, children under the age of sixteen were admitted unaccompanied by a parent or guardian. The lack of definite uniform standards of fire requirements in regard to places of amusement of this class made it difficult to determine the extent to. which these shows are inadequately protected. It is entirely possible that a comparative study of the conditions surrounding moving picture shows and other places of congregation, such as churches, department stores, manufactories, etc., would demonstrate that the latter are no more perfectly protected against fatalities from fire or panic than the former. Nevertheless, of the fifty moving picture shows which were the subject of our especial examination, it must be said that a portion of them at least, perhaps fifteen or twenty per cent, were such as might justly, be called dangerous, due largely to faulty exits, improper construction, etc. As stated above, the majority of the fifty places examined were found to be badly overcrowded, in some instances, indeed, with the aisles completely blocked by standing spectators, so that it was impossible for our inspectors to force their way into the hall. The ventilation in most of the places was wretched, no air being admitted except such as came through the front doors. In many places attendants went through the room with an atomizer spraying perfumery on the crowd to allay the odor, Moreover, it appears to.be a common practice in most of the shows to admit children under sixteen years of age unaccompanied by a guardian or parent in spite'of the provision of section 484 of the Penal Code. Indeed, one important official of the Moving Picture Exhibitors' Association stated in his testimony before us that 75 per cent of the moving picture shows of this city would be driven out of business if this law were strictly enforced. The following comments of our inspectors appearing upon their reportsare used to illustrate the conditions which were found to exist : Third Avenue, Manhattan. — This is a vile smelling place, and an attendant went round with a big pump atomizer spraying perfumery to allay the odor. Fulton Street, Brooklyn. — All seats filled and standing in the rear were 61 persons completely blocking the aisles. As a matter of fact, including the persons standing there were 373 people in attendance at the time of inspection and a panic or fire could not but have resulted disastrously. Flatbush Avenue, Brooklyn. — All seats filled. Eighty-seven standing in the rear, five in the center aisle and seven in the westerly aisle. A fire or panic at time of inspection would have resulted disastrously.