Screenland Plus TV-Land (Nov 1953 - May 1955)

SCENES THEY CENSOR HERE AND ABROAD [CONTINUED FROM PACE 27] films that should be looked upon as something of a menace to the public. But not poor, sweet, well-meaning Caroline. What was she guilty of? Taking a bath in the all-together? What could be cleaner, mon cher? Or of being a beautiful and highly-desirable young woman with absolutely natural impulses and passions? What could be healthier?" As she asked these questions, so did her sloe-burning eyes. At this point, vital and good-looking ChristianJacque (who will become Miss Carol's husband as soon as her divorce is final from Stephen Crane, Lana Turner's ex-spouse) eagerly entered the conversation. Having directed some of Europe's best-known female stars — Miss Carol, Gina Lollobrigida, Danielle Darrieux, Edwige Feuillere, Antonella Lualdi — in such deliciously frank films as "Fanfan The Tulip," "Adorable Creatures," and the about-to-be-released "Lucretia Borgia," he is easily an outstanding expert on the special attributes of the fair sex in the eternal game of love. "Everyone in the French film industry was concerned about the outcome of the 'Caroline Cherie' incident," he began. "You see, in France, only one group and one group alone has the right to censor films — ours, American, all that come into the country. It is made up half of laymen from all professions and half of experts from the film industry itself. Their decisions are always highly confidential and are never released to the general public. Once they approve pictures for release, no individual or group in any part of France has the right to make additional cuts or to ban a showing. There is one exception, however. Under the law, if a film is so controversial that it inflames the public and incites them to riot, it can be what you call yanked on the spot." I explained to Martine and Christian how our censorship set-up differs from theirs — how local city and state censor boards can make cuts, alterations and can even ban films even though they have already received the Seal of Approval from the Breen office. They were somewhat surprised at this situation in the U.S.A. After revealing some of the particular flagrancies our censor boards watched for, I asked what the French authorities sought to eliminate from films they screened. Martine was the first to reply. "In general, we have a sensible attitude. The board looks for things like extreme immorality, unusually brutal violence, and the re-enactment of crimes recently committed — cases where the individuals or families involved are still alive. They also have an eye open for unattractive portrayals of French nationals. And that's about it. To show a tender and realistic bedroom scene, or an intimate but humorous love scene, is not considered immoral. It is assumed to be an accurate portrait of life. I will never understand why in the United States certain cuts were ordered in the beautiful and sensitive "The Devil In The Flesh.' 54 Some of Gerard Philipe's scenes with Micheline Presle as they lay together so passionately in love were poignantly beautiful. I can't see how anyone who knows life and who has ever loved could possibly consider them vulgar or immoral." "On the other hand," chimed in Christian-Jacque, "1 can't understand why such a witty, amusing picture as 'La Ronde' has been banned in New York. It's all tongue-in-cheek and certainly much less harmful to the public than any dozen or more American gangster pictures I could name for you. It couldn't possibly offend anybody over sixteen." Inasmuch as a couple of scenes in "Caprice Of Caroline Cherie" showed Martine nude to the waist in both front and rear shots, I was sure that both the enticing French star and her fiance would have some definite views on the subject of nudity in films. It was ChristianJacque who took the lead in discussing the matter. "A beautiful body to me is always in the same class as a beautiful work of art," he began. "If a woman is endowed by nature with a body of historic proportions, why on earth should she hide it? In 'Caprice Of Caroline Cherie,' for example, there is a very charming scene where Martine has to jump up suddenly from her bath and is exposed to the waist. In another scene, shot from the rear, sh< is shown walking to her bath displaying one of the loveliest backs in existence Martine is blessed with a heavenly body and I see no reason why the public shoulc be deprived of views of it when the storj of the film and the character she is portraying call for it. I have often said thai if Martine and I should have a son, ] ( would prefer that he saw a dozen undraped women in the movies to a single film dealing with wanton killing and premeditated brutality."' Then, grinning from ear to ear, he added the following. "You Americans have such magnificent specimens of female beauty | — women like Rita Hayworth, Marilyn Monroe, Betty Grable, Jane Russell and many, many others. And yet, you show so little of them. I resent it. Why a girl has to stick a rose in her bosom or put on a heavy string of pearls when she wears a low-cut gown, I'll never know. What you give with one hand, you take away with the other. It is very frustrating!" That, I said, was a man's point of view. But how did Martine feel about this issue? She leaned forward, so that I got not only a whiff of her perfume, but also a clearer indication of her physical gifts. "Well, generally, I feel as Christian does, and you'll find that he is expressing the typical French attitude," she explained. "We just don't consider that the sight of a beautiful nude body is lewd. However, we think it is vulgar to show Says French star Martine Carol, "We just don't consider that the sight of a beautiful nude body is lewd. But it is vulgar to show complete nudity."