New-York tribune., 1922-10-22
Last Side'West Side, All around Tho Town
low Australia
Censors Films
~ FAIRFAX DoWNEY


| HE problems Of motion-picture censor
+ I'M ship in this country are as the prob
lems Of forty-eight states, more or less.
4 Ia Australia---although that common-
...AA ID made up Of several states--the cen-
...aip problem Ia mainly concerned with but
s. .tate, the well known state Of matrimony.
~ Australian censors differ with the ideas
] uscpristy Of some Of these United States
.a.n they view without alarm gambling scenes
- the screen. They are not inclined to cut
sssn some historical parsonage acts In his
A,,eal manner which would cause people to
m If he did thus to-day. They do not be-
ueye that Treasure Island" is likely to teach
nracv. And it is all the same to them whether
forthcoming birth be symbolized by stork
or a tiny garment. In fact, it might be said
they are pretty LIBERAL as censors 60. But
when il comes 10 she matter of divorce there
they might bs regarded by some Of our much
married citizens as oldfashioned, Producers
Of pictures that make free with divorce find
that in Australia they cannot "make it stick"
Keeping Australia safe for matrimony is the
J worthy cause IN which the censorship Of that
sontinent labors. AS F. H. Day, member of
Dc commonwealth Aim censorship board,
,asss It:
eThs chief difficulty of our censorship is In
] u matser Of divorce. Divorce in Australia is
aal serious undertaking. so that picture
asing as its theme the taking of necessary
] aaenee to produce divorce would always be
! N With censure.
| Martial iniidelity is carefully considered.
tmtiderabie latitude is allowed in 'slapstick'
vi broad Qegitlmate) comedy. In the latter
~ It Is considered that the audience thinks
:. dhdy Of the humor in the complicated stu-
idans which arise. and pays little heed to the
BIT that the relationship between the actors
: my occasionally be suggestive Of irregularity
Hmsver, comedies which tend to sneer at or
/ snaasy ridicule the established conventions
nurding married and single life would be re-
| xed. Especially does this apply to stories,
isnprous or serious, where infdelity or i'm
nefslty is framed up SO as to improperly
/ Murs divorce or to ruin persons charac-
" Tot reasons Of blackmail or politics."
A,Day declares that "movie" censorship Is.
asas al, only the expression of public opin-
Mndhe says that the people of Australia
akupm divorce as being as bad as the Span
id lsGiition.
/ ~ Day has come to the United States. the
source Of the great majority OF the films shown
u Anstrala, on mission which is largely
iauistic. That is, to explain at first hand to
asAmeriean producers his country's ideas on
Acensorable
Being such an entirely different country in
anonal viewpoint, the manufacturers here
ave not appreciated our difficulties" he points
mt
That they should appreciate before export
y q matter OF considerable money to the mo-
uon picture producers, for the freight on films
always heavy, owing to the fact that their
fdammability bars them from holds and
nscessitates their being carried in fireproof
hallon rooms.
That one censor should be able to speak for
us country seems extraordinary here where
The various state boards can make film look
LIKE the Tower of Babel just after the misun-
Outstanding had set in. The secret of this
australian facility lies in the fact that the fed
uai censor act is under the import bill. 1t is
utualy customs house affair. The censor's
oplhion on motion picture is a sort of elastic
asan which may be made impassably high.
imported pictures include practically all of
Mn'" Mr.. Day said. Production in Austria
ah practically nil. Whether produced or
WIN Australia, however, picture depends
sAmerica No company could afford to pro-
unless exhibition in America were pro-
= fer. The American public is the great
movie" public. The great majority Of films
! @aa IN Australia are American. We do not
1@ be temperamentally suited to the Ital-
Foductions There are more English than
aiaa pictures shown.
uader our system Of film rejection an i'm
,~M may alter picture when he is genu-
~ 0ger that 1t may be passed-may alter it
ssut That is tantamount to saying we never
yet flna."