Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-07-19
Authors, Producers and Actors Fight
Against Film Censorship in Germany

BERLIN.-German film censorship,
now 80 years old, is showing such signs
of aged Feasibility that producers de-
clare they cannot risk anything stronger
these days than "Mary's Little Lamb"
Starting with All Quiet on the
Western Front" the reform wave Of film
censorship struck down one after
another new picture, foreign and do
nestle alike, either on moral. politi-
banning of UFA film, Express
Train 49," has served to reveal the
tastes of the censorship board in Its
guardianship Of public security and
morality.
A scene concerning a plot to dyna-
mite an express train, for example,
was objected to teven though the plot
+, failed) because it might incite imita-
ton. Further, the board opined. the
confidence of railway travellers in mod
ern-day safety might be undermined,
with consequent damage to business.
| The regrettable fact that a policeman
was shot down in the film offered
another snarl clever policemen are not
supposed to come to grief. The public
must have faith in its cops.
Dates Back to 1899.
This sort of thing is felt to be a
| throwback to the days Of censorships
| groping infancy-to the days when Ger
man saloonkeepers, finding the cinemas
| cutting into their trade. appealed to
the police to censor pictures more close
| ly because, since the auditorium was
darkened during the performance,
| there was an obvious Indictment to i'm
propriety. Many persons here main
tain that the level of discrimination IN
censorship has not risen above that
established by the saloonkeepers.
Film censorship of legal charac-
ter, more or less. dates back IN Ger
many to 1899. The screen then, OF
course, was awkwardly finding its feet.
Otto Messter had just shown the first
German picture. 1.-THE Critical Years
of Life" The police did not know what
to do at first. There was no law
authorizing them to supervise the new
art. But they had to do something.
| What they did was to dig out an
ordinance dating back to the year 1852.
which concerned the preservation OF
order at public assemblies. That sut-
feed to subject films to police control,
and the germ OF censorship began 10
develop along with the intense interest
In the films themselves.
Some Banned Pictures.
In 1907 film actors were fined FOR
holding the Kings costume up to
ridicule; they had been filming uni
formed drama in the Berlin streets.
In 1911 the pictures OF the Jeffries-
Johnson bout were banned on the basis
that their effect on the public mind
was brutal. One of the cenSor's next
throbs of genius was to forbid a f1lm
showing a child lost in the snow on the
ground that children should not be per-
mitted to run around alone. In 1914
an American white-slave film was
banned because it was too realistic"
The revolution of 1918 did away with
film censorship by the police, but in
1920 a special law was passed establish
ing it anew and creating movie censor
ship boards to enforce it. These boards
are today made up Of two persons from
social welfare and juvenile protection
bodies, one from the film industry it
self, one author and Government Of
fical as chairman, appointed by the
ministry of the interior. Appeals from
the decisions of the local boards may be
taken to the German chief censor, at
present Councillor DR.. Seeger of the
ministry of the interior. Local deci-
sions, it may be stated, are rarely
reversed.
The film reform wave has naturally
resulted in protests from screen authors,
actors and producers, who want to
know II German films must be especially
fitted to the mental qualities of children
and simpletons. The industry at the
same time is treading softly; some
companies have submitted scenarios to
the censor in advance only to hnd that