China the censorship situation. as. you. might expect, is apparently very simple, but really complex. The fofligiai censors are the central public ity committee of the Kuomintang. The provisions under which they operate fre 80" clastic that even Shirley Temple could be barred for indecent expature as defined by the Now Life movement.
9 picture is in doubt It is seldom barred offhand. Tt is kept. in Nan-dug. until everybody has forgotten about it, including the producers. Sometimes even after It has been passed by Nanking, and shown in a first-run house, it 1s recalled for censorship" again' and, likely as not. barred, After plettires have run the gauntlet of Nanking, they have to do {tall over again in Canton, while there is an entirely different eensorship. in Hongkong and one more in 'Shanghai where the Settlement Police and the French sit in jointly, with a mutual understanding, to wone lether. I have been' informed that 'OW for the Lamps of China,' a film aod on the book of that name, has been in Nanking three months, with every prospect of staying there 1 haven't seen the picture so T don't know why It is being held up. Quite often T've seen the pictures that were held' up, and still didn't know why.
In the United States there is no national censorship. Tis confined to A few states, a few ellles and sporadic police activities generally based on Yocal polities! expediency. In the States, Jumping on the movies 's one fof the easiest and most, productive forme of getting publicity. Any polltictan' who wants to get on the front page has only to start viewing with alarm the effect of movies on the young. Any minister who feels hho is losing his grip or finds his flock has wandered off into greener pastures merely starts a one-man camalg against Hollywood and. imme: Gately he is back in circulation, Another Form of Publtelty where was a concerted movement of this Kind about a year ago. It was called the League of Decency, It got lot of publicity and seemed to be Going all right until It started publishing liste' of pictures which the public. shouldn't go and see. Now Practically all these pictures were Dox-oifee failures, but as soon as the League put the finger on them the public' started breaking down the Qoors to get in an. see why they shouldn't seo them. This heartened the big bad wolf of Hollywood Immensely. Good old public! You can always count on it to react violently to coerdon, "Now the fact is, as anyone, In Hollywood can tell you, a bad picture doesn't make money' and a good Picture does, und since the producers fre inthe business to make money, they would much rather make good pictures than bad ones. I'm not talk-Ing about their entertainment valu. Dut their so-called moral content, "there is a saying: People get the kind of government they deserve. That oes for movies, too. When udlentes: are ready for hotier pletures, they'll get them by the simple process of demanding them and supporting them. No studio can afford to make pictures that are too far in advance of public understanding and appreciation. The fate of the leader who advances, too far ahead of his army is well-known. We don't need better pictures as much as we need better "audiences, And by better audiences I mean audiences that will demand and support more literate entertainment. This will come with) [better education. Not more education. Most people have more now than they can handle—But better. T have one Improvement in mind. A four-year cours In minding one's own business. This will result in Improving the taste and tolerance of the public. It wil Gispore of all censors. The world will immediately become a much better place to live in. People will skip Ike lambs and sing like birds. Gally they will incult and mate and make their little nests at will.
Happy day! May it come soon.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.