Raymond J. Haberski
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- September 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780813124292
- eISBN:
- 9780813134918
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- University Press of Kentucky
- DOI:
- 10.5810/kentucky/9780813124292.001.0001
- Subject:
- Film, Television and Radio, Film
In the postwar era, the lure of controversy sold movie tickets as much as the promise of entertainment did. This book investigates the movie culture that emerged as official censorship declined and ...
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In the postwar era, the lure of controversy sold movie tickets as much as the promise of entertainment did. This book investigates the movie culture that emerged as official censorship declined and details how the struggle to free the screen has influenced our contemporary understanding of art and taste. These conflicts over film content were fought largely in the theaters and courts of New York City in the decades following World War II. Many of the regulators and religious leaders who sought to ensure that no questionable content invaded the public consciousness were headquartered in New York, as were the critics, exhibitors, and activists who sought to expand the options available to moviegoers. Despite Hollywood's dominance of film production, New York proved to be not only the arena for struggles over film content but also the market where the financial fates of movies were sealed. Advocates for a wider range of cinematic expression eventually prevailed against the forces of censorship, but Freedom to Offend is no simple homily on the triumph of freedom from repression. In this analysis of controversies surrounding films from The Bicycle Thief to Deep Throat, the book offers a cautionary tale about the responsible use of the twin privileges of free choice and free expression. It calls attention to what was lost as well as what was gained when movie culture freed itself from the restrictions of the early postwar years. It exposes the unquestioning defense of the doctrine of free expression as a form of absolutism that mirrors the censorial impulse found among the postwar era's restrictive moral guardians. Beginning in New York and spreading across America throughout the twentieth century, the battles between these opposing worldviews set the stage for debates on the social effects of the work of artists and filmmakers.Less
In the postwar era, the lure of controversy sold movie tickets as much as the promise of entertainment did. This book investigates the movie culture that emerged as official censorship declined and details how the struggle to free the screen has influenced our contemporary understanding of art and taste. These conflicts over film content were fought largely in the theaters and courts of New York City in the decades following World War II. Many of the regulators and religious leaders who sought to ensure that no questionable content invaded the public consciousness were headquartered in New York, as were the critics, exhibitors, and activists who sought to expand the options available to moviegoers. Despite Hollywood's dominance of film production, New York proved to be not only the arena for struggles over film content but also the market where the financial fates of movies were sealed. Advocates for a wider range of cinematic expression eventually prevailed against the forces of censorship, but Freedom to Offend is no simple homily on the triumph of freedom from repression. In this analysis of controversies surrounding films from The Bicycle Thief to Deep Throat, the book offers a cautionary tale about the responsible use of the twin privileges of free choice and free expression. It calls attention to what was lost as well as what was gained when movie culture freed itself from the restrictions of the early postwar years. It exposes the unquestioning defense of the doctrine of free expression as a form of absolutism that mirrors the censorial impulse found among the postwar era's restrictive moral guardians. Beginning in New York and spreading across America throughout the twentieth century, the battles between these opposing worldviews set the stage for debates on the social effects of the work of artists and filmmakers.
William D. Romanowski
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- September 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780195387841
- eISBN:
- 9780199950188
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195387841.003.0009
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society
This chapter investigates a struggle within the National Council’s Broadcasting and Film Commission as the agency became attuned to Hollywood’s new freedoms and industrial structure. Two conflicting ...
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This chapter investigates a struggle within the National Council’s Broadcasting and Film Commission as the agency became attuned to Hollywood’s new freedoms and industrial structure. Two conflicting outlooks existed. A group centered in the Hollywood office wanted to imitate the Catholic approach by consulting with film producers and then promoting these Protestant-themed films with churchgoers. Others allied with the main office in New York would not be content with protecting the Protestant image in the media and rejected anything that smacked of censorial design. They advanced initiatives to address the industry’s new freedoms, challenges, and responsibilities, with the central issue being how to support free speech and still advocate appropriate restraints on film content. This state of affairs shaped the agenda for the Council’s next major initiative.Less
This chapter investigates a struggle within the National Council’s Broadcasting and Film Commission as the agency became attuned to Hollywood’s new freedoms and industrial structure. Two conflicting outlooks existed. A group centered in the Hollywood office wanted to imitate the Catholic approach by consulting with film producers and then promoting these Protestant-themed films with churchgoers. Others allied with the main office in New York would not be content with protecting the Protestant image in the media and rejected anything that smacked of censorial design. They advanced initiatives to address the industry’s new freedoms, challenges, and responsibilities, with the central issue being how to support free speech and still advocate appropriate restraints on film content. This state of affairs shaped the agenda for the Council’s next major initiative.
Laura Wittern-Keller
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- September 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780813124513
- eISBN:
- 9780813134901
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University Press of Kentucky
- DOI:
- 10.5810/kentucky/9780813124513.003.0001
- Subject:
- Film, Television and Radio, Film
This introductory chapter discusses censorship in movies, which was fully recognized during the late twentieth century, when the new technology of moving pictures arrived. The fear of movies was so ...
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This introductory chapter discusses censorship in movies, which was fully recognized during the late twentieth century, when the new technology of moving pictures arrived. The fear of movies was so great that previous methods of control could no longer suffice, and reformers turned to the government for help in controlling the film content. The discussion looks at the nature of, and the fight against, censorship, and also examines the special capacity for evil that movies were suspected of carrying.Less
This introductory chapter discusses censorship in movies, which was fully recognized during the late twentieth century, when the new technology of moving pictures arrived. The fear of movies was so great that previous methods of control could no longer suffice, and reformers turned to the government for help in controlling the film content. The discussion looks at the nature of, and the fight against, censorship, and also examines the special capacity for evil that movies were suspected of carrying.
