The British Board of Film Censors

The British Board of Film Censors PDF Author: James C. Robertson
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 9781138997707
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 240

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Book Description
The secrecy in which the British Board of Film Censors enveloped itself until 1948 resulted in a glaring vacuum in British cinematic history. Originally published in 1985, this book filled this important gap, drawing on the detailed registers of films passed, cut and banned since 1913. The book opens by tracing the events which led up to the creation of the BBFC and goes on to cover the Board s theoretical censorship principles concerning such matters as crime, religion and sex and to discuss how these principles were applied in practice to silent films. The advent of the talkies in the late 1920s caused a minor revolution in the Board s work during the 1930s and 1940s, when the cinema rose to the peak of its popularity. This era of the Board s history is examined in detail, with extensive use of the Board s surviving records and a whole chapter devoted to the special circumstances of the Second World War. The final chapter delves into the Board s work up to 1950, and investigates the connection between film censorship in Britain and the USA. Also discussing the political and social background, this is an essential history of film censorship in Britain in general and the BBFC in particular."

The British Board of Film Censors

The British Board of Film Censors PDF Author: James C. Robertson
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 9781138997707
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 240

Get Book

Book Description
The secrecy in which the British Board of Film Censors enveloped itself until 1948 resulted in a glaring vacuum in British cinematic history. Originally published in 1985, this book filled this important gap, drawing on the detailed registers of films passed, cut and banned since 1913. The book opens by tracing the events which led up to the creation of the BBFC and goes on to cover the Board s theoretical censorship principles concerning such matters as crime, religion and sex and to discuss how these principles were applied in practice to silent films. The advent of the talkies in the late 1920s caused a minor revolution in the Board s work during the 1930s and 1940s, when the cinema rose to the peak of its popularity. This era of the Board s history is examined in detail, with extensive use of the Board s surviving records and a whole chapter devoted to the special circumstances of the Second World War. The final chapter delves into the Board s work up to 1950, and investigates the connection between film censorship in Britain and the USA. Also discussing the political and social background, this is an essential history of film censorship in Britain in general and the BBFC in particular."

Censoring the 1970s

Censoring the 1970s PDF Author: Sian Barber
Publisher: Cambridge Scholars Publishing
ISBN: 1443833975
Category : Performing Arts
Languages : en
Pages : 165

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Book Description
This book explores the work of the British Board of Film Censors in the 1970s. Throughout the decade this unelected organisation set standards of acceptability and determined what could and what could not be shown on British cinema screens. Controversial texts like A Clockwork Orange (1971), Straw Dogs (1971), The Devils (1971) and Life of Brian (1979) have been used to draw attention to the way in which the BBFC operated in the 1970s. While it is true to say that these films encountered major classification problems, what of the hundreds of other films being classified at the same time? Did all films struggle with the British censors in this period, and can these famous examples be fitted into broader patterns of censorship policy and practice? In studying over 250 film files from the BBFC archive, this work reveals how 1970s films such as Vampire Circus (1971), Confessions of a Window Cleaner (1974) and Carry on Emmannuelle (1978) also ran into trouble with the film censor. This work explores the complex process of negotiation and compromise which affected all film submissions in the 1970s and the way in which the BBFC actively, and often sympathetically, negotiated with film directors, producers and distributors to assign the correct category to each film. The lack of any defined formal censorship policy in this period allowed the BBFC to work alongside the film industry and push cultural, social and artistic boundaries; however it also left the Board open to accusations of favouritism, subjectivity and personal bias. This work is not simply a study of controversial films and contentious issues, but rather engages with wider issues of changing permission, legal struggles, the influence of the media and the legislative and governmental controls which both helped and hindered the BBFC in this important post-war decade. The focus on historical and archival research offers a great deal to scholars from associated disciplines including history, social policy, media and communictaions and politics.

Behind the Scenes at the BBFC

Behind the Scenes at the BBFC PDF Author: Edward Lamberti
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1838714480
Category : Art
Languages : en
Pages : 481

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Book Description
This official history of the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) draws on unprecedented access to the BBFC's archives to trace 100 years of film classification, with contributions from leading film critics and historians and case studies of controversial films such as Battleship Potemkin and A Clockwork Orange.

The Hidden Cinema

The Hidden Cinema PDF Author: Dr James C Robertson
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1134876726
Category : Performing Arts
Languages : en
Pages : 212

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Book Description
How does film censorship work in Britain? Robertson examines the history of the British Board of Film Censors and shows that censorship has had a greater influence on film history than is often assumed.

Films ...

Films ... PDF Author: British Board of Film Censors
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Motion pictures
Languages : en
Pages : 56

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Book Description


Censored

Censored PDF Author: Tom Dewe Mathews
Publisher: Random House (UK)
ISBN:
Category : Performing Arts
Languages : en
Pages : 308

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Book Description
If one drew up a list of the best films ever made, then it turns out that nearly all of them have been heavily censored or banned. Lang's METROPOLIS, Chaplin's CITY STREETS, Eisenstein's BATTLESHIP POTEMKIN, Brando's THE WILD ONE and Kubrick's THE CLOCKWORK ORANGE, for instance, have all suffered from the effects of censorship. This pioneering book explores the absurdities (and occasional virtues) of censorship over the whole history of film in Britain, and places them in the context of their age. From the banning of anti-Nazi films (that continued up to 1939), to the sexual dilemmas of the 50s and 60s as the censors dealt with homosexuality, nudity, violence, drugs, rape and other subjects that came out of the closet, right up to the ludicrous limits still imposed on film-makers by the BBFC, this book is a brilliantly entertaining - but also hard-hitting - account of a control that is often political in its effect, and always contradictory.

Colour Films in Britain

Colour Films in Britain PDF Author: Sarah Street
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1911239597
Category : Performing Arts
Languages : en
Pages : 385

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Book Description
The story of Eastmancolor's arrival on the British filmmaking scene is one of intermittent trial and error, intense debate and speculation before gradual acceptance. This book traces the journey of its adoption in British Film and considers its lasting significance as one of the most important technical innovations in film history. Through original archival research and interviews with key figures within the industry, the authors examine the role of Eastmancolor in relation to key areas of British cinema since the 1950s; including its economic and structural histories, different studio and industrial strategies, and the wider aesthetic changes that took place with the mass adoption of colour. Their analysis of British cinema through the lens of colour produces new interpretations of key British film genres including social realism, historical and costume drama, science fiction, horror, crime, documentary and even sex films. They explore how colour communicated meaning in films ranging from the Carry On series to Monty Python's Life of Brian (1979), from Lawrence of Arabia (1962) to A Passage to India (1984), and from Goldfinger (1964) to 1984 (1984), and in the work of key directors and cinematographers of both popular and art cinema including Nicolas Roeg, Ken Russell, Ridley Scott, Peter Greenaway and Chris Menges.

Censorship in Theatre and Cinema

Censorship in Theatre and Cinema PDF Author: Anthony Aldgate
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Drama
Languages : en
Pages : 216

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Book Description
This book examines notable twentieth-century cases of censorship in theatre and cinema involving the Lord Chamberlain's theatre censorship and the British Board of Film Censors (BBFC).

What the Censor Saw

What the Censor Saw PDF Author: John Trevelyan
Publisher: Michael Joseph
ISBN:
Category : Performing Arts
Languages : en
Pages : 296

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Book Description


Film Study

Film Study PDF Author: Frank Manchel
Publisher: Fairleigh Dickinson Univ Press
ISBN: 9780838631867
Category : Motion pictures
Languages : en
Pages : 988

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Book Description
The four volumes of Film Study include a fresh approach to each of the basic categories in the original edition. Volume one examines the film as film; volume two focuses on the thematic approach to film; volume three draws on the history of film; and volume four contains extensive appendices listing film distributors, sources, and historical information as well as an index of authors, titles, and film personalities.