Critical Perspectives: 2nd Lecture

Critical Perspectives: 2nd Lecture

Today's lecture was connected to censorship.

Mediawatch-UK campaigns for socially responsible media, against content which is potentially harmful. 

e.g. sexually explicit obscene material in the media, effecting TV, Film, Games and internet sources.

-they offer advice on how to protect children from potentially harmful material. 

But who is to say what is considered obscene or inappropriate, opinions are constantly changing with time and age etc.  

Where does freedom of speech, opinion etc. fit in.

There is often a conflict between historical accuracy and modern censorship or standards. E.g. rape is considered inappropriate for shows like Poldark, but it is only in the show to maintain historical accuracy and be true to the book it is adapted from.

Dunkirk was criticized for having no strong female or ethnic characters, but again it is only that way to be historically accurate. 

OFCOM-(office of communications) is another government regulated board that analyses the media that goes out to the public, and decides what is appropriate and what is not. 

Censorship and film: A brief history

In 1922 The Hays Office was set up to police Hollywood.

In the 1930's Hollywood did not have the same freedom as books and plays. 

For example a bok/play could be as explicit as it liked in the name of art, but if a man and a woman were seen in bed together on screen, they had to have one foot on the floor at all times. 

The  BBFC's role has changed over time, at one point they had strong censorship but as the 60's rolled along they had to adopt a policy stating "they cannot refuse to pass a film that challenges the mainstream and expresses minority opinions". 

For example over time, films such as "Peeping Tom" and "Trainspotting" were released to the general public, where as just a few years ago they would have been shut down. 

The 1984 Video Recordings Act (which was amended under the 1994 criminal justice act) stepped in at the time, to question weather some films should be allowed to be produced on video. Since they become much easier to access, and they can be paused, rewound and watched over and over, possibly encouraging illegal behavior. 

Meaning that films like Train Spotting, or Pulp Fiction had to have cuts made and have shots removed before being published on video. 

Although this was reviewed and amended a few years later. 

Another example of how censorship changes over time is the introduction of the 12A certificate. Many films that would originally be considered 15 have been lowered to a 12A by making a few cuts e.g. "The Hunger Games".

Censorship-can effect what is possible, and the extent to which an adaptation will change. 

It will always involve a person or body of some sort, deciding what is right for people. Meaning censorship will always be subjective, be it intentional or not.