Introduction
-
Sian Barber
Abstract
The introduction sets out the key aims and objectives of the book, specifically to focus on local film censorship, shifting attention from national to local censors, identifying and giving voice to these guardians of public morality operating at local level. It maps the ebb and flow of local censorship, the specific legal, political and cultural processes at work in the censoring or classifying of film at local level and the debates which emerge between local stakeholders; cinema-owners, councillors, religious and morality groups, local activists and audience members. It maps early discussions around local involvement in film censorship and indicates what work is within the scope of this volume and what is beyond. It will highlight the key ideas that have shaped the book, notably ideas about regional and local discourse, power and taboo, as well as a desire to move beyond a singular approach to film censorship and consider how and why decisions on film and cinema were being made at local level.
Abstract
The introduction sets out the key aims and objectives of the book, specifically to focus on local film censorship, shifting attention from national to local censors, identifying and giving voice to these guardians of public morality operating at local level. It maps the ebb and flow of local censorship, the specific legal, political and cultural processes at work in the censoring or classifying of film at local level and the debates which emerge between local stakeholders; cinema-owners, councillors, religious and morality groups, local activists and audience members. It maps early discussions around local involvement in film censorship and indicates what work is within the scope of this volume and what is beyond. It will highlight the key ideas that have shaped the book, notably ideas about regional and local discourse, power and taboo, as well as a desire to move beyond a singular approach to film censorship and consider how and why decisions on film and cinema were being made at local level.
Chapters in this book
- Front Matter i
- Contents v
- List of figures vi
- List of acronyms vii
- Acknowledgements viii
- Introduction 1
- 1 A new form of leisure 15
- 2 New regions and new anxieties 43
- 3 Councils, committees and the perils of the cinema 64
- 4 Wartime concerns and local anxieties 103
- 5 The changing landscape of the post-war world 137
- 6 Local alliances in a permissive decade 164
- 7 New categories, new permissions 191
- 8 New boundaries and new regions 228
- Conclusions 250
- Films cited 255
- Bibliography 259
- Index 269
Chapters in this book
- Front Matter i
- Contents v
- List of figures vi
- List of acronyms vii
- Acknowledgements viii
- Introduction 1
- 1 A new form of leisure 15
- 2 New regions and new anxieties 43
- 3 Councils, committees and the perils of the cinema 64
- 4 Wartime concerns and local anxieties 103
- 5 The changing landscape of the post-war world 137
- 6 Local alliances in a permissive decade 164
- 7 New categories, new permissions 191
- 8 New boundaries and new regions 228
- Conclusions 250
- Films cited 255
- Bibliography 259
- Index 269
