Ahhh…we’ve come so far. This may well raise a smile or three. Below is a sample from the Irish Film Censor’s Records (better known these days as IFCO – Irish Film Classification Office. And when you read this you’ll no longer wonder why the Irish are perceived as drunken, fighting lunatics. On a serious note though, its phenomenal what was cut and banned. Stuff like muscular movement in Moby Dick to a few passionate kisses in Gone With The Wind. One can only imagine the amount of heart attacks that the old censors would get if they were in power today. Anyways, read on….
From Trinity College Dublin - Under the Censorship of Films Act, 1923, no film can be shown in public without having been passed by the Official Film Censor. A film is to be denied a censorship certificate if it is deemed to be indecent, obscene or blasphenous, or is contrary to public morality. Under this regime, more than 2,500 films were banned and over 11,000 films were cut by film censors between the 1920s and the 1980s.
In 1998, over 100 volumes of the hand-written records of Irish film censors from 1923 to the 1980s were deposited at the National Archives of Ireland. These records provide a unique insight into Irish social and cultural attitudes in the twentieth century. For example, imported films were routinely banned or cut if they represented themes seen as contrary to Irish secular and Catholic laws, such as divorce or extra marital affairs.
And before we get to some of the big hitters, this is a prime example of old Catholic Ireland
The Garden of Allah:" I consider that the story of a priest who has broken his vows is not a desirable subject for exhibition in Ireland."(JM. 22/5/1928).
And now, on some examples of the notes made by the Irish Censors on some well known and much loved movies…
Casablanca: “‘Picture deals with North Africa, etc. Shows German activities in sinister light and Vichy partisans also. Unpresentable in a neutral country. Reel 4A: Cut words “Could you forgive her?”; Cut words “That would be all right, wouldn’t it?” Reel 5A: Cut from words “The day you left Paris” down to words “how much I still love you”; Cut from words “All except one” down to words “didn’t love you so much”. Reel 6A: Cut from words “But Richard, No, I, I” down to words “you can’t be any part of”.’
Moby Dick: ‘Reel, 2: Delete nude figure on arm and muscular movement also “where is thy name dearie?” “on the seat of my pants”. Reel 6: Glimpse of semi-nude dancer, also woman at table and “For me, my name’s Poppy” “I’m buying ships not women”.
Gone With The Wind: ‘Reel 1B: Better deal with this dressing scene (is it essential?). Reel 2A: Stripping her at a glance (must come out) Reel 5A: Birth (must come out). Reel 8B: (1) Offers herself (must come out). (2) Speaks of her debasing offer. Reel 9B: Deal with this attempted rape, particularly the close up of the rough’s face. Reel 10B: Three passionate and prolonged kisses (cut). Can-can (cut).
The Blue Angel: “I cannot issue a certificate for this exhibition of lustful degeneracy.”
Via Broadsheet.ie
