
Censoring the 1970s
The BBFC and the Decade that Taste Forgot
Sian Barber(Autor*in)
Cambridge Scholars Publishing
Erschienen am 25. November 2011
Buch
Hardcover
165 Seiten
978-1-4438-3349-3 (ISBN)
Beschreibung
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.
Weitere Details
Auflage
Unabridged edition
Sprache
Englisch
Verlagsort
Newcastle upon Tyne
Großbritannien
Zielgruppe
Für Beruf und Forschung
Editions-Typ
Ungekürzte Ausgabe
Produkt-Hinweis
mit Schutzumschlag
Maße
Höhe: 212 mm
Breite: 148 mm
ISBN-13
978-1-4438-3349-3 (9781443833493)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
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E-Book
09/2011
1. Auflage
Cambridge Scholars Publishing
93,89 €
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Person
Sian Barber is a Postdoctoral Researcher in the Department of Media Arts at Royal Holloway, University of London in the UK. She completed her PhD at the University of Portsmouth as part of the AHRC-funded 1970s project and has published on British cinema and cinema-going. Her other research interests include cultural history in an online environment and the challenges posed by websites and the internet to methods of research. She is currently working on the EUscreen project which aims to provide online access to Europe's television heritage.