Thursday, May 21, 2015

1938 Picturegoer Magazine on UK Censorship

Errol Flynn appears on the cover of issue No. 353 of Picturegoer: The Screen's Most Popular Magazine. Original retail price twopence. Published in the United Kingdom, the weekly fan periodical was dated February 26, 1938, two days after the London premiere of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. In an open letter to Walt Disney, the editor takes a stance in flavor of the motion picture being censored. Without yet having seen it, he makes the statement that "the film is calculated to frighten children."

The movie was originally given the "A" rating, meaning it was approved for adults but not necessarily children. In the letter, the author goes on to say, "Theoretically, the 'A' classification...is designed to give parents the right to decide for themselves what their children shall or shall not see on the screen." Eventually, the British Board of Film Censors would change their rating to "U"--suitable for all audience.



 Image scans courtesy of Greg Philip, author of A Lost Film blog.

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