'People...don't run amok with fire engines because they have seen the Keystone Cops.' A. Chancellor. The Guardian 18/05/96.
'...we're not the guardians of the industry, we're the conscience of the industry.' James Ferman, Appointed President BBFC in 1975.
Film censorship touches the lives of everybody who watches films. It is a part of modern life. Censorship is for protection, the question must be asked though, what is being protected? Is it the public, the state, some body represented in the film, or something else?
Since the beginning of the film industry, films have shocked others into wanting them cut or banned. In the UK this has been pursued under several acts of parliament; the Obscene Publications Act, the Protection of Children Act and the Video Recordings Act.
The current system in this country has the following classifications, which are enforced by law:
These divisions have emerged from nearly 85 years of censorship.
History
Definitions
Censored Films
Sources
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