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The Hidden Cinema

British Film Censorship in Action 1913-1972

By Dr James C Robertson, James Robertson

Published May 6th 1993 by Routledge – 216 pages

Series: Cinema and Society

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Description

How does film censorship work in Britain? Jim Robertson's new paperback edition of The Hidden Cinema argues that censorship has had a far greater influence on British film history than is often apparent, creating the `hidden cinema' of the title. Robertson charts the role of the British Board of Film Censors, established in 1913, and the histories of a variety of noteworthy films including Battleship Potemkin and No Orchids for Miss Blandish and revealing how censorship continues to exert a marked influence on many important films - like the controversial A Clockwork Orange - some of which have now vanished from British screens altogether. This edition includes a brand new section on Bernardo Bertolucci's Last Tango in Paris, immediately engulfed in censorship wrangles on its release in 1972.

Reviews

`This volume in the excellent `Cinema and Society' series edited by Jeffrey Richards … is interesting throughout [and] thoroughly researched.' - Film Review

`… immensely entertaining, eye opening social history, achieving a nice balance between the prudish and the prurient.' - Philip French, The Observer

Related Subjects

  1. Film Studies

Name: The Hidden Cinema: British Film Censorship in Action 1913-1972 (Paperback)Routledge 
Description: By Dr James C Robertson, James Robertson. How does film censorship work in Britain? Jim Robertson's new paperback edition of The Hidden Cinema argues that censorship has had a far greater influence on British film history than is often apparent, creating the `hidden cinema' of...
Categories: Film Studies