Say NO to Film Censorship!

Article: Say NO to Film Censorship!

Author: Eternality TAN

Published: 12-Aug-2012

*This is not a research paper.  Just a 1000-word argumentative essay that I had to write for class back when I was an undergraduate.

Film censorship has been prevalent since moving pictures begun in the late 1890s. Over the course of the history of cinema, there have been striking examples of films that have been censored for a variety of reasons. Some of the reasons include explicit portrayals of violence, sex, and nudity. Other reasons include disturbing or mature content that could be political or religious in nature.

There have been much debate over the years whether censorship is effective and worth all of the controversy and media frenzy that come along with it. This brings us to the big question: Should films be censored?

My answer is simply no. Films should not be censored. I strongly believe in protecting the freedom of artistic creation. Cinema, like other art forms such as dance and literature, is a medium of expression. Filmmakers translate their vision onto the big screen through months, sometimes years, of hard work.

Thus, to wield the metaphorical scissors to snip off portions deemed undesirable in a film is unfair to the filmmaker, who deserves far greater respect, not only as an artist committed to artistic expression, but also for his work – an end product of labor and love to be cherished for its ability to inspire, provoke, and entertain.

Furthermore, films should not be censored when they seek to portray the idea of truth. Truths are sometimes hidden from view, away from society, only to be exposed later by somebody. That somebody could be a reporter, a victim, or even a filmmaker. When a filmmaker uses the cinematic medium to expose or probe the truth of certain issues, sometimes through narrative features, but more often through documentaries, he or she is doing a courageous and admirable contribution to society.

Thus, when the authorities censor a film because they refuse or are unable to accept the truth, it impedes the very notion of democracy, transparency, and accountability. In other words, people have the right to know what is going on around them.

Films should also not be censored because doing so would further encourage piracy. Viewers would generally feel unsatisfied and unhappy if parts of a film are cut. Their curiosity would be roused and they would become motivated to search for the censored film in its entirety from the black market or through illegal downloading. Piracy, which is already rampant today, could be made worse with censorship, and could have devastating effects on the political economy of the film industry.

Hence, films should not be censored as censorship is more inhibitive than effective: It causes the filmmaker to lose creative control of his vision, society to be blocked from the truth, and risks increase in piracy.

Of course, I am assuming that all filmmakers want to inspire, provoke, and entertain with their films. However, there are filmmakers who make films for the sake of exploitation, producing films that are unnecessarily violent and disturbing as exemplified by the “torture porn” flicks such as The Human Centipede (2009) and A Serbian Film (2011).

There are calls for such films to be censored, or even banned so as to uphold the morals of society because many of these films are degrading and misogynistic. I feel that these calls are justified if the film’s exploitative nature does not appear to inspire, intellectually provoke, or entertain, but disgust and sicken viewers instead.

Other advocates of film censorship may argue that censorship is a form of protection for consumers. They feel that films sometimes espouse a certain way of life such as drug subculture, gangsterism, or illegal prostitution. This might corrupt the minds of viewers and could influence them in a negative way. However, I feel that this argument is weak because there are regulations in place in most countries so that such films receive the most restrictive rating possible.

In other words, films that contain mature content should only be seen by people who are old enough to understand what is portrayed on the screen. This begs the question: Why still censor parts of films when they already have the most restrictive rating? It does not make any sense at all to do so. It is not only unfair to the filmmaker, but an insult to the mature, paying viewer as well.

Some feel that films with strong violence such as A Clockwork Orange (1971) and Natural Born Killers (1994) result in copycat crimes, thus the need for strict censorship. But research remains inconclusive if watching violent films would cause a person to behave violently. In fact, it could be that people already with violent motivations tend  to select and watch violent films before committing their crimes.

Frankly, with or without these films, violence continues to occur. I feel that the authorities and the media are just trying to lay the blame on somebody or something. Hence, to censor such films would be a step backwards as they could illuminate the human condition and provide socio-cultural insights in ways that only art can.

I recommend that censorship bodies be ideally separate from governmental influence, though this is usually and sadly not the case. The government should not decide on what is moral or immoral for society. In fact, it should be society that decides what is good for itself.

Films should not be censored just because they contain material that are considered offensive or disturbing. To guarantee the freedom of expression for filmmakers, to expose the hidden truths in society, and to discourage piracy, there should be, as far as possible, no form of censorship of films.

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