No bawdy houses, harlots or too many U.S. Flags

British Columbia film censorship 1913

Hogarth’s depiction of a bawdy tavern

In March 1913, the British Columbia legislature passed The Moving Pictures Act, and created the office of Censor of Moving Pictures.¹ Under the terms of the legislation, the censor had the authority to permit or prohibit the exhibition of any motion pictures in the province.

Four thousand and five hundred reels were inspected in 1914: 198, or 4.4 percent of the total, were rejected. Here are the reasons for rejection:

• exploitation of contemporary criminals,

• expressions offensive to British patriotic sentiment,

• seduction, adultery,

• boys smoking cigarettes and drinking intoxicants,

• unnecessary and excessive depictions of United States flags,

• stories of harlots,

• expression of pro-Boer sentiment,

• sacrilege, insulting to religious sects and denominations,

• suggestive and indecent dances, cigarette smoking and drinking of intoxicants by women,

• scenes of gruesome nature,

• gambling, cruelty to animals,

• expression of Fenian sentiments,

• stories dealing with diseases of the sexes,

• bar-room brawling,

• ridiculing of social and moral reform work and workers,

• infidelity, illegitimacy, vulgarity, brutality,

• white slavery,

• bawdy house scenes,

• dive scenes, opium and cocaine dive scenes,

• debauchery of women,

• ridiculing of clergy,

• offensive to national sentiment of various races of people,

• gross indecency and

• exploitation of insane persons for alleged comedy purposes.²

This list is distinctive in that it reveals the pro-British attitude of the BC government. The display of US flags, and any anti-British sentiment, including pro-Boer or Fenian representation, immediately raised the ire and scissors of the censors.

The censorship provisions of the Moving Pictures Act remained virtually unaltered until 1970. In that year the position of censor was replaced by a Film-Classification Director and a General/Adult/Restricted rating system was introduced for films which were to be exhibited in commercial theatres.³

1. Fox, Stanley.Censured! Unsuitable for British Columbians. (2007). British Columbia History; Vancouver  40, Iss. 1,  (2007): 7-12.

2. McIlroy, Brian. (2020). “‘Doing Everything Possible to Encourage a British Sentiment’: The Rise of Film Censorship and Regulation of Picture Houses in British Columbia, 1910-15.” BC Studies, no. 205.

3. Ibid., Fox.