Thursday, November 8, 1973
5 -
Mr. Watt expressed the hope that this important exercise would
be concluded and a report published early next year.
The Commissioner criticised what he called the twin ogres of
cheap sex and sickening violence and maiming which "pervade the public
entertainment screens of the world today".
"The world," he said, "must take responsibility for the terrible
misuse of men's inventive genius which has given us the great communication
gifts of the cinema and television."
"And Hong Kong must take its share of the blame since now the
jaded palates of world 'audiences are turning to Hong Kong-made Kung Fu
films for fresh emotional stimulus
not pass the censors here."
films exported in a form which would
He urged producers to research public taste more carefully in
future before embarking on lavish productions with "debased themes" in the
hope of reaping big returns.
Turning to television, Mr. Watt said its influence was "very great
indeed", And he was disturbed by the fact that some of the more undesirable
'permissive' films of the late sixties and early seventies are now finding
their way on to the television circuits and are circulated to mass audiences
in the privacy of their homes whether they like them or not.
On film censorship, Mr. Watt said: "It is difficult enough to
write a code of practice but it is even more difficult to draw the practical
lines separating the acceptable and the unacceptable.
"In this