XN000022-1973-02-14 — Page 22

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Wednesday, February 14, 1973

In reply, Mr. Luddington said the concern expressed over the

extent to which violence forms part of films provided for entertainment

in Hong Kong was shared by many, including the Chief Film Censor and

his colleagues.

However, he wondered whether there was as close a relationship

between the portrayal of violence in the cinemas and the prevalence of

violent crime in Hong Kong.

He assured the Council that he had given serious thought to

the need for stricter censorship not only in respect of television and

films but in other areas as well in the light that this might help

reduce serious crime.

Caution

This is however a realm in which one must move with caution

because Hong Kong cannot afford either to be out of touch with the

rest of the world, or to have a lot of bored people," he added.

**Thus if Government attempted to cut out all violence in films,

public entertainment might be very severely reduced, for there are

virtually no films made for the Hong Kong market alone."

Mr. Luddington emphasised that the Censor's role was primarily a

"negative one," and the censor was in no way responsible for the material

put before him,

He agreed, however, that the purpose of censorship was positive in

that it encouraged the production of films which would entertain rather than

corrupt.

+

"Our task," he added, "is to maintain acceptable public standards

without unreasonably infringing the private rights of the individual."

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