Forbidden Films: Censorship Histories of 125 Motion Pictures - Softcover

Sova, Dawn B.

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9780816043361: Forbidden Films: Censorship Histories of 125 Motion Pictures

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0816043361 ISBN 13: 9780816043361

Publisher: Checkmark Books, 2001

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Since the earliest days of the film industry, mainstream films have been banned for their sexual, religious, social and political content. This volume traces the efforts to censor 125 films, ranging from the silent The Birth of a Nation, to Schindler's List. It examines the continued efforts to regulate the industry, providing a summary of each banned film - including production details, censorship history, and suggestions for further reading.

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About the Author:

Dawn B. Sova, Ph.D. (Garfield, NJ), is adjunct professor of English at Montclair State University in New Jersey. She holds a Ph.D. in English Literature, and has served as faculty mentor for courses offered through the Distance Independent Adult Learning Program at Thomas Edison State College. As a consultant she has worked with many school districts developing programs of SAT Review and Advanced Placement courses in Language, Literature, and History.

From Booklist:

When most people think of censored films, they assume that the work offends because of sexual content. But Forbidden Films, which traces censorship efforts against 125 films, demonstrates that from silent to modern cinema, films have also been banned for religious, social, and political reasons.

The book "analyzes representative films and the mechanism by which they (and other movies) have been suppressed." Focus is on censorship in the U.S., although some entries discuss efforts in other nations. The films that have been selected include such expected titles as Last Tango in Paris and Caligula, but the reader may be surprised to learn that Martin Luther, The Spirit of 76, and Birth of a Nation were banned in certain cities. Even Schindler's List was banned in some countries for its so-called Jewish propaganda and several scenes of cruelty. Entries are arranged alphabetically by film title and include production details such as country and date of production, distribution, format, running time, director, writer, awards, genre, and cast. A summary of the film's plot is followed by a description of its censorship history. Each entry concludes with a short bibliography for further reading.

The volume ends with a bibliography of books and articles and three appendixes. "Directors' Profiles" offers brief information on directors of banned films. "Reasons for Banning" groups films under five categories, such as "Sexual Films." The index interfiles personal names, titles, and subject headings.

This resource provides an interesting approach to the issues of censorship in the twentieth century and is recommended for high-school, public, and academic libraries. RBB
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