Complaint To P.m. About 'last Tango’ (Press, 23 August 1977)

On 23 August 1977, Miss Patricia Bartlett, the national secretary of the Society for the Promotion of Community Standards, expressed her concerns to Prime Minister Mr Muldoon regarding the decision made by censors to allow the screening of the film "Last Tango in Paris" in New Zealand. The Prime Minister responded that no action could be taken until the film was shown and a complaint was made. If a complaint arose and the Minister of Internal Affairs, Mr Highet, deemed the film harmful to the public, he could seek another review by the Chief Film Censor. "Last Tango in Paris," directed by Bernardo Bertolucci in 1973, had previously been rejected by the former Chief Film Censor, Mr D. C. McIntosh. The decision to screen the film was made by acting Chief Film Censor Mr B. C. Tunnicliffe and two others under the new Cinematograph Films Act, which shifted its focus from censoring specific scenes to considering the film's overall impact. Miss Bartlett noted that she had been invited to view the film two years earlier but had declined, reiterating her lack of interest this time. She voiced her belief that the lenient approach by Mr Highet indicated a permissive stance towards film censorship, comparing it unfavorably to stricter regulations in other countries. She raised concerns about the implications of allowing a film with explicit content to be shown uncut and questioned the ability to prevent minors from attending screenings. Mr Muldoon, who had seen the film overseas, remarked that it did not impress him. In contrast, Mr Tunnicliffe believed the decision might set a precedent for future interpretations of the law. He stated that once the film was screened, should significant public concern arise, the situation could warrant a reassessment by the Films Censorship Board of Review. The decision was met with mixed reactions. Mr D. Gascoigne, the chairman of the Federation of Film Societies, welcomed the ruling, though he lamented the media coverage that could create undue interest in the film as a spectacle rather than as a serious piece of cinema. He suggested that if illegal actions, such as sodomy, could not be depicted in films, similarly, acts of murder should also not feature on screen. He held that while not every film would be allowed, the new framework required a holistic evaluation rather than judging films based on isolated incidents. The situation reflected a broader debate regarding film censorship, public standards, and the liberties of artistic expression within New Zealand's changing legislative landscape.

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