Film and video censorship in New Zealand 1970 - 2001 : a selective annotated bibliography

Abstract

This is a selective annotated bibliography of sources related to the history of film and video censorship in New Zealand. It covers the years 1970 - 2001. It is arranged chronologically year-by-year, so that there is a clear progression though the different censorship issues, and the many different controversies, film and video censors, legal issues and films are shown in an historical framework. Controversial films have included A Clockwork Orange, Last Tango in Paris and Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer. The seventies saw anti-pornography campaigner Patricia Bartlett forming the Society for the Promotion of Community Standards, and clashing with liberals and film societies. In the eighties video censorship legislation was developed and there were debates about pornography culminating in a ministerial committee of inquiry. The censorship issues of the nineties have included discussions about the continuing role of state censorship, and the advent of new technologies such as DVDs and the Internet.