Gripping saga of movie censorship

Intrigue! Slashers! Deception in high places! Big-screen drama in glorious Technicolour! Yes, you'll find it all in a real-life Hong Kong saga that is as suspenseful as anything you see at your local cinema.

The story of film censorship in Hong Kong shows just how long political distortion has been present in Hong Kong.

In the first half of this century, films didn't really need to be censored. Most were black and white tales of dashing adventure and sentimental romance. There was no classification system, and all films had mixed audiences, ranging from toddlers to the elderly.

But come the early 1950s, film-makers were starting to touch upon 'adult' subjects and the Hong Kong Government had to make a new law allowing it to cut movies. Officials announced that films would be shortened by guardians of the public morality with regard to the 'principles' of the 'Film Censorship Regulations'. Unfortunately, no one had listed any principles of film censorship in the laws of the time, so the regulations made no sense, and had no legal power.

But no one noticed. This system, inaugurated in 1952, was used for two decades, with scenes of sex and violence being snipped straight out of film reels with heavy scissors. In 1972, certain officials of the Government realised the legal basis for censorship didn't exist, and took legal advice. They found out, to their horror, that what they were doing was illegal.

They decided to keep this secret. In 1973, they added a list of extra rules. Films must not be shocking, disgusting or immoral. They must not encourage crime. They must not cause racial or religious unrest. They must not criticise judges or the Government. Clause seven of the new list was particularly interesting: Films must not 'damage good relations with other territories'. The issue went quiet again for the next four years.