1. What year was the BBFC founded? 1912
2. What was the original name of the BBFC? British Board of Film Censors
3. Who actually had power to license and screen films, regardless of the BBFC’s advice? (This power was given by the 1909 cinematograph act) Local authorities
4. What were the first two age certificates given? U and A
5. How many reasons did T.P O’Connor list upon which a film could be ‘deleted’? 43
1) A brief history of the BBFC - how it was founded, how it's role has changed.
The BBFC originally known as the British Board of Film Censorship now dubbed the British Board of Film Classification, as it is more appropriate to the job that they officially carry out. They no longer censor films, they merely classify it an 18 for adults only. In 2015 thousands of films were reviewed by the BBFC but out of them only one was rejected and the rest were classified as an 18 or below.
2) What case studies (key films or events) have caused these changes at the BBFC?
Rebel Without A Cause
The Garden of Eden
The Devils
Straw Dogs
Clockwork Orange
3) What the key pieces of legislation are that govern how the BBFC works as a regulator.
Video Recordings Act of 1984
Obscene Publications Act of 1959
4) How the BBFC is different today than it was at other times in it's history.
5) How does the BBFC classify and rate films today? (What are the certificates and what is allowed in each)
U:
Discrimination - Unacceptable unless clearly disapproved of.
Drugs - References must be infrequent or have an anti-drug educational purpose.
Imitable behaviour - Anti-social behaviour must be clearly disapproved of.
Language - Infrequent and mild usage, such as 'damn'.
Nudity - Occasional nudity with no sexual content.
Sex - Very mild (kissing) and references to other such behaviour.
Threat - Mild and brief instances, which come to a reassuring end.
Violence - Very mild (comedic and wholly unrealistic)
PG:
Discrimination -
12A:
12:
15:
18:6) What challenges the BBFC has going forwards, how it's role has changed?
