BBFC

The BBFC is an independant non government body which classifies films into certain category's for suitable viewing and was set up in 1912. Although the BBFC may ban various films, local councils can still allow video to be shown in cinemas and therefore films can still get released and shown to a mass audience.

In 1984 parliament passed a video recordings act, which stated that videos that were available for hire for sale must be classified, this made sure that films did not get into the wrong hands and that they were suitable for viewing at home in front of small kids. After this the board changed their name to the British Board Of Film Classification to reflect the point that they not only dealt with censorship but also had a hand in classifying films.

These are the BBFC's aims within the next five years (Taken from the BBFC site):

*“Continue to regulate film, video/DVD and video games in a manner which maintains the support and confidence of the industry and the public

*Embrace technological change and opportunities in new media

*Respond to changing social attitudes

*Enhance our standing as a center of excellence in regulation

*Actively promote the BBFC as a valuable social resource

*Lead and innovate in media education and research

*Develop new partnerships”

In 1981 "The Exorcist" film was released on video, and because the BBFC did not have such a strong influence on the classification of video’s then it was hard for them to get involved in any such way, so uncharacteristically it was given th classification of ‘X’. Due to popular opinion the film was never placed on the prosecutors list of ‘Video Nasties” and therefore was never prosecuted for obscenity and could be viewed by almost anyone, because it could be got hold of on video by kids due to the fact that here was not a heavy certificate.

The BBFC had a big influence on the film “The Exorcist” in cinemas and theaters but after the video recordings act was passed in 1984 and as the 1988 deadline approached they were unable to make a decision on the film, because the films main protagonist was a young girl and the main subject of the film to a certain extent the film may appeal to younger children, although at the cinema it was easy to exclude young viewers from viewing the film but when it was released on video it was clear that the certificate that it was given needed to be much stronger, due to the strong religious views and the heavy scenes that take place in the girls bedroom.

The BBFC had to consider the effects of the reputation of the film and that whatever the
classification it could still be viewed by small kids and although filming techniques and special effects had moved on and advanced, the views explained in the film were extremely strong and may have a profound effect on anyone that may view it that may be seen as underage, therefore in the BBFC decided that it could finally be classified as an ‘18’ uncut for release on video/DVD, this then minimized the chance of it getting into the wrong hands and that if it did, then it was at the persons own risk.

Although the BBFC has a strict policy and may have a high opinion about what should or shouldn't be shown in a film or on a DVD, despite their best efforts these films may still get viewed by underage people by whatever way and not alot can be done to prevent that happening. The video recording act was put in place to prevent kids and underage people purchasing or renting films that they should not be able to view, but never the less if the film is owned by a family then unless parental control is strict then the film is easily viewable.

There are three main things that the BBFC will take into consideration when judging a film (Taken from the BBFC site):

* is the material in conflict with the law?
* is the material, at the age group concerned, likely to be harmful?
* is the material, at the age group concerned, clearly unacceptable to broad public opinion?
(It is on this ground, for example, that the Board intervenes in respect of language. This ground
also applies at '18', although here it is balanced against the public expectation that adults
should be free to choose their entertainment, within the law.)

These are the classification levels that a film is put under:

U c - Suitable for pre-school children.

U - Suitable for pre-school children.

PG - Parental Guidance, should not disturb any child aged 8 or over.

12 A - Should be accompanied by an adult in a cinema and shouldnt be rented to any child
under age of 12.

12 - Should be accompanied by an adult in a cinema and shouldnt be rented to any child
under age of 12.

15 - No-one under 15 should view the film in a cinema or rent it from a store.

18 - No-one under 18 may watch it or rent it from a store.

R 18 - Films of such nature should only be sold in licensed stores or in sex shops

The Exorcist

During the release of the exorcist there was a lot of serious incidents that were reported, whether it had been by the media or personal experience. There were reports that people were so disturbed by the movie that they were coming out of the cinema and throwing up or fainting. It had got to the point that cinema's were providing sick bags to people that chose to go and see the movie.

The British Board Of Film Classification is the board that decides whether  film is suitable for general viewing. In earlier times films were banned for nudity and revolutionary politics, but now the board may have much less of a say whether a film is okay for viewing, although they do have a strong view on sexual violence, more so that they did 30 odd years ago.

Films that are made nowadays can be pretty horrific, i don't think that there should be really strict regulations on these films unless they completely cross the line, but there should be a more strict regulation on the ages of people that are allowed to watch the films, because films along with music and other things contribute to the way children and young adults behave and the way they act in general.

The Shining (Roman Polanski – 1980)

The film has a strong structure yet simple, it has the usual beginning middle and end or exposition climax and resolution, with complications throughout, exposition to establish all the characters and what they are like and so you can get to know them, climax is where "Jack" would be frozen in the snow or when the Jack puts an axe into the chef and the resolution is when the wife and the kid escape away from the hotel. Simple transitions are used to let you know what day it is or how far into the film you are such as "2 weeks later" and "Wednesday" for example. There is a lot of still camera shots and over the shoulder shots, using mise en scene to help establish everything in the shot and set a sort of scene. Lots of magmuffins are used to try and distract you from the actual film and the main narrative, such as the animal blowjob scene, these dont generally mean anything and may have no influence on the film but are a way of keeping attention.

Flashbacks are used during the film using the little boy "Danny", it shows you things that he has already seen which are yet to appear but happen later on in the film, this keeps interest up as you may want to see how it happens or what actually happens, an example of this is the blood flowing round the corner, later on in the film this actually happens, by doing this when you see it as a flashback you may wonder whether it has anything to do with the film, but when it happens it might be part of the story. Deus ex machina is used to keep you guessing, in the photo at the end it shows Jack from a past year, this could suggest that he may have been the caretaker all along, even before he was appointed as it to write his novel. Then it makes you think whether it was all in his head or if he was actually part of the hotel for all those years.

Stanley Kubricks style of film making, i would say would be, simple, lots of non-complicated camera shots, lots of tracking shots, over the shoulder and establishing shots, using the environment and props to create tension among the viewers. This is present when "Danny" is on his little sit down bike driving round the hall ways, going on and off the wooden floor and the carpets, as he turns corners tension builds up as you dont know what may be round the next one. The sound from the wheels alone makes tension build up, and the noise creates a kind of realistic soundtrack to the scene. He uses symmetry to give you a wake up call during the film, so you can realize that you have seen it before, this is present when danny is going through the hallways on his bike, either side of him is the same layout, which also makes you concentrate more on danny than being distracted with unnecessary props in the shot. He allows actors to improvise during filming so that they can create a character that they want and that is in their comfort zone. He uses the narrative concept but if he creates a complicated ending that leaves you hanging, he will leave it and not take much notice that he has done it, its part of his unique style. The sound is important in the film, the soundtrack is not really music, its just a low humming noise, but the sound of the axe and the wife screaming almost add to the sound to give an overall mood of fear and strong emotion.

The scene where "Jack" is trying to axe his way int the bathroom, has a lot of tension in it. It begins with both the wife and "Danny" in the bathroom, but "Danny" escapes just leaving the mother seemingly to her death as he axes further and further through the door as she screams. But as "Jack" hears the sound of a vehicle pull up outside, not wanting to get caught he flees and kills the hotel chef as he comes to inspect. As "Jack" axes his way in he seems calm and is trying to have a genuine conversation with his wife while she screams, this adds a bit of comedy to the crazed character and the use of innocent concepts creates fear, such as the nursery rhyme he starts to mutter as he is attempting to murder his family. During the shots used it keeps showing the little window and the mother trying to escape through it, as she is to big and wont fit, it seems as if her death is imminant until the arrival of the chef. When he is axing into the room, the camera thrashes from side to side and follows the axe, this creates a feeling of intensity during the scene. The colors used create a contrast, inside it seems warm with the use of dark wood colors, red and orange, but when the camera flashes to outside, it looks cold, dark and unpleasant.

The actor chosen to play "jack" Jack Nicholson, was a predictable person to play the part. He had previously played a man in the film "One Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest" where he descended into complete madness. Seeing that he was then playing a man, alone in a hotel with his wife and kid, the rest was kind of predictable, but due to the actor in this case Jack Nicholson's stature, you are still drawn to the film and enticed into viewing it. Knowing what he has done before and his high reputation says to you that if you have seen a Jack Nicholson film before then you may want to see this as well.

The use of the steadicam was one of the first to be used in a film. It made all the camera shots smoother and less jittery, such as in the hall way scenes with danny on the bike he could walk behind danny and there would be no wobble on the camera, this wouldn't be possible with a dolly track as the track would be in the way and would be present in the shot. It meant that emotion could be established easier with a more maneuverable camera. The effects of horror could be more present and easier to see.

The Wicker Man (1973)

A deeply religious Police Sergeant, Neil Howie (Edward Woodward) has information that a young girl has gone missing. This is told in an anonymous letter from Summerisle, a remote island off the coast of Scotland. The Sergeant flies to Summerisle to investigate.

He shows a photo of the missing girl to the locals, but they deny her existence. Howie starts noticing the islander's bizarre behavior and lifestyle with increasing anguish. Eventually, he meets Lord Summerisle (Christopher Lee), who explains that they are all practicing Pagans. Howie is deeply offended, and accuses them of murdering the girl as part of some sort of bizarre ritual. He then attempts to leave the island in order to report his suspicions to the chief constable, but finds that his plane has been tampered with.

Cleverly attempting to catch the islanders at whatever strange game they are playing with the girl who is to be sacrificed, Howie is instead fooled by the islanders. They imprison him in a giant "Wicker Man" and light it afire. It is their belief that his virginal, Christian life will appease their Pagan gods, and bring bounty to the next harvest.

I thought the film was very strange, i am not religious so i didn't really understand the beliefs behind some of the activity, i wouldn't say that i enjoyed the film, in parts it was fairly captivating but most i found tedious and its not the sort of film that i would sit down at home and watch.

I think that some parts of the film would fit into the genre of horror, mainly the bit at the end where he is imprisoned in the huge man, although this was the main part and plot, the suspense that the directors created while making the movie is enough for it to fit into the genre of horror. It is a very cultural movie and to people heavily involved with that sort of thing it would seem appealing and not generally scary, but to people unaware to these sorts of happenings it is not so much easy viewing, you may spend your time wandering what is going on and find some parts of the film disturbing.

The attempt to remake the film was not so good in my opinion, mainly because i didn't like the original. People who liked the first film and then watch the remake may have developed a following for this sort of film, making them see it again, it strikes m as a kind of hippy cultural following film.

Witchfinder General (Michael Reeves - 1968)

Witchfinder general was directed in 1968 by Michael reeves, and produced by Tigon Films, Reeves had also directed films like "The long ships", "The sorcerers" and "the oblong box". Witchfinder general is basically about a man who travels the country from county to county, village to village and is consulted upon people who have done wrong, these people are said to be witches. His job, along with his assistant is to find and execute these witches. Meanwhile a soldier is on the hunt for this executer, after he had a run in with his soon to be wife, when he finds him in somewhat unusual circumstances, he axes him to death, before his fellow soldier shoots him in the head. The soldiers last words were "you took him from me".

The film showed off an era when the hippy ideal was at an end and the was a rise in anti-authority. People were no longer taking orders from higher authority people, they were making a stand. The film shows people taking orders, and the goings on seem to be strange and wrong, as soon as someone stands up, in this case the soldier, his wife is tortured as punishment for him. The film shows how big authority figures can be so powerful.

The film is put into the horror category because of the brutal scenes that the film contains, it does not contain your normal horror iconography like, monsters, dark sky's and thunder and lightening, but the amount of gore fits this film into horror genre. This film is more about putting a message across and thats why we subject ourselves to watch it and the violence involved. Scenes of brutality include, a man being axed to death, people being lowered off a bridge to drown, people being hung from a tree and someone being burned to death. It shows the authority that some people have, and as we watch we realize that what is being shown is wrong, this factor keeps you watching and interested.

The original lead role was given to Donald Pleasance, but people, and the producers saw this as ineffectual and a very much ludicrous authority kind of figure. The AIP wanted Vincent Price to play the leading role as they saw him more fitting to the role, so the director had a re-think and as he did the script was gradually changed.

Mary Shelly's Frankenstein - (Kenneth Branagh 1994)

Mary Shelly's frankenstein is much more different than the previous in 1935. First of all the most noticeable thing is that it is in color as apposed to black and white. A wider range of camera shots has been used due to the advance in technology, less camera work is done by hand and more still shots with no dither. I think that the film does somewhat fit into the horror genre, due to the dark thundery nights when frankenstein sends out a search party for his little brother. Frankensteins monster is the main reason why we could argue for this film to go in the horror genre, and the fact that it is an attempt to recreate human life form. 

Peoples expectations have changed over time. In a horror film viewers expect to see blood and gore, so there is demand for this, so for this reason more gory scenes are implicated into the film. An example of this is when the monster stabs his hand into elizabeths chest and brings out her beating heart. The film is exactly as you would expect it to be, simply a man creating human life and a whole bunch of other things going wrong. This simple story line allows viewers to build up their own story line prior to viewing and then relate this back to the actual film as they watch and make comparisons. The films cultural attitude has changed in some way. In the earlier version in 1935 the monster follows a village and kills people in the village, in the later version 1994, due to the closeness of the family's to date, this is used as the monster seems to go after frankensteins family an the people dearest to him, his brother, then his father and then his wife, before going after him to bargain a deal for a wife for himself.

The content and narrative have not changed to much. The monsters killing spree in the previous film is on random villagers whereas in the latest film, the monster concentrates on getting his own back on his creator, frankenstein in this case. By killing his brother and taking part in the execution of frankensteins maid. The content may not have changed much because it doesn't need to be altered in any way. The story line is fairly strong, people have always wondered wether it is possible to recreate human life and by making a film that induces this, people will be interested in watching the film. 

As technology has advanced, although the films narrative has not changed, the style in that it is portrayed has changed. The camera work has become more fluid, as in they have used more cameras on dolly's and non dither shots. The sets are more open to the natural world in the modern version, whereas in 1935 the sets all seemed to be set up inside and artificially. The advance in technology has meant that now the film is in color, if it had been made in black 

and white again, it may not have got many viewers, due to demands of the public for modern 

features. Technology has also meant that the costumes and special effects have had to have been up to date, also due to the demand of new advances. Due to the genre restrictions in 1935, the same sets were used for different scenes, to save money. Also the costumes were more basic and effects were not as good. Nowadays due to the huge sums of money involved in producing a 

modern film, the use of modern special effects, the best costumes and natural outdoor sets, is almost unlimited to producers. 

Bride Of Frankenstein - James Whale 1935

Bride of Frankenstein fits in with the horror genre as it explores elements of supernatural beings. Although this is the case it also fits in with a number of sub-genres, comedy and science fiction. Various elements make it fit into the horror genre, first of all the monster is the prime example, second, the sets are generally dark and there is usually thunder and lightening echoing in the background.The elements of comedy come from when the monster is in the house with the old blind man, having a drink of wine and a smoke, it is also a bit ironic, as it should really happen.
The science fiction comes from the fact that there is an attempt to explore into the supernatural and re-create human life from the dead.



The film was produced by James Whale in 1935 who worked for universal. Back then they decided to give each film producing company/Franchise a certain genre to concentrate on and produce films for. Universal was given the task of producing horror movies for a number of years, hence the making of "Bride Of Frankenstein".

From a modern day viewpoint i think that the film was put together well considering the circumstances. The fact that universal had only one genre to concentrate on meant that it was therefore their only focus, meaning that the results should have been exactly as they should have been. The use of repeated sets, dark backdrops, thunder and lightening and the integration of the monster gives the film most of the necessary features that a horror film should have, although with a hint of sub-genre plotted in between.

Links to social and technological environments are present during the film. When the monster stumbles upon the house with the blind man playing the violin, this shows a link to a social environment, eating and drinking together the two build up a bond. During the creation of the monster, it shows links to a technological environment, the machinery used seems very modern for the times and ideas used are advanced. The camera work is very much distorted during the movie, lots of canted shots are used to give a feel of emotional unrest. Overhead shots are a common occurrence in the film, these help to set the scene and give an idea of the layout and where various things are in comparison to others.

In 1930 i think the audience would have enjoyed the film, the attempts to re-create human life would have interested the audience. The use of modern technology for that day would have also appealed to people. The fact that the producers had only one genre to concentrate on, would mean that people who were only interested in horror movies would have gone to watch. This would mean that anyone who watched it should enjoy it, because they chose to watch that specific genre over any other.

The benefit of genre to the audience is that it lets them know what to expect during the film. Although in this case it was a horror the sub-genres make it more viewable and flexible to the viewer. They would have been expecting the monster, thunder and dark sets, but then with the sub-plotted genres, it gives the viewer a rest from constant horror and may make them laugh or giggle.

The benefit of genre to the producers means that they can concentrate on one specific genre and use repeated sets. If they know what they want and what they have to produce less money can be spent on unneeded props etc. Also they can single out the main features that they need and make it to the best standard they can. Camera work can be specifically altered to give the working genre more of an effect, such as canting the camera to give emotional unrest or the effect that something is wrong, or high shots on a stand to set the scene.