Film historian Charles Musser places the first rumbles of American film censorship in 1897, a year after THE KISS was released, and it specifically targeted the warmer peepshow machines on Coney Island. Subsequent censorship movements, which didn't take hold until the 1900s, targeted movie violence - ThreadSky

moviessilently.bsky.social • 21 days ago

Film historian Charles Musser places the first rumbles of American film censorship in 1897, a year after THE KISS was released, and it specifically targeted the warmer peepshow machines on Coney Island.

Subsequent censorship movements, which didn't take hold until the 1900s, targeted movie violence

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g026r.leftblank.org•21 days ago

It's not for nothing that the first (American) laws around film censorship that we know of were deeply concerned about prize fights.

moviessilently.bsky.social•21 days ago

Yes indeed! An early account of a traveling picture show being run out of rural, religious town was due to their collection of boxing films as much as their dancers.

moviessilently.bsky.social•21 days ago

In fact, THE KISS set off a cinematic kissing craze. Studios would regularly engage dancers to twirl a bit for the camera and then, in order to get their money's worth, had them kiss too. The earliest movie kiss between Black performers was captured this way.

Now THAT is a kiss!

moviessilently.bsky.social•21 days ago

But none of this fits in with modern perception (and you see this attitude as far back as the 1920s) that the 1890s were so sexually repressed that some light and intentionally goofy pecks between a middle-aged couple would cause a scandal.

So, they reverse engineer to make it work, truth be damned

moviessilently.bsky.social•21 days ago

Was someone somewhere in the 1890s offended by THE KISS? Sure, you'll find someone offended by anything if you look hard enough. (side eye at the Star Wars fandom)

But widespread scandal? A mainstream censorship demand? (Some sources even claim there were some backed by high clergy.) No.

moviessilently.bsky.social•21 days ago

But the perception of a prudish past works so well, who needs facts?

"We may have problems but at least we're not offended by a glimpse of ankle!" on one side

"They were so moral then that they were shocked at this kissing movie, what a clean past!" on the other

And actual 1890s people were like:

manxinwales.bsky.social•21 days ago

I've done a lot of work around the 1890s and people are people. I have never understood the idea that somehow we completely changed how we lived and acted over a few decades. People do people stuff. It seems Stag films were invented within minutes of film being invented!

manxinwales.bsky.social•21 days ago

The idea that we went from condemnation of someone's parents vaguely smooching to the roaring 20s is utterly ridiculous and I've no idea why people would repeat something so illogical without thinking 'hang on! That doesn't sound right!'

moviessilently.bsky.social•21 days ago

While we're here, the myth that Victorians covered their piano legs out of modesty started out as satire aimed at Americans (who were not ruled by Queen Victoria, having fought a few wars to settle same)

https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/victorian-table-legs-covering-myth

moviessilently.bsky.social•21 days ago

There's a long conversation to be had about the infantilization of affluent women during the era, the extreme modesty views of various religious sects, and how these somehow infected public perception of the whole Gilded Age but just for today:

Movie kisses and piano legs were fine, guys!

ellacinders.bsky.social•21 days ago

That reminds me that I want to see Mel Brooks’ Silent Movie again. I remember it as being not very good when I saw it decades ago, but time for a re-appraisal. Available at the public library!

moviessilently.bsky.social•21 days ago

I like parts of it (Feldman particularly) but it makes a lot of the usual modern silent mistakes: one title card for every line of dialogue and too many title cards explaining what was just pantomimed clearly.

ainthavingit.bsky.social•21 days ago

Oh, it was one if my favorites as a kid!

spooky-jones.bsky.social•21 days ago

Much like today, a satire article becomes canon.

postmodernpastoral.bsky.social•21 days ago

Release the 1897 peep show films 👏👏👏

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