by Mark Harris for The Georgia Straight

Less than 500 feet of concrete and asphalt separates the Fox Cinema on Main Street from the British Columbia Film Classification Branch on West 8th. This is both bizarre and strangely fitting. Although adult-movie houses and cinema-censorship offices are natural enemies, in the modern world it seems you can't have one without the other.

Of course the Fox is an anachronism. The days when trendy young couples considered it cool to publicly scan triple-X features are now as long-gone as bell- bottom jeans with kick pleats. As one of Vancouver's three surviving adult theaters the cinema now caters almost exclusively to that segment of the raincoat brigade that has yet to invest in a home entertainment center. Contemporary teenagers are about as likely to visit the Fox, Venus or Kitten as they are to twirl a hula hoop.

Still, despite the waning fortunes of this particular form of erotic entertainment, concern about the regulation of pornography has never been greater. Thanks to the privacy provided by videocassette recorders, sexually explicit features are probably enjoyed by more people than ever before - especially women and the underage. Sex shops and mail-order porno businesses are booming. The more mainstream media are regularly accused of brutalizing an entire generation of young people by exposing them to constant gratuitous violence on TV. The public depiction of women is tirelessly debated by both "sex-positive" (those opposed to tightly regulated erotic imagery) and "sex- negative" (those in favor of strong censorship). Child pornography is reputedly widespread.

With the ecology of the world breaking down and its societies dissolving in increasingly brutal civil wars one might have thought that the human race had better things to do with its time than fret over the socially acceptable parameters of commercial motion pictures, but that attributes to censorship a logic that is not always present. Although controls imposed from above have generally been employed to ensure the smooth continuance of party power - a logical aim if ever there was one - demands for greater artistic restrictions emanating from below are more commonly prompted by the fear of social collapse or moral chaos. To many people the illusion of control is more important than the reality.

Code Hackers

R.W. Macdonald was the man who, in the '60s and '70s, charted an increasingly liberal course - modifying what had become the BC censor's almost caricatured public image as moral avenger. He is widely reputed to have "invented" the classification system that eventually replaced Hollywood's long-outdated Hays Code at the instigation of Motion Picture Association of America head Jack Valenti.

Mary Lou McCausland - today's director of film classification - invariably refers to her late mentor with affectionate respect as Mister Macdonald. "The amazing thing about my predecessor was his ability to keep an open mind. He saw that the public was changing, and he was able to build a bridge between the era of censorship and the era of consumer information. I once asked him why he'd changed and he said, 'I grew up with my kids.' I thought that was the most amazing comment. I hope I never forget that."

Based on her record thus far it seems unlikely that she ever will. During the past two decades, BC has become far more lenient in regard to the depiction of consensual sexual activity while casting an increasingly baleful eye on certain forms of violence and intimidation. As a public servant McCausland feels it is her job to act as a sort of barometer of public opinion.

As a general rule, McCausland believes that BC legislation is more liberal than its US counterpart. She points to the "mature" classification she once slapped on a nudist documentary as an example of this, feeling fairly sure that Americans would not have let it off so lightly. She is likewise proud of BC's long-standing refusal to ban films for sacrilege or blasphemy. On the other hand, she continues to defend the branch's "coarse language" captions on the grounds that some parents "want to instill values" by regulating what their children are allowed to see even if those same youngsters already "swear more and employ a more colorful vocabulary than their parents do."

The film classification branch is better known for leaving scenes in than for taking them out. At present only violent pornographic films generally have to excise footage in exchange for a seal of approval. Even triple-X features have it a lot easier than they used to. Oral sex, vaginal penetration, and penile ejaculation (the so-called cum or money shot) have been acceptable since 1986. This relaxation of branch standards was very gradual, and it began with a simple observation.

"I think the first thing we changed," McCausland recalled, "was the ban on male frontal nudity. During my first month with Mr. Macdonald, I couldn't understand why you could show all of a woman's anatomy but not of a man's. I said, 'I think we should have some equal opportunity here. If women can be exposed, men should be, too.' Mr. Macdonald laughed and said I had a point. The last thing to go was ejaculation. On the other hand, we once allowed sadomasochistic films in this province. We would take away the consenting sex and leave the violence. Now we take away the violence and leave the sex."

In See No Evil, Jack Vizzard's witty memoir about his days as a Hays Code scissors-wielder, the author writes: "Being a censor is like being a whore; everyone wants to know how you got into the business." It's a profession that no one prepares for - least of all Mary Lou McCausland.

"I was very radical in my youth," she said with a laugh.

While studying drama at the University of Calgary, McCausland was "appalled" when the underground film Scorpio Rising was seized by the Calgary police and the professor who programmed it was charged. A few years later, while working for Odeon theaters, she was required to surrender Emmanuelle to the boys in blue, and she admits to having given them a "tongue- lashing that day." Odeon transferred her to BC shortly thereafter, and she found West Coast censorship policies much more sympathetic. When a position opened with the classification office in the mid-1970s, she submitted her resume and eventually beat out 300 applicants for the job.

Being a member of the civil service, McCausland believes, is one of the things that keep a film classifier honest. "Our job descriptions demand a degree or its equivalent, as well as a certain amount of experience. We look for people who've traveled, who've had occasion to experience other cultures, who have more than a narrow field of interest. We want minds that are objective, that don't pursue particular political agendas. Professional civil servants are trained to exercise their minds objectively in areas that are often viewed subjectively."

Some branch judgments seem either wise or weird - depending on your point of view. This explains why Jim Rose's Circus Side Show - a revolting little video in which trained carnival performers munch maggots, drive long needles through their cheeks and dangle daunting weights from tender portions of their anatomy - received a restricted designation instead of just a stiff warning. McCausland put it in the hardcore category not because of the silhouetted nude shot wherein Mr. Lifto painfully picks up heavy objects with his penis but because of the potential for imitation. "Kids are quite fascinated by this sort of stuff and some 10-year-olds might decide that this kind of body piercing might be fun."

Branch powers are much broader than just determining what warning will be slapped on which video. Inspectors are empowered to walk into cinemas or video stores at will and seize any "objectionable" product that lacks an official symbol of approval. Films that have already been classified can be called in for reclassification whenever the office sees fit. Theoretically publicity material can also be impounded (although in practice this means little besides the quarantine of triple-X motion picture posters to the lobby shadow boxes of adult-movie houses). Licenses can be revoked until all branch demands have been complied with. BC's film classifiers are even legally allowed to exclude provincial attorneys general - their nominal employers - from their screenings in order to prevent "political censorship."

"It's very difficult to strike a balance between permissiveness and moral responsibility," McCausland said with a sigh, "particularly when a relationship is perceived between violence and human behavior. There is much less parental supervision these days, and videogames give kids the message that if you have a problem you can just blow it away. When you hear of an increase of violent activity among young children, you don't really know if violent film and video is the cause or not, but it is certainly perceived to be the cause. Therefore, people want something done - particularly in regard to the young. Not all video store owners are responsible in this province. Access to minors should be controlled."