Sujet Anglais — Terminale — Métropole — Bac 2012

Children under 18 will be banned from watching films that depict characters smoking, under plans being considered by [Liverpool City] Council1 “thought police”. An 18 certificate – usually reserved for movies with violent and sexual content – will be slapped on any film featuring smokers that fails to explain cigarettes are bad for you. 5 Such titles include Disney’s classic 101 Dalmatians cartoon, in which the evil Cruella de Vil waves a cigarette holder. The ban will target new releases, but could affect older films such as Disney’s Peter Pan, the Little Mermaid and Pinocchio if they are reissued and reclassified. Casablanca, Titanic and Lord of the Rings would be restricted to adults under the plans 10 proposed for Liverpool. One exception to the new rules will be movies which feature major historical characters who are known to be smokers. So any films with Winston Churchill brandishing his trademark cigar would not be affected. But the only others to get the green light from Liverpool City Council will be those which provide a “clear and unambiguous portrayal of the dangers of smoking,” the council said. 15 The British Board of Film Classification is generally responsible for classifying films. But under the Licensing Act 2003, local councils have powers to classify or reclassify films to be exhibited in their areas. Some councils used similar powers to ban Monty Python’s Life of Brian in 1979, for blasphemy. The proposal has been made to the authority’s licensing and gambling committee by 20 Liverpool Primary Care Trust, which demanded the changes on the grounds that 29 per cent of Liverpudlians2 smoke – seven per cent higher than the national average – and 3,300 children in the city take up smoking every year. The plans are now part of a consultation with residents being run by Liverpool’s Liberal Democrat Council. If they go ahead, cinemas and any other premises showing films would 25 have to notify the council 21 days in advance if they intend to show films containing images of smoking. Yesterday, Tory3 local government spokesman Bob Neill said: “This is a sledgehammer to crack a nut.” It is not the role of town halls to act as puritanical thought police, banning children from watching films because they offend politically correct sensibilities. Parents are 30 most concerned about knife crime and violence being glamorised. Councils would be better focusing on tackling the supermarkets and