[Frameworks] Production Code

[f at fredcamper.com]

I agree with Jonathan. The places where experimental films were shown did
not care about the Production Code. They mostly would have hardly been
aware of it. The main problem, if there was one, might be the local
police.

In 1966, there was a Markopoulos film about to be shown in Cambridge,
Massachusetts, at a place called Odd Fellows Hall, in a screening to be
run by the late Tom Chomont. At the last minute the Cambridge police
stopped the showing. Apparently the last program Tom ran had had a film
(not by Markopoulos) in which a female breast was visible, or at least,
that's what I heard was the source of the trouble. We hosted the showing
for Tom and Gregory at MIT with no problem. The film Markopoulos showed,
"Galaxie," did not even have any nudity. A few years later we showed
"Eros, O Basileus," which did have nudity, but no sex, without any trouble
either. At least from 1966 on, I'm not aware of censorship affecting
Markopoulos in the US.

Also, there was a commercial theater in Manhattan, the 55th Street
Playhouse, that showed avant-garde films for a short time in early 1964.
They showed "Twice a Man" for a week. I'm not aware of them having had any
trouble either. Their main problem was a lack of audience.

Fred Camper
Chicago