The Supreme Court yesterday overturned a ban on the film “The Night Porter” which was ruled unfit for screening in Israel by the motion picture and theater censorship council. The film depicts a sadomasochistic love affair between a Jewish concentration camp survivor and her former Nazi tormentor. The censorship council originally granted a permit to “The Night Porter” but withdrew it after angry protests from organizations of Nazi concentration camp survivors and the Hebrew University student body.
In lifting the ban, Justice Alfred Vitkon criticized the council’s behavior in the matter. “A permit is not something of little value you can give today and take away tomorrow,” he said. He added, “Because censorship is an institution we are not fond of, and because we hold respect for the council’s right to exercise its judgement, it is our duty to say that in this case the council has not fulfilled its duty.”
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
