Section Men Rule Genet Film Unfit For Hum 4 Freshmen, Sophomores

Instructors in Humanities 4 have censored a controversial French movie which would have been presented to Hum 4 students at 3:30 p.m. yesterday.

The 30-minute film Un Dance d'Amour, produced and directed by Jean Genet, had been scheduled as the last of four movies to be shown in the course this Spring. But, after section men previewed the film late Wednesday night, Robert H. Chapman, associate professor of English, decided that the movie was not "fit for such general consumption."

"It was a mistake from the beginning," Chapman said yesterday. "When we scheduled the film we thought it would have some dramatic relevance, but we realized after viewing it that if it hadn't been done by Genet it would probably have been junked long ago."

According to the two instructors who attended the pre-showing, the picture contained blatant sexual imagery. "If the film had only suggested eroticism instead of explicitly demonstrating it we would have allowed it," Arthur M. Friedman head section man, said last night.

Before the abrupt switch in plans, the movie was to have been seen jointly with French 183. That class, taught by Frederick R. Jameson, assistant professor of Romance Languages and Literatures saw the movie as scheduled. Friedman reportedly stood at the entrance to the viewing room and turned away the few Hum 4 students who tried to get in despite Chapman's warning.

Friedman said later that whether or not the movie should have been shown to French 183 was up to Johnson's discretion. He pointed out that the film did pertain directly to the course's subject matter. In contrast, he noted that Genet was not even included in the regular Hum 4 reading list.

"Most of the students in Jameson's course are upper-level and graduate students," Friedman said. "We felt that as responsible members of the Faculty it was our duty to prevent this film from being shown to a lower-level Gen Ed course of this type, consisting mainly of freshmen and sophomores."