Birth Control (also known as The New World) is a lost[1] 1917 American documentary film produced by and starring Margaret Sanger and describing her family planning work. It was the first film banned under the 1915 ruling of the United States Supreme Court in Mutual Film Corporation v. Industrial Commission of Ohio,[2] which held that the exhibition of films did not constitute free speech.[citation needed]
| Birth Control | |
|---|---|
 Two page advertisement in the 30 March 1917 Variety | |
| Written by | Margaret Sanger |
| Produced by | Margaret Sanger |
| Starring | Margaret Sanger |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Message Photo-Play Co. |
Release date |
|
Running time | 5 reels |
| Language | Silent (English intertitles) |
The banning of Birth Control was upheld by the New York Court of Appeals on the grounds that a film on family planning may be censored "in the interest of morality, decency, and public safety and welfare."[3]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ American Silent Feature Film Survival Database:Birth Control
- ^ Mutual Film Corporation v. Industrial Commission of Ohio, 236 U.S. 230 (1915).
- ^ Message Photo-Play Co., Inc. V. Bell, Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, First Department. 179 App. Div. 13 (N.Y. App. Div. 1917).
External links
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