Sir, - Stanley Kubrick's A Clockwork Orange was banned in this country when it was first released. It was apparently the view of the censor at the time that the portrayal of violence in the film was so distasteful that it should not be viewed by the general public. I understand the film depicts in one scene the senseless battering to death of a woman to the music of Beethoven. It must be stomach-turning to watch.
Having celebrated in the space of two years the funeral liturgy for three young men who died as a result of separate and unprovoked attacks involving senseless violence, and that is just one parish in our country, I find the current release of such a film nauseating.
Society is now more violent, less respectful of human life and, in my opinion, ought to be assessed as less capable of being able to view such a film than before. I accept that the causes of the increased level of violence in our society are complex and myriad, but I would assert that the depiction of violence on screen, its frequency and intensity is not devoid of influence on the minds of people.
As one who was stopped from seeing this film during my earlier years and who did not appreciate the censor's power at the time or his role in protecting the common good of society, it now seems to me that the original banning was both wise and courageous, in contrast to the more recent sad decision. - Yours, etc.,
Declan Moriarty, Presbytery 2 Ballycullen Avenue Dublin 24.