Alberta wrote a film censorship law in 1912, while the province was still in its first decade. The Theatres Act set up the machinery, and the way Alberta classifies films today sits at the far end of that line. Today’s system is a long way from a government board that could ban a movie outright, so let’s rewind.
What Alberta’s first film law actually said
The bill is in the Legislative Assembly of Alberta archive as Bill 83 of 1911 to 1912, titled An Act to regulate Theatres, Entertainment Halls and Cinematographs. It lets the Lieutenant Governor appoint a censor or a board of censors of not more than three persons. That board could permit the exhibition of films or absolutely prohibit or reject any or all of them.
Every film had to be stamped by the censors before it was shown. The bill adds that no police officer could prohibit a stamped film because of anything in it, so the stamp was meant to settle the question.
The timing helps explain it. The Alberta Historic Places blog says Edmonton had twelve movie theatres by 1913 and that nickelodeons charged 5 cents for admission. Moving pictures were new, cheap and popular, and a province that noticed early wrote rules early.
What happened if you ignored the rules
The bill sets fines of $50 to $200 plus costs for operating a cinematograph without complying, with an extra $25 for each day of continued violation. Non-payment could mean up to three months in jail. Owners, operators and film exchange managers also paid annual licence fees to the Provincial Secretary.
It even allows an appeal from the censors, to a person, body or court named in the regulations.
How strict Alberta got
The Edmonton and District Historical Society recorded a February 25, 2020 talk by Dave Clarke, who researched the topic at the Provincial Archives of Alberta. The society says Clarke found that Alberta cut and banned films more than any other province, and proudly so.
Early concerns included the length of petticoat hemlines. Later ones included gratuitous American flags during the wartime years and communist propaganda in the postwar years.
The society’s best-known example is Tom Jones, which won Best Picture at the 1964 Academy Awards and was banned in Alberta. A special screening for MLAs at the Garneau cinema did not reverse the decision. Premier Ernest Manning walked out after ten minutes, and other government members followed.
Clarke called the practice virtue signalling and a patronizing attempt to protect working-class Albertans, which is his opinion as the society reports it.
Don’t skip that part. Laws like Bill 83 read like dry clauses, but the Garneau screening is the same law with a face on it: a premier, a cinema and ten minutes.
Where theatre owners fit in
Exhibitors were organized too. The University of Calgary archives describe the Alberta Theatres Association, established in 1943, which represented motion picture theatres across the province, including the Calgary Motion Pictures Exhibitors Association. Roy Chown of Calgary was its first secretary.
The association lobbied the government about regulations affecting theatre projectionists and the wartime amusement tax. The fonds covers 1942 to 1948 and its description says nothing about censorship, so there’s no link to draw between the two.
What replaced the censors’ stamp
Today the Government of Alberta says all films and trailers screened publicly in Alberta must receive a rating before release. The system uses five age categories, G, PG, 14A, 18A and R, plus 17 standardized advisories covering things like coarse language, violence and sexual content.
Alberta says it handles approximately 700 to 800 films and 700 to 800 trailers per year. Trained classifiers screen each one in a theatre and reach ratings by committee discussion, weighing theme, tone and intended audience. Its classification reports are described as not reviews, and they avoid spoilers.
The sources don’t say when the old censorship model gave way to age-based ratings, so that date stays out of this story. Go read Bill 83 for what the province once claimed the power to do, then read the current classification page for what it says it does now. The distance between them is yours to judge.
Keep reading with how railway films and Byron Harmon sold the Rockies. Calgary opened a film office before Alberta had a film agency, and AMPIA and the Rosies have earned their swagger.
More from the archive: Superman Left Its Cape Prints All Over Alberta and Calgary Once Watched Movies From the Front Seat of a Car.
Quick answers
Alberta wrote its first film censorship law in 1912, while the province was still in its first decade. The bill, titled An Act to regulate Theatres, Entertainment Halls and Cinematographs, let the Lieutenant Governor appoint a board of no more than three censors. That board could permit or absolutely prohibit films.
The bill sets fines of $50 to $200 plus costs for operating a cinematograph without complying, with an extra $25 for each day of continued violation. Non payment could mean up to three months in jail. Owners and operators also paid annual licence fees to the Provincial Secretary.
The Edmonton and District Historical Society says researcher Dave Clarke found Alberta cut and banned films more than any other province. His 2020 talk drew on research at the Provincial Archives of Alberta. Premier Ernest Manning walked out of one screening after ten minutes, and other government members followed.
