Legislation and censorship in the Seven7h Art in Portugal (1917-1974)

Abstract

This article addresses the legal and regulatory aspects of cinema censorship. The laws that served as the basis for the work of the censors will be analyzed, seeking to answer the following questions: What laws were created? When were they published? Until when were they in force? Who applied them? How did they evolve? What are the changes? How did the changes respond to specific social and political circumstances? 

A more complete study would involve examining the application of the law, the way in which Censorship Commissions operate and how they function, but in this article it will not be possible to carry out this examination. However, it is intended to expose the legislation and criteria adopted since the creation of cinema censorship until the end of the Estado Novo, seeking to understand the traces of continuity of censorship practice throughout History. Heir to this ancient legacy, the Estado Novo took control of censorship, never gave up on its application and worked systematically on its improvement, with unprecedented scope and effectiveness.