Although opposed to repression, Cohen is aware of the problems that may result with unfettered expression -- seen earlier in his sympathetic approach to those objecting to Song of the South. Cohen later asks, will freedom of expression be exercised mainly by those who can afford to make films supporting their points of view? Will the financial risks involved in film production result only in films that are acceptable to the widest possible audience? These are questions worth further study.

Cohen's approach to the material is that of an empiricist. He appears either uninterested or unaware of theoretical literature that relates to censorship or systems of repression. Although Cohen usually works from the films themselves and from such primary documentation as oral histories, the Hays Office files, U.S. Congressional Committee hearings transcripts, he sometimes includes anecdotal material gained in conversations with researchers and enthusiasts as if it were fact. There are occasional minor inaccuracies, such as the dates of the establishment of British censorship categories, and far too many spelling errors, such as "dignified rolls" instead of "dignified roles." But these are minor complaints about a valuable contribution to the literature on animation, and a volume that will doubtlessly be gracing many of our bookshelves.

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Forbidden Animation: Censored Cartoons and Blacklisted Animators in America, by Karl F. Cohen, McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers, 1997. 230 pages, illustrated. ISBN: 0-7864-0395-0.
To order this book, call (in the U.S.) 800-253-2187

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Mark Langer teaches film at Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada. He is a frequent contributor to scholarly journals and a programmer of animation retrospectives.