Abstract
This thesis look at the Roman Catholic Church’s role in the production and censorship of the Italian film industry in the 1950s. This is done in two sections. The first covers the background of the Vatican’s role and the opinion that the Church had as to what should be in a film and what should be excluded. Looking at Papal Encyclicals and speeches the pontiffs made to those in the film industry, a view of the general position that the Roman Catholic Church has towards the burgeoning film industry becomes clear. Secondly, the paper looks to analyze a major theme in the Roman Catholic Church’s critique of popular American and Italian films. Looking to the Centro Cattolico Cinematografico’s Segnalazioni cinematografiche, a pattern of negative reviews become evident for films that challenge the traditional gender roles of the Italian state. Along this same line of thought, films that support the Roman Catholic views on sexuality, marriage and traditional gender roles are lauded by the Segnalazioni cinematografiche.