The New York State Board of Regents, acting as the state's board of censors, banned the film in New York due to the film's portrayal of childbirth and showing a baby at its mother's breast.[1]
The film depicts the conflicts between traditional life in a Mexican village, and outsiders who want to introduce modernization.
The Hays Office refused to approve the film. The distributors decided to release the film without the Hays Office's Seal of Approval. The New York State Board of Regents banned the film because of the inclusion of a lengthy childbirth scene. But the film’s distributor protested to the State Board of Regents who lifted the ban and allowed the uncut film to be shown in New York.[2]
The new print was made “from the original 35mm nitrate picture and soundtrack negatives from the Stanford Theatre Foundation Collection and a 35mm nitrate fine grain master positive from MOMA.”[3]
The restoration premiered at the UCLA Festival of Preservation on March 14, 2011[3] and was screened at other North American cities in 2011 including Vancouver.[4]
