‘Filth’ satirizes British effort to clean up TV

By HAL BOEDEKER

How do you solve a problem like bad language in a movie called “Filth”?

PBS is using sound effects on this true story, which premieres at 9 p.m. Sunday on “Masterpiece.”

Brilliant acting propels this slight satire about Mary Whitehouse (Julie Walters). In the 1960s, she established Clean Up TV to battle the “tide of filth, violence and degradation” she saw in British programming.

Sir Hugh Greene (Hugh Bonneville), the BBC’s director general, dismissed Whitehouse’s concerns and repeatedly snubbed her.

These two opponents never meet — a dramatic drawback — and neither inspires great sympathy. Greene is condescending and foul-mouthed.

Schoolteacher Whitehouse is often oblivious. She starts by protesting a program about premarital sex, then monitors content closely. She grows increasingly strident, lashing out at a children’s show and a Beatles song (”I Am the Walrus” for its use of knickers). She even screams about kissing in the streets.

Mary isn’t exactly a heroine, yet Walters plays her with such humor and fierceness that the woman commands attention. Walters excels when Mary conquers her fear of public speaking and overcomes hecklers. It’s a remarkable transformation for this performer best known for “Harry Potter” and “Mamma Mia!” Walters will be remembered at Emmy time.