The Cine Technician (1953-1956)

March-April, 1952 Chris Brunei THE CINE-TECHNICIAN 33 asks ARE YOU PATRIOTIC? &URE enough, you'll reply in a slightly ^pained voice. Why, during the war, I — . We know all about that, but what are you doing to keep a healthy British film industry going? Blimey, you'll reply, I'm only trying to keep some sort of job in the industry. Why last year I was unemployed for . Yes, we did know, and we don't want to be unsympathetic, but have you taken the question of the film crisis up with your M.P. ? Your local Trades Council? Your ? Listen, I'm getting a little tired of these phrases about a healthy British film industry, and if anybody else talks about the film crisis to me, I'll get really sore. All you people do is talk about these things. You don't make jobs by just jabbering . That's just the point we are making. We believe that you know all the answers about the Rank monopoly, the need for British films with British ideas in them for the British cinemas, as well as the private life of the National Film Finance Corporation. But somehow the question of doing something to get the next job looms up rather larger. Something more than talking about possibilities is needed to deal with the slump, because, scan the prospects as much as you like, there is precious little on the horizon. There used to be a time when one could hope for the summer season, say, to bring a big improvement. And do you remember when the usually wellinformed rumour-mongers said that the Budget would mark a turning of the tide? — " and just wait till the Anglo-American film agreement comes to an end." Now we have learned at a cost that this sort of event does not bring us any real help, let alone salvation. But l refuse to be a pessimist. If history looks like recording us as extinct animals, we have got to change events for ourselves. Let us by all means talk to such people as the new President of the Board of Trade, Mr. Peter Thorneycroft, M.P., and explain what we want. But let us remember that it's time something substantial was done for us. We've been in the queue long enough. Even in days of full employment we always had to add a rider, " except for film makers." Now, workers in the clothing and furniture industries, the licensing trade and other makers of civilian goods are in the unemployment queues, so it's about time, I suggest, that our attitude should be less gentlemanly and more " Dear Sir, Unless . . ." A word about that " Unless." Certainly, we can do such things as carrying a banner inscribed " WE DEMAND THE RIGHT TO WORK," into Trafalgar Square on May Day, as we did last year. For those who don't like parading on the streets, they can call a few friends together socially and work out a few ways) and means of bringing the justice of the ACT case to neighbours and the public generally through the local Press in as strong a manner as possible; this idea is being adopted by a few people Brunei thinks we should get a giant to help us, like Walter Talun, of 20th Century Fox's " David and Bathsheba " in the " film colony " in the Denham-Gerrards CrossIver-Beaconsfield area, where my father and I live. More and more, however, we must take the offensive^— even if at times it means we give offence to some people in high places. We've been pushed around too long. I am sure that we have in our ranks men and women with experience of putting ideas across to the public. So what about a few of those showmanship stunts that seem to be coming back into favour with the publicity kings? Maybe we can't hire a modern Goliath in the way that the renters of David and Bathsheba did recently, but knowing the way that a cine camera soon attracts a crowd in a busy street, couldn't we parade a camera-car complete with camera on a tripod and a loudspeaker giving the ACT case to the people of London? Thought of something better? Well, let ACT know about it, and let's get active. That way we can begin to shape events the way we want them and restore British films to their rightful place on the screen of the country.