We use Optical Character Recognition (OCR) during our scanning and processing workflow to make the content of each page searchable. You can view the automatically generated text below as well as copy and paste individual pieces of text to quote in your own work.
Text recognition is never 100% accurate. Many parts of the scanned page may not be reflected in the OCR text output, including: images, page layout, certain fonts or handwriting.
32
THE CINE-TECHNICIAN
March-April, 1953
[ George I h hi H reports oh his
mwws risil to Kussiu
v
■
=a
FACH of the eleven separate Republics in the ■^ Soviet Union has its own film organisation and plans its own programme, features, shorts, educational, scientific films, and so on. It was, therefore, not possible to obtain from a central source statistics covering the industry throughout the U.S.S.R. The only figure obtained was that one hundred thousand persons are employed in production, laboratories, distribution and exhibition, in public cinemas (but excluding the numerous Palaces of Culture, most of which have Cinemas). Surprisingly enough this covers the same number of workers as are employed in film production in Great Britain, but because of the set-up of industry in the Soviet Union, naturally the numbers in each of the main divisions is not in similar proportions.
When George Elvin visited the Soviet Union last November, it was in response to a personal invitation. He did not go in his capacity as General Secretary of A.C.T. but as a private person
Granted leave of absence for the trip, on his return he was invited by the General Council to report to an open meeting. ' Cine ' prints here a summary of his report likely to be of interest to film technicians. Matters of wider interest will no doubt be dealt with by him in talks elsewhere
Public cinemas do not appear so " ritzy " as in this country and there appears to be nothing of the style of the big West-end cinema. The number of staff in each cinema seems smaller than over here. Admission prices are on the whole lower. At the generally accepted " real " rate of exchange of 40 roubles to the £., they are 1 6d. to 3s. in the public cinemas, and from 9d. to 2 6d. in the Palaces of Culture, which are best described as a cross between a Community Centre and a working-men's club, although on the whole built and equipped on a much grander scale.
Quite a number of films were seen, some in private cinemas, and some in public. All except the newsreels were in colour and, in fact, there seems little black and white productions. I. V.