The Cine Technician (1953-1956)

70 THE CINE-TECHNICIAN May-June, 1953 \i;w i looks A/TR. KAREL REISZ is to be congratulated on his -L" skilful collation and treatment of a wide range of subject matter in The Technique of Film Editing, published by Focal Press for the British Film Academy, priced at 30s. Christopher Brunei writes : So many A.C.T. members have contributed to it that one wants to pay tribute to their great ability, which is set down in a most engaging manner. Dealing with the practice and principles of editing action sequences, dialogue, comedy, montage, as well as shorts and documentaries, newsreels and the compilation film, the book also contains a thoughtful history of editing. With copious illustrations from many popular British and American pictures, the price at 30s. is high. The way round this is suggested by Thorold Dickinson in his introduction : " We hope that friends will club together to share a copy . . ." The publishers have offered to supply A.C.T. with copies at a discount of 25 per cent for all orders of 12 or more. Members wishing to purchase on these advantageous terms should communicate with Head Office. Focal Press continue to put film technicians and others interested in film making in their debt by the publication of many useful and informative books, including: How To Use 9.5mm. Film (7/6); How To Make Holiday Films (7/6); and The Cine Almanac, 1953 (15/6); all for amateurs. A.C.T. members will find Bolex GUIDE (7/6), by A. J. Surgenor, a candid, practical and useful description of the uses of the Bolex series I to V and the Bolex L.8. From Chapman and Hall comes High Speed Photography, by G. A. Jones (42s.). George A. Jones has served for a number of years on the councils of the Royal Photographic Society and of the Scientific Film Association. The author's wide experience and thorough coverage of available information on his subject enables him to collate and review the uses of high-speed photograhpy in industry and science. With 118 illustrations and diagrams. Artificial Light and Photography (52s.), by G. D. Rieck and L. H. Verbeck, published in Britain by the Cleaver Hume Press, London, was printed and bound in the Netherlands. It is a magnificent piece of book production with over 300 pages, many magnificent stills in colour and black and white, and many diagrams. It provides all the information needed by a photographer in choosing and using his light sources to the best advantage. The book contains a wealth of factual information and authentic facts and figures. Now in its 94th year of publication, The British Photographic Almanac, 1953 (7/6 cloth, 5s. board covers), and edited by Arthur J. Dalladay, contains 608 pages, with a 32-page pictorial supplement. As useful and as well produced as ever, the new issue contains articles on The Profession of Photography; Forecasting Daylight Lighting; Stereoscopic Projection at Home; and Mechanisation in the Photo Finishing Industry; with the usual reviews of new apparatus, a survey of progress in methods of working, with special attention to colour photography, formulae and instructions for various photographic processes, including sub-standard cinematography. There are many other useful features. From Pitman & Sons comes A Day With The Film Makers (10/6), a pleasing account of a trip round a film studio, introducing the reader to all the technicians concerned in the making of a film, and explaining their jobs. It will save many a technician from having to explain everything to his children, or to relatives and friends, and can be recommended for this purpose. Other books received include Plot Against Peace, by Ivor Montagu, published by Lawrence and Wishart at 5s., a highly controversial account of international affairs, including the Korean War, favouring the Russian and other Communist Governments' viewpoint, but salutary reading for those who swallow uncritically the view of world affairs common to most of our daily newspapers and political leaders; and By Hand and Brain, a short history of the Clerical and Administrative Workers' Union, written by Fred Hughes, and published by Lawrence and Wishart in paper covers for 5/6d. (cloth, 9/-). Ably written, the book has a particular interest for our General Secretary, George Elvin, whose father, H. H. Elvin, was the union's first General Secretary. Like our own General Secretary, H. H. Elvin began in foundation days, and saw a union of a mere handful grow in power and influence. Of this book, George Elvin has written : When a group of a dozen pioneers some sixtythree years ago decided to form an organisation for clerks they boldly called themselves the National Union of Clerks and affiliated at an early stage to both the Trades Union Congress and the Labour Party. These steps were taken on the basis of a frank appeal showing the solidarity of interest between clerks and other workers despite the argument that they might deter the more conservative clerks from joining. Fred Hughes, who joined the Union in 1905, became its president in 1907 and Assistant General Secretary in 1913, which post he continued to hold until his retiral a few years ago, is better fitted than anyone else to recount the Union's history. And a remarkably fine job he has made of it . . . For many readers, interest will be in the wellknown names which have held membership, many of them actively in the Union. C. R. Attlee a continuous member since 1912; Herbert Morrison, who shone at the Union's 1913 conference but who, in Fred Hughes' words, " never found himself really at home in the branch work and soon transferred his activities to other spheres"; Arthur Greenwood, who joined the Union in 1920; Lord Snell. F. O. Roberts, Alfred Barnes, G. R. Strauss, Ernest Thurtle, Arthur Woodburn, F. C. R. Douglas, all of whom at one time or another have held Government office; S. Saklatvala, the first British Communist M.P., described as " a benign little gentleman with a sad and disappointed face"; Max Litvinov, later to become Foreign Minister of the Soviet Union; Margaret Cole, of whom the author's first impression was of " an attractive young woman taking an intelligent part in the branch meeting while rather ostentatiously smoking a clay pipe"; Stephen Sanders and Emil Davics, Secretary and