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DOCUMENTARY Him II I'll s
VOL. 7 NO. 67 JULY 1948
EDITORIAL BOARD
STEPHEN ACKROYD DONALD ALEXANDER MAX ANDERSON EDGAR ANSTEY GEOFFREY BELL
KEN CAMERON PAUL FLETCHER SINCLAIR ROAD GRAHAME THARP BASIL WRIGHT
EDITOR
DAVIDE BOULTING
ASSISTANT EDITOR
JANE DAV1ES
CONTEXTS
This month's cover still shows Ram Gopal in Lord Sira Danced — a new Shell production
Editorial
Notes of the Month
Quotes about the Quota
Tour in Belgium John Maddison
Off with their Heads! Jack Bedclington
University Film Centre? Stanley Oreanu . .
\ New Medical Film
3regg Toland — Film Maker Part 2 Lester Koenig
lohn Taylor
'nstitut des Hautes Etudes Cinematographiques Ruth Partington
Correspondence
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80, 81 82
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Published every month by Film Centre* :t I Soho St|. I .onrion %%" I
tNNUAL SUBSCRIPTION 12 S. SINGLE COPIES 1 S.
TURNING IT OVER
'Some make big ones, some make small. More from each means more for all.'
So runs one of the new Government posters issued to exhort the factory worker to greater efforts.
But is the factory worker the only person who should make this contribution?
No, we've got a new Films Quota in England. From next October 45 per cent of the Main Features and 25 per cent of the supporting programme must be Made in England.
And this means more work for the British film worker — not just more employment but more work, better work and more cooperation.
The Exhibitors are groaning; they don't like it and they say that more exhibitors than ever will default on this quota.
Why not make more films and better films and show the exhibitors that they have nothing to groan about? It can be done.
The Americans are groaning; they say that this is the last straw.
Have they ever considered whether they would be content with a 45 per cent and 25 per cent quota for American films to be shown in America? We doubt it!
Mr Rank says it can be done — and for once we agree with him.
But it means better films, films made with more economy and with less time-wasting.
And in Documentary it means more interesting films, films with a sense of humour, films which do not try to preach but just to do what is the necessary function of every good film — to wit, to entertain.
The people stood for a lot of propaganda during the war — it u.i^ necessary then and Documentary made a real contribution to it.
But now it has a chance to prove that it has grown up — that it can make films the public will enioy seeing — films which stand on their own merits and do not prop themselves up on the excuse of has ing a message to deliver.
The customer goes to the cinema first and foremost to be entertained. He does not pay out good money to have pompon^ propaganda rammed down his throat.
'Some make big ones' (Mr Rank and the other Main Feature boys).
'Some make small' (Yes! that's you, Documentar> producer).
'More from each means more for all."
Yes — more work, better work from each section o( the industry will mean more employment, more films and a self-supporting British Film Industry.