Year book of motion pictures (1925)

(3) From the viewpoint of a sane and true Socialism, it is the most efficient weapon for winning a more exalted happiness for the majority of the people. To insure success in the foregoing points, and to restrict and obviate all danger of mischief to culture, it is necessary (a) to reproduce upon the screen the events of life in a lifelike manner; (b) to abide, proportionately, by the fundamental decencies of life. Moreover, if the Film is to become an educator of public opinion, the following additional points must be carefully borne in mind: (1) All lies must be ruled out. (2) Beauty must be imparted to the people; and this by the display of the marvels of of natural scenery, and by films demonstrating the growth of plants in every detail. (3) The manners of life prevailing in other nations should be shown. (4) Health films. (5) Films picturing famous men, and the pioneers of Truth. (6) Sport films (athletic demonstrations). (7) Scientific films, explaining all the factors of National Economy. (8) Scientific films, proving and setting forth theories, and so forth. Up to the present, the Film has wrought great harm to the nation; yet it is potentially a powerful factor in imparting education. This question needs to be seriously investigated; but I must for the present confine myself to the points indicated above. We have now traced the connection that exists between National Economy and Culture ; and, as the result of our investigations, we may set down the postulates following: (1) National Economy must be the support of the entire nation, to the end that Culture may be developed. (2) But this Culture must be genuine and authentic ; it must avoid all tension and aim at equipose; and by the fact of stripping away all base and degrading influences, it will react upon the National Economy and render it prosperous. That is the ideal. Let us now consider how far the Film subserves this purpose. And first we must clearly determine what constitutes economic success in general. Now, if the employes of a firm squandered the savings of the owner in rioting and alcohol, this is not economic success, but a crime. But if these employes were to use the money to give their children a better education, or to build houses, then it might be considered that a measure of economic success had been attained. It is from this standpoint that we desire to examine the economic advantage of the Film. The increase of national wealth, through export duties, state and local taxes, and the employment of workers, is manifestly an economic advantage. On the other hand, the fact that the Film subverts the moral life of the community, leads logically to the conclusion that the 4-5 milliard marks pocketed by the proprietors of the Picture-Houses are in the wrong pockets — especially when one considers that the bulk of the money is contributed by the working-classes. This can be statistically proved by the figures of the seatingcapacities of the theaters, the takings, and the number of inhabitants of the different towns. What could be done with the money? (1) A theater of medium size requires for a year the sum of 3-400,000 marks: that is to say, with this money about 16,000 theaters could be kept up. (2) How many institutes of education could be built, if one takes into consideration that the public library in Berlin needed (in 1909) about 250,000 marks to keep it, going? This means that 20,000 public libraries could be provided for with this money. And would not this money suffice to support universities and high schools in their financial distress How many public institutions might be built in more than one city, on the lives of the exemplary institute of Popular Instruction founded by Professor Harms in Kiel : how many children of the working-classes might be given a free education ? But there is yet another side light to be thrown upon the cultural aspect of the Film. As we have established, the Kinema to a very large extent impresses upon the public a totally false impression of the world at large; it robs the masses of a sound criterion of life, and helps to increase the tension between the classes. But the aim of true Culture is to unite. From a cultural point-of-view, the Film undoubtedly works havoc in the public mind: for instance, it creates bad desires, and fosters bad habits. How far this havoc has already gone can hardly be expressed : it is impossible to estimate it in numbers. No doubt the national wealth has been increased by the Film. But no doubt, also, these material riches are — and will be — nullified by the concomitant decrease of culture. And, nothwithstanding the apparent pecuniary advantage derived from the Kinema, it may yet turn out to be a positive disadvantage to economic conditions. These are the facts. We cannot retrace our steps. As we have pointed out, the power of the Film is tremendous : the Kinema is packed with several million spectators day by day. Steps must be taken to fight the evil tendencies of the Film, and to encourage and develop the tendencies that are good. All who recognize tnc truth, and who are cognizant of their strength, must straightway do battle for the sake of that truth — else they will sin alike against the laws of their interior being, all the laws which govern the world. The Child and the Cinema (From a lecture delivered in London, at Stoll's Picture Theater on April 15 by Dr. C. W. Kimmins, M. A., of the Cinema Commission of Great Britain.) We (the Commission) had before us a very large number of witnesses, some good and some very bad, but whenever any very serious witness came before us and made a complaint of any particular film, we always put that down as a film to be seen. We spent quite a lot of our time during the commission in seeing what were reported to be improper films. We found that some witnesses had been very neurotic and their criticisms were of no value. In other cases there was a certain foundation. The call of the cinema to the child is an extraordinary thing. If you go into the cinemas in the East End of London and see the crowds of poor children having a delightful evening, thoroughly enjoying everything they see, you would appreciate their value to the full. There is often a connection between a film and a fairy story which is so attractive. That undoubtedly is one reason of its very great appeal. During the Commission, I thought it would be interesting to find out something about the favourite films of children, so, as I was Chief Inspector of Schools then, I sent round to a certain number of schools in the very poor districts, and other in well-to-do districts, and obtained answers to this question: "Give an account of the film which you have seen which you liked best." They went over the films they had seen and sent me in, I believe, a fairly faithful record of the tavourite film. I analysed some 6,000 films in that way, and this was the result : The Children's Voice Domestic and fairy story films 25% Adventure films 15% Comic films 15% War films (this was during the war) 11% 41