Film and Radio Guide (Oct 1945-Jun 1946)

FILM AND RADIO GUIDE Ocl-ober, 1 945 Volume XII, No. 1 THE WORLD AND THE CLASSROOM The gap between the world and the classroom became measurably less with the announcement recently by Arthur M. Loew,* head of Loew’s International, that educational films will be included in the plans of a special division organized to distribute features and shorts in 16mm to every corner of the globe. The film-appreciation movement thus gains another accession of strength; for the news means that MGM, the largest of the eight major American film companies, has taken the lead in recognizing the possibilities of the 16mm film. Mr. Loew has profited from experiences gained in the distribution of films in 16mm to armies of the United Nations throughout the world. Mr. Loew states: “The war has given a tremendous impetus to the improvement of 16mm projectors, sound, and film, and today narrow-gauge film approaches 35mm quality when projected before audiences of less than 1,000.” The new Loew unit will employ mobile projector units to enable it to penetrate territory which motion pictures have not *One of the twin sons of the late Marcus Loew, founder of the worldwide Loew chain of theatres and cofounder of MGM. The other son is David L. Loew, independent producer, whose latest picture is “The Southerner,” directed by Jean Renoir, son of the famous French painter. BY WILLIAM LEWIN Arthur M. Loew touched. It will have a staff of specialists trained in 16mm operations. These experts, after special training in the U. S., will go overseas beginning about January 1. By that time, every MGM release will have its 16mm counterpart. This plan illustrates the basic distinction between theatrical and non-theatrical films recently pointed out by William F. Kruse of Bell & Howell Company : “In the case of the theatre, the audience must be drawn to the medium; while in the case of the 16mm film, the medium may be carried to the audience. Both are essential to our doing a complete job with films.” Although release of educational pictures in the U. S. is no part of the plan of Loew’s In ternational, which is MGM’s foreign department, it is considered likely that sooner or later the big film companies will release such pictures here. It is expected that films other than those of MGM will also be released to the classrooms of the world by this new division, and that all the regular classroom subjects for children and for adults will ultimately be included. Officials of the U. S. State Department and of other United Nations governments recognize now that education, like peace, is indivisible ; that the two are inseparable ; and that the motion picture is the most powerful means toward enlightenment, peace, culture, and prosperity. No one can doubt that the process will be long and arduous, with many pitfalls; but the relationship of the world and the classroom must be defined. The implications of that definition must be made clear. James Shelley Hamilton of the National Board of Review summarized the situation recently : “Everything points towards more and moie recognition of the usefulness of motion pictures, brought on by the experience of the war, and it does not take long these days for a useful thing to become a necessary thing. A branch of the movies sure to grow into an increasingly important industry is the one that will provide teaching films, not only for schools but for all sorts of fields of special training.” That another major Holly