Home Movies (1954)

motion pictures in MOROCCO By LEON VICKMAN line. The importance of these causes varies with localities, that is, what may be of prime importance in one city may be of lesser danger in another. To find prime causes in your locality, it is necessary to check local police records. The officers keep a current chart of statistics, compiled from local accidents. The chart will pinpoint prevalent conditions and causes. These could be anything from too much speed to too much alcohol. In Los Angeles recently, for example, officers noted an increase in front-to-rear auto colilsions after the completion of a new freeway. To the officers this meant traffic was moving too fast for safe braking. It was decided to prepare a film to illustrate proper stopping distances and the need for recognizance of the fact. All safety films begin with just such a premise. The Los Angeles unit averages 15 to 20 films a year. These cost about $10 a foot and average 15 minutes in length. They cover a variety of subjects from "Your Day in Court" to "Safe Stops — Your Life'. Also included in their yearly production are many one and two minute t.v. shorts designed to alert motorists to seasonal dangers such as holiday driving, weather conditions and to inform them of vehicle code changes. But, let's follow their production of "Safe Stops — Your Life". Research was the first order of business. Facts had to be gathered to answer such questions as: "What causes the accidents?", "What is the reason?" "What is the solution?" "How can we present the solution?" A careful study of a full year's accident reports showed officers the most front-to-rear collisions occurred during the hours of 7 to 9 a.m. and 4 to 6:30 p.m. Those were highly congested hours, but even more dangerous than congestion, was the notation of "driver in a hurry" on many reports. Drivers, late for work, were eager to arriev on time. Drivers, finished with their day's work, were eager to get home. Haste of this type, induced a state of mind which wiped away caution. The driver, late starting for work, felt he could take a few extra chances. He'd drive just a little faster and follow just a little closer. The facts pointed to haste as the reason, but how to present the solution? It was decided to present it in a three-fold way. First the film would point out the folly of the typical driver, then it would present the right way, then it would present the reasons. A script was built around two drivers: Mr. Hasty and Mr. Safe. Both • See "LIFE" on Page 124 Morocco is situated in the northwest corner of Africa just south of Spain, and along with Algeria and Tunisia composes what is usually referred to as North Africa. A strip on the Mediterranean and at the south above Senegal is Spanish Morocco, but the great part has been a French protectorate since Marshal Lyautey took the country in the years preceding the first world war. The great part of the population consists of the Arabs of Morocco, and the remainder is composed of Frenchmen and Israelites. It is a country similar in climate and terrain to Southern and Central California, and is very rich in many food products and mineral deposits. Its largest city is Casablanca, a port which serves the Atlantic and is located one stop before the Mediterranean. Many Americans vacation in the winter and spring in such well known tourist centers as Mogador, Marrakech, and Fes. Also the American firm of the Atlas Constructors has many Americans employed in Morocco to build air fields for the U. S. Army. CONTRARY to what some people may think, movies, both amateur and professional are produced and distributed in Morocco. Due to the Hollywood-like weather which continues all the year around, shooting conditions are always excellent. Even late December is characteristically bright with sunshine. On the professional 35mm level many films have been shot in Morocco, such as films on the Foreign Legion, including a Hollywood feature starring Burt Lancaster which was shot on location in the south at Taroudant this November, 1953. Orson Wells shot many of the exteriors for his film, Othello on the Arab ramparts facing the sea at the picturesque town of Mogador, in the south on the Atlantic. There is however, only one production unit which continually shoots in, and is native to Morocco. It is the Societe Nouvelle de Productions, Studios du Souissi, whose director is Monsieur S. Debecque, and which is located in the very modern and progressive city of Rabat, one hour north of Casablanca on the Atlantic. Rabat is the capital of Morocco, the residence of the Arab Sultan, the seat of the Shereefian government, and the General Residency of France. Like the other towns of Morocco, Rabat comprises a Medina, a Mella, enclosed in their ramparts, and a modern town constructed by the French where one finds broad avenues and the The Studios de Soussi have produced many documentaries on 35mm in both black and white and color. Some of the films are sponsored by the Moroccan government and serve as progress reports on the growth of the country, while others show the many points of interest in the Arab culture which dates back many centuries. One of the their documentaries on the Dances of the Berbers, a mountain tribe, wone special recognition at a recent English film festival. Also the studios operate complete laboratory and studio facilities at Rabat for black and white 35mm work. This is the only laboratory in North Africa. Color work can be developed and returned by Paris in from 8 to 15 days. Since there is no quota whatsoever on the entry of foreign films in Morocco, as there is in most European countries, an open market for the showing of American films exists in all the movie theaters, especially in the city of one and one-half million, Casablanca. Almost complete freedom to world trade has brought to Morocco a great deal of American equipment such as automobiles and milk bars. The excellent rate of exchange for the dollar makes living in Morocco inexpensive for an American. In the modern quarter of each city one has the impression of being in an American rather than an African town. Nevertheless, the Arab quarters offer both professional and amateur movie makers an incomparable amount of local color. In less than two weeks the visiting filmer could cover the important towns such as Tangiers, Rabat, Casablanca, Mogador, Marrakech, and Fes, and bring back invaluable footage showing the startling contrast between the old world of Moslem culture and the admirable progress made by the French. Many a time the tourist sees an ancient minaret of an Arab mosque competing for the skyline with a giant skyscraper. Interest in 'art' films and avantgarde items is signalled by the cinema societies operating in the larger cities in the French quarters. Most films in the movie theaters are French speaking and are distributed by firms whose offices are in Algiers or Paris. It should be noted that all affairs connected with the cinema in Morocco is handled independently of the French government, by the Centre Cinematographic Moracain, 85 Rue Henri Popp, Rabat Morocco. The director is Monsieur Menjaud, and any technical questions on the 35mm cinema in Morocco should be addressed to him. 115