Business screen magazine (1939-1940)

3?aiL: a Ii^a®S^^lL ©HIFHS^iH •k We can take the text of our recent lesson in international affairs from the easy-going ways of the old saying, "live and learn" which must certainly be revised in the light of events to leant — and live. Not only do we need to learn about democratic institutions, we need to work at them. Faith, blind and unswerving in the wrong as in the right, has apparently won great battles for the forces of totalitarianism. It must be girded to win even greater battles for reaffirmation of our national unitv. For indifference and disagreement we must substitute a thorough knowledge of our affairs and a common belief in the essential truths regarding them. Propaganda for the Right These are theoretically goals to be achieved by a program of public education. There are important direct objectives, however, which need to be examined and pursued for their immediate benefits. These, together with the agencies available for achieving them are worthy of the attention of both government and business agencies. Of these agencies we are principally concerned with the efficiency and depth of film propaganda. The word "propaganda" has horrid implications to the "angleconscious" American mind. But it has as much meaning for the dissemination of truth as it has for the half-truths and distortions with which it is so often associated. We need a new term and very probably it is "public education." Thus we examine films for public education and those intended for specific problems dealing with personnel and defense training as we Film Programs .\broad From Germany comes the authoritative report of one observer who brought to Business Screen the facts concerning government films alloted a regular portion ot the screen programs in ever\ theatre in the land for the past several years. In Germany, too. visual education in the schools has reached the greatest perfection and that nation is far ahead of the rest of the world in the use of scientific and educational films. Government films are under the direct supervision of the Nazis and both photography and sound are of the finest quality. No expense is spared to produce films designed to inculcate national pride, as witness the thousands of feet exposed in the filming of the last Olympic Games and the frequent production of semi-official feature subjects for showing in Germany and abroad. The government's most recent "contribution" was the filming of the invasion of Poland and. later, of Norway. These graphic subjects have been shown in the Balkans and elsewhere and are said to have been effective in paralyzing Norwegian resistance in the early stages of that invasion. A good percentage of newsreel footage given to American concerns was taken by official German staff photographers. What Can We Learn? In England, as in Germany, the motion picture has been a most valuable addition to the government's information agencies. England's contributions were sociological and self-critical until the actual period of the war, however, and not until after the declaration were produc tions begun for strictly progaganda ])urposes. Of these, we saw The Lion Has Wings, an ambitious feature production based on Royal Air Force activities. Squadron 992, a film of the Balloon Barrage, was not shown here. France, meanwhile, had an imposing list of thirty propaganda films, all of which were |)roduced after the beginning of hostilities. These came too late. England and France afford simple lessons of great importance to all of us. We won't need war propaganda if we sell America to those who enjoy its blessings now. We won't have any use for anti-anything if we speak for a pro-.\merica and for all that America means today — now. Such films will be shown without government order in every theatre in the land and cheered by those who see them. They need not be produced by government propaganda agencies and then they will not fall into the classification of political propagandists which was the charge made of the recent United States F'ilm Service after its production of supposedly pro-New Deal pictures. They will take their inspiration from the greatness of industry and of industrial achievement. They will tell the youth of America that we were the first to conquer the air for free men and the strongest to oppose those who would use it solely for unprincipled conquest. The practical business of developing a strong national defense force and the training of thousands of new recruits will be considerably aided by the use of technical and training films. Every operation of modern mechanized equipment, every maneuver of modern aircraft and naval units can be picturized and drilled into the minds of those who must aid in this program far better than it can ever be accomplished short of the actual experience which comes only as a final stage in the training routine. \^'e must learn to accept these "tools" and to use them to their utmost. No traditions must stand in the way of the employment of such films industrially. The film has shown its possibilities as a mass • production training instrument. It is capable of driving home intricate mechanical details just as well as political idealogy and we are far better equipped with production facilities and distribution facilities to make the job succeed. These, then, are a few of the practical aspects of the situation. \^ hat method of organization can bring these into effect? \^"hat Are Specific Tasks? Business Screen advocates the formation of a non-political citizens group for the organization of a national film program. We do not advocate the dominance of such a group by industrialists but insist on their presence on it; neither do we exclude government officials, educators and representatives of both commercial and entertainment film industries. There is a real need for the employment of every weapon of public education that we have at our command. \^e have the greatest knowledge of the film medium in the world and the most sizeable industry. Let us use it now — not for the purpose of selling out our public sympathies for the production of "anti" propaganda but for tlie task of uniting .\merica.