Canadian Film Weekly (May 6, 1942)

Page 6 Canadian FILM WEEKLY The National Film Board May 6th, uae TT Roly Young, Screen Columnist of the Toronto Globe and Mail, Describes Its Operation In This Third Interesting Article About the NFB The two previous columns on the work of the National Film Board at Ottawa have dealt almost entirely with its work in the 16 mm. field. The average moviegoer is already familiar with their other main line, the “Canada Carrines On” series, which are shown monthly at the theatres. These, however, represent only two outstanding angles of the board’s work, but are far from being representative of its work as a whole. The Film Board, for example, makes many films which are never Academy Opens Shorts Shows Pete Smith, chairman of the Academy’s short subject branch, announces the Academy will sponsor monthly press previews of outstanding important short subjects in an effort to impress press and public with importance of shorts. Each distributing company will be represented at each showing. The idea has been under Academy discussion for several months. Gauthier Called Another member of Associated Screen News staff has been called to the colors. G. R. Gauthier has been called for active service as a lieutenant in French-Canadian Le Regiment de Chateauguay. Gauthier has been a member of the 16mm _ division equipment sales staff. His friends presented him with a military wrist watch and gold identification bracelet, the presentation being made on behalf of the staff by Lt.-Col. T. S. Morrisey and B. E. Norrish. “New Super GARDINER Projector’ With Barrel rear shutter Has no equal for fine projection and long life. As low as $9.00 weekly. GET OUR PRICES AND YOU WILL SURELY BUY FROM US “YOU CAN GUESS THE REASON” dae —E 207 OR MORE lind ati MONEY ak e713 ates US... DOMINION THEATRE EQUIPMENP CO 897 OCAVIE ST VANCOUVER EC Last week Time Magazine, in an article called ‘Celluloid Front,” wrote: “Just over the border the Canadian National Film Board, with no Hollywood to call on, is shooting more than 100 pictures a year. Its full-time executive head, voluble John Grierson, who prepared England’s slick government film setup, was busy visual izing the war for Canadian citizens with a series of brilliant documentary preconceived pattern.” pictures that fitted a carefully These articles by Roly Young have been reprinted with the permission of the Toronto Globe and Mail. seen by the public. Films in this class include training pictures for the instruction of our armed forces. These are filmed under military supervision, are as carefully made as any commercial motion picture, and are accompanied by an explanatory lecture. Such commercial extras as background music are dispensed with in the interests of economy and clarity of the instruction. I saw one of these, a two-reel subject on the special winter training course at Petawawa. Some parts of this were used in the recent ‘‘Commandos”’ film, but most of it is reserved for this instructional film. As a matter of fact, this military film is intensely interesting to any one who likes woodcraft, as it covers every detail of making a five-day trip into the winter woods in sub-zero temperatures. There is a sequence devoted to the best type of clothing, and to changing it or lightening it on the trail, and there’s another long and interesting bit showing ideal rations for such a trip and their preparation and packing. The entire film is packed with practical tips, and might be likened to an adult version of Ernest Thompson Seton’s “Two Little Savages.” When the war becomes a thing of the past I can see the Scoutmasters descending in a body in an effort to obtain the film to show to their troops. Other films in this series deal with handling various types of arms, from the regular rifle to the huge siege gun. The intricate details of equipment for the mechanized forces are also graphically and simply explained by means of motion pictures. This line of military films is like another layer in the stnata of the Film Board’s activities, for when you look at its work as a whole you find it is like a crosssection of a cliff in which you can see a number of layers of varying thickness and prominence. Quite distinct in itself, for instance, is a series of experiments in animation being conducted by Norman McLaren. McLaren’s technique is entirely new, and yet there is a basic resemblance to some of Disney’s work in ‘Fantasia.’”” In one of his films which I saw, McLaren has tried to put across a sales talk for War Savings Certificates. It is called ‘2 plus 2 equals 5,” and is an abstract type of animation. The interesting part of it is that McLaren works directly on his film. A piece of music is recorded on the sound track, a background filmed in Multiplane Technicolor, and then McLaren goes to work, painting his animations in contrasting colors, frame by frame, working out his theme as an interpretation of the music. It involves a terrific amount of painstaking labor, but the development of this new techmique is a distinct Canadian contribution to movie work. Looking to the future, in still another stratum of the board’s work, we find it building up a library that will become a tremendous storehouse of our ways and manners. Sound crews, for instance, have made recordings of more than 200 Gaelic folk songs. Commissioner John Grierson is tremendously enthusiastic about this venture, because he has found out here in Canada many historic old folk songs that have long since disappeared back in their native land. The library includes, or will shortly include, recordings of folk songs from the many different language groups to be found in Canada. In Scottish Nova Scotia, for instance, he has located songs brought here generations ago by migrating Scots, and long ago forgotten back in Scotland. Mr. Grierson has a boundless enthusiasm for Canada, and in his own particular line sees this Dominion achieving world leadership in the field of documentary films, and, as a comparatively young country, we have an inexhaustible source of material and inspiration. His almost rabid Canadianism has apparently spread throughout his organization, because everyone with whom I came in contact radiated that same enthusiasm for his work and for the cause it represented. So from this hotbed of Canadianism, the National Film Board, we find there issues a multitude of different streams of effort, all concerned with furthering our pride, bringing us together in greater understanding, and presenting us advantageously to the world. That’s a real job, and possibly explains why even the white mice in the other half of that old warehouse on the Ottawa River, turn up their noses with disdainful pride. Merchant Marine Drama on Way “Heroes Without Uniforms,” the story of the men of the merchant marine in World War II, will be an epic film to be produced by Warner Brothers as one of the company’s new pictures. Edward G. Robinson, George Raft, Humphrey Bogart and Sydney Greenstreet are slated to head the cast of the picture, based on an original story by Guy Gilpatric. Anti-Nazi Feature “Oh, Bury Me Not,” a new, unproduced play by Patricia Coleman, and “Fire in the Night,” a new novel of Nazi-occupied Eurrope, by Helen MacInnes, have been bought by Metro-GoldwynMayer. Miss MacInnes is author of last year’s novel, “Above SusPpicion.” Now AS FOR THE PAST 30 YEARS For Satisfaction In Theatre Equipment PERIGINS COMPANY LIMITED 277 VICTORIA STREET 2027 BLEURY STREET TORONTO MONTREAL & y