Canadian Film Weekly (Jul 9, 1969)

we _—— PlectTUReEs BASSETT INTERESTS (Continued from Page 1) half of the budget being put up by his company with the other $150,000 coming from the Canadian Film Development Corporation. “It will be a small film,” he said, “mostly to get ourselves established and to show that we have the ability to make commercially-successful films. Our next two projects will be more ambitious. One is the Canadian story, The Donnellys Must Die, by Orlo Miller, which will start shooting in February. The other is Warriors for the Working Day, a war story by Peter Elstob which Gil Taylor and Bill Marshall found in Europe.” The script for Flick, a collaboration between Taylor and Toronto magazine writer David Cobb, calls for six leads but only one, Robin Ward, had been signed at this writing. Ward toured with this year’s edition of Spring Thaw and before that appeared in a Canadian-made (Meridian Productions) film, Explosion! (formerly called The Blast), which Julian Roffman produced and Jules Bricken directed in and around Vancouver for release by American International. Agincourt’s all-Canadian_tech “Hical crew includes Chris Slagter as director of photography with Jackson Samuels as his camera operator. Eric Wrate will edit and Paul Kimberley and Adrian Console will be assistant direcors. Sets are being designed by Robert Burns and Bert Bell, while Paul Hoffert and Skip Prokop are composing the score to be played by a Toronto group called The Lighthouse. Only the soundman remained to be signed and Taylor admitted having trouble finding somebody who could satisfactorily handle the predominantly outdoor recording which would be required. Crawley Staffers Given 11.6% Salary Increase Crawley Films of Ottawa has renewed its contract with NABET for two years, providing 55 employees with a 7.6 per cent pay raise retroactive to March 1 and another four per cent hike starting Mar. 1, 1970, in addition to normal annual raises. According to NABET, the Crawley contract represents the highest rates paid by any film lab or production company in Canada. In some cases, the rates were increased by as much as $15-20 a week. Top weekly wage scale is now $208. In addition to the wage increases, other benefits include a daily meal allowance of $10.50 and an increase in sick leave from 45 to 90 days. Page 4 Panorama voy vw ew x by Stan Helleur i THE FEW YEARS we covered the entertainment scene for The Telegram and Globe and Mail in Toronto, we made a point of being categorized as a reviewer rather than a critic, perhaps influenced by a substantial news agency background which ingrains objectivity and inhibits personal expression. Whatever the positive chemistry, we ™ felt that in evaluating films or anything else we felt ) our basic commitment was to inform the reader as to content and honestly balance personal opinion against } audience reaction and certain ingredients which might appeal to certain tastes, meanwhile trying to be as entertaining as possible. We’d observe the same credo today. We still believe that in addressing a mass circulation, with cross-sectional backgrounds and interests, a newspaper is guilty of disservice when it em_| ploys critics instead of reviewers, specialists who evaluate intellectually for the minority group among readers, writing with a critical appreciation which properly belongs in sophisticated journals of opinion * ** ** The question of reviewer vs. critic is discussed succinctly and entertainingly in the July issue of Esquire by Dwight Macdonald, former film critic for the magazine who reflects back on 40 years of assessing films professionally. At one point, he puts down Bosley Crowther, formerly of the New York Times, and comments: “Actually, Mr. C. was a reviewer, not a critic. The latter is interested in what he thinks of a work, the former in what his readers will think of it. A reviewer performs a humble but useful service, like a racetrack tout or a market analyst. And like them, he has a short memory as against the critics, or the economist’s, which extends over decades, periods, even centuries. The horses or plays or books or movies or stocks of the moment are his standard of com(Continued on Page 5) General Sound projection equipment makes the most of your image. — and maintains it with regular servicing. 24-hour emergency duty. Canada’s Theatre Supply House General Sound AND THEATRE EQUIPMENT LIMITED Branches Across Canada CANADIAN FILM-TV BI-WEEKLY ——— VARIETY CARNIVAL (Continued from Fage 1) members, but also at the door. Three grand prizes will be available—an ll-expenses trip for two to anywhere Air Canada flies (organized by the Harold Meyers Travel Agency), a brand new Ford. Maverick (courtesy Montreal’s CFCF-TV and CFTM-TV) and an Admiral color television set (courtesy Leder Electric, Toronto). In addition there’s be a host of supplementary lucky. draw and door prizes awarded throughout the evening. An outstanding entertainment program has been organized along Monte Carlo lines, with dancing to a top band and plenty to eat and drink.’ The Tri-Bell Club is west of Bathurst on Steeles and offers plenty of free parking space. NFB FILM (Continued from Page 1) understanding of man’s cultural variety, his accomplishments and his similarities. Multiple Man was _ produced originally by a French-language film crew, the first time NFB French production has made a multi-image film in 35 and 70mm with stereophonic sound. The principle creators were Georges Dufaux and Claude Godbout. The film titles are in seven languages so that in effect the film is universally intelligible and understood. This is the real objective of the film since jt is about the common humanity of all people. After the world premiere of the film at Man and His World, July 17, the Multiple Man was to be released for cinema showings. Bob Vollum Forms Own Company Bob Vollum, one of Toronto's best-known sound engineers, has formed his own company specializing not only in sound mixing but the p.r. field as applied particularly to the film industry. Vollum formerly was with Film House. mally ‘E) VOICE OF THE ENTERTAINMEmT INOUSTRY Incorporating the Canadian Moving Picture Digest (Founded 1915) Vol. 34, No. 12 July 9, 1969 STAN HELLEUR Editor and Publisher ee ee CANADIAN FILM-TV BI-WEEKLY 175 Bloor St. East, Toronto 5, Ontario Authorized as Second Class Mail by the Post Office Department, Ottawa, and for payment of postage in cash. Published by Film Publications of Canada, Limited, 175 Bloor St. East, Toronto 5, Ontario Canada » Phone 924-1757 Price $7.50 per year July 9, 1969