The Cine Technician (1939)

154 THE CINE-TECHNICIAN Oct. -Nov., ic,: Recent Publications The Seven Soviet Arts, by Kurt London. Faber and Faber, 15 -. This book is the result of a trip to the Soviet Union, financed partly by the royalties from the Russian editions of the present author's previous work on Film Music (you can't take your rubles out of the country) and partly by the fees from a lecture tour in the Soviet Union inspired by that previous work. We don't think the present volume will lead to another such lecture tour — not in the Soviet Union, at any rate. Not that The Seven Soviet Arts has no merit. It is a mine of information on the present state of the arts in that country, all eight or nine of them. And it covers allied crafts like the gramophone as well. One can therefore say that in the main this is an accurate account of the state of the arts and crafts in the Soviet Union this time last year. But the opinions embedded amongst the information are of little more value than would be those of a benevolent cannibal who has just visited a neighbouring tribe that is emerging from the state of cannibalism. Nothing is so succulent to the cannibal (conservative creature !) as the flesh of his own kind. And nothing is more difficult for the conscientious ex-cannibal than to live through the period of time required to eradicate the cannibalistic leanings of his kith and kin, particularly the more materialistic of them. Think of the experiments in catching and killing and cooking other kinds of flesh, the danger involved, the overthrowing of age-old traditions, the search for new methods with which to replace them. It is certainly much more comfortable to remain a cannibal, and that is what our author feels in his heart of hearts. But he does not help his case by deductions like the following: "... Kavalleridze, who is also one of the more prominent film directors, ... is working on the film-version of Lissenko's opera Natalka Poltavka. Just as Dovshenko was a painter before he took up film-direction, Kavalleridze was a sculptor, and this will, let us hope, enable him to avoid making just one more of the usual filmoperas which we have heard ad nauseam in the West. . . ." All the dots in the above quotation are ours, except the last four. Evidently Mr. London believes so little in the film as a separate form of self-expression (in that, he resembles so many of our aunts and uncles) that he finds it beneficial for artists to play general post with it. We have only to refer the reader to the report of the A.C.T. Delegation to the Soviet Union, published in the last issue of The Cine -Technician, to discover exactly the kind of work of sculpture the film Natalka Poltavka has turned out to be. T. B. Continuity Girl, by Martha Robinson. Robert Hale, 7 (•> net. The reminiscences of a Continuity Girl — unless, of course, they are of a scurrilous nature — must necessarily he more interesting to the public at large than to the people who know all about it anyhow. Continuity Girl has no plot. Martha Robinson just relates her experiences on a number oi productions, pausing now and then to explain technical points which would not be clear to the lay reader. The style is unpretentious, and, although writing in the first person, the author does not force her personality upon one, nor leave one with the impression that the Script Girl is the one Great Big Noise in film production. Except for an assurance, in her preface, to the effect that conditions have improved somewhat amongst the bigger companies, Martha Robinson does not comment at all upon the discomforts and long hours that film work entails. She describes it all, but leaves the readei to draw his own conclusions. And it is to be feared that the uninformed will draw the wrong conclusions — to wit, that these things are necessary evils in the production of pictures. Martha Robinson might have gone into the root cause of these long hours, and examined to what extent mismanagement and stupidity were responsible for them, but then, perhaps it is too much to expect very outspoken criticism of the industry from one who still earns her living by it. Vega d'Auvergxe. Eleven Trade Unionists Visit Russia. Congress of P and Friendship with the U.S.S.R. 2d. This pamphlet is the report of the recent trade union delegation to the U.S.S.R., which included two representatives of A.C.T. whose report on the Film Industry was published in our last issue. The paragraphs on the film industry are an outline of the fuller report in The Cine-Technician. The rest of the pamphlet deals mainly with the observations of the other delegates, which, whilst interesting generally, suffer from the lack of detail which must evolve from any attempt to deal with a large subject in a restricted form. How To Write A Movie, by Arthur L. Gale. Pitman, 7/6 net. Published as a guide to the amateur, the producer of scientific and educational films, and the writer who is interested in the possibilities of selling film stories. The author is editor of "Movie Makers," an American publication. John : Film Star, by Evelyn Eaton. Nelson, 5 net. A novel for boys. The story is told in and around a French film studio. Well illustrated. Cinema Survey, by Robert Herring, Bryher and Dallas Bower. Brendin Press, 1 -. Interesting discussion of various aspects of film from three viewpoints — film critic, cineaste and professional. R.P. S. Appeal The Roval Photographic Society i appealing for 100,000 shillings. The lease of their present premises expires in March, 1939, and this sum is needed to secure adequate premises commensurate with the development ami present needs of the Society. Two ways are suggested to help obtain the necessary funds : — (lj Bv joining the Society, and (2) By subscribing to the 100,000 Shilling Fund. The work of the R.P.S. i^ well-known to cine-technicians, and it is hoped that as many as possible will respond to the appeal.