The Cine Technician (1938-1939)

May-June. 1938 THE CINETECHNICIAN 19 £10,000,000 FOR £18 THE FILM SOCIETY'S CENTENARY Dear George, It was nice to hear from you. I'm glad you enjoyed the Film Society lunch at the Cafe Eoyal on Feb. 'Ahh. I gather it was a good lunch. I envied you eating my portion, as 1 sat in my Spanish hotel, gnawing a cut off the best end of a mule, and cracking thirteen (count 'em) Barcelona nuts. I thought of you sitting in the New Gallery afterwards with your stomach all aglow, while the veteran copy of Caligari tottered through the projectors in celebration of the 100th performance. Did you know that the Society first showed that picture in its sixth programme on March 14th, 1926? And that it was made on tick by penniless German technicians in the days of the great depression aiter the Great War? That all the stock sets available were so decrepit that it proved cheaper to re-paint these canvas flats and substitute DESIGN for UNCONTEOLLED NATURALISM? That out ot this burst of energy of brain and brawn a him revival arose that brought wealth and fame to the German cinema from all over the world? Is it possible that our present slump could throw up a cheap Him that would startle the world? Why not? As long as the slump does not disgorge a gobbet of fascism, we might as well look for a bright side in these days that '"couldn't be worse." Have you looked at that brochure Film Society History? Around 600 films are listed there. Have you ever thought of the thousands of films seen and considered from which those few hundred were finally selected? The telephone calls, telegrams, letters, contracts, translations, journeys, projection, editing, titling, rehearsing involved? All right. Avert your mind, if you will. The Film Society is at your service. Many of these few hundred would never have had a showing here but for the Society's interest in them. "Madchen in Uniform" for one. Some of them have never been shown in these islands again. For instance, "Die Dreigroschenoper, " Pabst's film version of Brecht's play with the bitter, nostalgic music of Kurt Weill. Some have. But of these very fewhave been seen again in their original state. Take "Ekstase." Here was a film from Prague that was immensely impressive in its original form in spite of a pedestrian musical score. But I doubt whether am audience in the world other than the members of the Film Society saw that film as its producers intended it to be shown. Censors nibbled at it in every country. The version no . running in London (five years late) has had some three minutes removed by the English censor, but far more had already been cut by censors in other countries. The result is a slow, sex-conscious effort, with all the emphasis on the ADULTS ONLY ticket. The several hundred feet which have been cut were the making of the film, leaving it fresh, healthy and unrepressed. If anyone believes that the present warped, repressed, castrated version bears any relationship to the verylovely film of five years ago. let him chase the idea right out of his mind. Among other importations shown by the Society and subsequently twisted and markedly thrown out of balance by censorship were "Karamazov," the French "Crime and Punishment," Guitry's "Roman d'un Tricheur," and many of the Soviet masterpieces, the most recent being "We from Kronstadt." "Karamazov" was so mutilated that Goldwyn took his Hollywood version off the floor when he was warned by cable ot the English censors' attitude to the story. Questions have been asked in the House of Commons regarding the enthusiasm evoked by some of the Society's presentations. Members of Parliament were alarmed to learn that English men and women could stand on their seats and cheer black and white images on a flat screen. The manager of the Phoenix 'theatre received an anonymous postcard warning him that should "The Blue Express" be shown by the' Society in his theatre, the premises would be bombed. The Express ran on schedule, but the bomb did not keep its promise to appear. The most startling (and sobering) of Film Society presentations — again unique — was the "Record of War" in the 98th programme. The Abyssinian War, seen from either side alternately, was too much for the audience. After two hours of relentless demonstration, they left the theatre, shocked and shamed into uneasy silence. The winning side have decreed that this presentation must not occur again. What more would you know of the 100 programmes? Here among players Bergner, Garbo. Sten, Krauss, Veidt. Fernandel, the Soviet players, countless stars of all nationalities have made their bow on the British screen. The work of a host of directors has been introduced for the first time — Leni. Berger, Pick, Wiene, Clair, Cavalcanti, Grierson, Sjostrom, Renoir, Ruttmann, Eisenstein, Pudovkin, and the rest; the fantasies of Melies, Reiniger, Fischinger. Bartosch. Moholy-Nagy , Cocteau ; Jewish. Russian, Japanese. Chinese. Mongolian, Polish. Indian, Turkish, Italian, every nation that possesses a movie camera has contributed to these shows. The capital investment hi these productions must have exceeded £10,000,000. Ten million pounds worth of celluloid not otherwise available, privately paraded over thirteen years for a membership charge of £18. (100 x 3 fid.) It's a gift. ( reorge. Yours in consternation. THOEOLD DICKINSON Barcelona, March z/\th # # * GROWTH OF DEMAND FOR RELIGIOUS FILMS During the season ended March 31st. 1937, 1.800 demonstration religious film programmes were given in churches. In addition to the film programmes, 102 other exhibitions and demonstrations were arranged by the Religious Film Society . During the year 1937, there were over 1.400 bookings of films from the Society's religious film library, and many more bookings have come through the Society and have been passed on to other film libraries. About the middle of 1987 a contract was entered into lor the supph of 200 sound projectors to Churches, Sunday Schools, and other religious bodies. This arrangement w as made with Gaumont-British Equipments, and as part of the scheme Gaumont-British Instructional undertook to make six new religious films in collaboration with the Society.