Documentary News Letter (1942-1943)

DOCUMENTARY NEWS LETTER MARCH 1942 MINISTRY OF INFORMATION FILMS By VICTOR SELIGMAN Hereunder we publish an interesting and controversial point of view from the exhibitor's side AS A renter of documentary shorts, for some considerable time prior to the outbreak of the r, I have been in a position to study the exhibitor's reaction to this type of short film and although I now handle features as well as shorts, I have never lost the interest I first felt for what is undoubtedly the most progressive branch of the film industry. My present territory is almost entirely devoted to single-feature programmes, which lend themselves admirably to the exploitation and exhibition of M.O.I, shorts, but owing to the initial bad handling of these subjects, the public has very little opportunity of judging them on their own merits. Before the M.O.I, took over the distribution of documentaries, the few that were available were frequently handicapped by shortage of funds, and the strong sales resistance of the average exhibitor who was unable to appreciate the entertainment value of these pioneer productions. Nevertheless some admirable pictures were turned out by a band of enthusiasts and eventually a market was created for them by interesting enterprising exhibitors in the new art of the documentary, who were gratified to find that the audience responded fa\ numbly when this type of short was included in the programme, even going so far as to congratulate the management on the change from the average commercial American short. In addition to documentaries independently produced there were the sponsored shorts, which with strong financial backing could be more lavishly produced, and were, as a rule, useful subjects for any programme. When the war started and the M.O.I, embodied film distribution in their programme, I, for one, felt the golden opportunity had at last arrived for documentary technicians and directors, and these films handled and sold with the M.O.I, backing, would be given the utmost Ministerial support, be widely shown, and eventually sought for and welcomed by the average film-goer, whose taste requires educating to appreciate what is actually the finer side of the film industry. It seems incredible that the Ministry could have so mishandled the whole question of documentaries, but from the time they were taken under the wing of the M.O.I, these pictures have fallen steadily into disrepute. First of all, the small company of the original makers of these films, who can be relied upon to turn out a worth-while subject, have been joined by many more technicians and directors, some of them quite incapable of making even an average picture. The exhibitor is requested, as a favour, to include one of the shorts in his programme, and frequently they are shown at any time when they will least interfere with the programme proper. The M.O.I. not only allow British quota on these films but supply them free of charge. Surely this very prosperous industry should not be allowed to show a 5-minute film which ranks as British quota, as their only contribution to the war effort. The quota value of M.O.I, films enables the Exhibitor to book a number of American shorts to make up his programme, and sometimes the length of these shorts leaves very little room for even a 5-minute M.O.I, film, with the result in some cinemas, where I have attended the per formance, the Ministry film is shown in the interval between houses whilst the audience is coming in for the performance, before the show begins, and whilst the lights are up. As a result of the cheaply and badly made M.O.I, films, even in those cinemas where the presentation is properly done, that section of the public who occupy the cheaper seats give vent to an audible groan when M.O.I, appears on the credit titles. No criticism as set out above should be entirely destructive, and I, therefore, make the following suggestions — 1 . The Exhibitor should pay a reasonable price to the Ministry for his M.O.I, films. This would ensure a proper place in the programme, as unfortunately nothing given free of charge is really appreciated. 2. A well-known North Country exhibitor speaking to me recently about the reaction of the public to a M.O.I, film, suggested that the best method of getting over the disrepute into which M.O.I, films had fallen, would be to show credit titles, giving names of director, cameramen, etc., without mention of the M.O.I, which could be reserved for the closing title. This is elementary psychology. 3. The films supplied should not count as quota war). 4. films should be issued once a fortnight instead of once a week, as in towns where the change of programme is invariably twice-weekly, and where every cinema in the town is showing the same M.O.I, short, the exhibitor keeps the film on his shelf for the latter half of the week. 5. In order to show appreciation to the exhibitor screening and paying for M.O.I, films, a plaque should be issued to him, something on the lines of the one supplied by Western Electric, and could read something like this, "This Cinema is rendering National Service by showing M.O.I, short films." 6. Only directors who are capable of turning out a satisfactory film should be allowed to handle M.O.I, productions. 1 feel sure that if these suggestions were given consideration and where possible, acted upon, the whole outlook towards M.O.I, films would be considerably altered, and the revenue accruing to the Ministry would help to put their films on a paying basis, and furthermore any message which the M.O.I, wish to get over to the public would stand more chance of impressing the audience seeing the film. SUMMONS TO ARTISTS Reprinted by permission of "Soviet War Neivs Weekly" "pravda" writes: — "It is not only factories, workshops and collective farms that are to-day helping the Red Army to smash the enemy. We know what a tremendous part is also played in our defence by the political education of the masses. Day by day our press, our literature, songs, music, theatres, paintings, posters and films are helping our people to organise their forces for the war. That is why we are justified in making high demands of all forms of Soviet art. "Co-ordinated action by all arms was of decisive significance in the battles for Moscow, Leningrad, Sevastopol, Rostov and hundreds of other towns and villages. Our strength resides in this co-ordinated activity by all sections of the Red Army. But art, too, is a weapon which must to-day be applied completely to the service of the Red Army. "Twenty-four years of Soviet power have shown the part played by artists in the most difficult periods of the life of our people. Not long ago the entire country followed with great emotion the filmed speech made by Stalin at the meeting of the Moscow Soviet on November 6th. and his speech at the Red Army parade on November 7th. Millions of people lived through an unforgettable experience. The impression left by the film was tremendous. Another documentary film is now coming to the screen — The Defeat of the German /'roups he/ore Moscow. This film shows with exceptional force the men and commanders of the Red Army and their unshakable confidence in the victory of our cause. "Let our playwrights, too, use all their genius so that our actors from the theatre stage may inspire the people with burning patriotic images, with sharp satire against the enemy, with songs and music. Our playwrights are indebted to the people. They have not done sufficient to enable our theatre, which possesses such glorious traditions, to march in step with the Red Army. "Many but far from all our poets have found words to present the image of these grim days to our people. Let them write as Mayakovsky dreamed, making the pen the bayonet's equal, so that their words may lire men's hearts as did the poems of Pushkin and Lermontov. "Let playwrights and composers, poets, writers and painters praise the heroic deeds of the Red Army and the entire Soviet people. Their creations in these days of war. in the service of the Red Army, will hasten v ictory over the enemy. Let them inspire the entire people and our Red Army to further relentless struggle, so that our warriors march to battle with songs of joy, courage and terror to the enemy. Every picture painted by the artist, every scene shot in a film, every newspaper column written by a novelist or poet must be a well-placed shot against the enemy."