Documentary News Letter (1942-1943)

DOCUMENTARY NEWS LETTER APRIL 1942 FILM SOCIETY NEWS The Film Societ> of Ayrshire reports that the outlook at the beginning of the season was anything but favourable as the theatre in Prestwick no longer available. Since there was not another suitable theatre in the town, the Council decided to tackle the problem of the eighth season by trying for a theatre in Ayr, four miles distant. The management of the Ritz Cinema, Ayr, appreciated the application for the use of the theatre and the local magistrates gave their approval of our performances. From the beginning the Society has been an unqualified success in Ayr. In Kilmarnock, too, where the same programme is shown in the afternoon, the attendances have been regular, with the result that the Society is approaching the end of its most successful season, having upward of 1,400 members between the two theatres. Perhaps the most gratifying feature to the Council is that well over :.()()() members of the Allied Forces have already availed themselves of Guest Membership. The season opened with Charles Boyer in Le Bonheur, on the same programme was La Joie de Vivre, which was well received. Among other films shown during the season were Down Went McGinty. The Life of Emile Zola. Hoppin and Gross' Fox Hum, Les Disparus de St. Agil, The Last Night, Kellino's / Met a Murderer, the Swedish short Early One Morning, the Russian documentary Conquerors of the North, Cornet de Bal, Gulliver's Travels. Les Rois du Sport and Shors. The season will conclude with two special programmes, the first on Hollywood and the last meeting on the subject of Crackers. The feature will be the Marx Brothers* Night at the Opera. The Edinburgh Film Guild ended a remarkably I successful season with a special Russian programme with Shors as the feature, supported by I shorts, including Russian Salad. The M.O.I, five[; minuter Land Girl and Massingham's And So to Work were also shown. Claudine was shown on I February 22nd with some interesting shorts, and I on March 11th there was a performance of ] prize-winning amateur films. Membership has | increased steadily since the outbreak of war and the pre-war total has almost been reached. The annual meeting will be held in June. The Manchester and District Film Institute Society and Manchester and Salford Film Society report that in association with the British Council, the Societies presented Film and Reality at the Rivoli Cinema on March 22nd. Machines iMen and Guests of Honour were also shown. Professor R. A. C. Oliver, Head of the Manchester University Department of Education, I welcomed Mr. Alberto Cavalcanti as the guest speaker. During the discussion, which lasted an hour, the Secretary' raised the question of content and political and social values in cinema, and recalled Cavalcanti's earlier criticism in world film NEWS of the Life of Emile Zola on these grounds while admitting the film's considerable qualities of realism. In reply. Cavalcanti stressed that in making Film and Reality, it had been found convenient to limit the theme more to changes in technique in the realist film. Another member sought an explanation for the lack of realism in the sound track (faked newsreel sound, etc.), and some of the technical diffi culties of achie\ ing the same degree of realism as in the visuals at the present stage of sound recording were indicated. This report from the Manchester Guardian summarises the remaining part of the discussion: "Answering questions afterwards. Mr. Cavalcanti forecast much greater demand for realist films in the commercial cinema after the war. lie criticised the Ministry of Information for making what lie called a false distinction between theatrical and non-theatrical films, and for trying to combine the propagandist appeal of a short recruiting film with the qualities of documentary realism." The Pontypool Educational Settlement Film Society reports : Although the Settlement opened for its present session last autumn, it was not until January of this year that we were able to start the season's series of film shows. So far we have shown the following films: The End of St. Peter.shnrgh. The Man II ho Knew Too Much, The Turn of the Tide and Rembrandt. For our future programmes we have booked : Spanish Earth, And So to Work, Kameradschaft, Potemkin, Song of Ceylon and The Plow that Broke the Plains. The Dundee and St. Andrews Film Society presented the French film Seranade, directed by Jean Boyer, on Sunday. February 22nd. Two shorts, Transfer of Power and Airscrew were also shown. Scottish Churches Film Guild (Glasgow Branch) showed Try What Love Will Do at their March meeting. It was considered quite suitable for religious teaching though the opinion was that it was insufficient just to shake hands after the workman had been dismissed and remained unemployed without any compensation being given. The Belfast Film Institute Society reports :— With the showing of La Femme du Boulanger already reported in D.N.L., the season of seven shows originally planned came to an end. But as interest in the Society's work seemed to be well maintained it has been decided to arrange one further show for May 9th. For this the feature film booked is Shors, which would provide interesting comparison with Chapayev, which was shown in autumn. It is hoped that we shall be able to secure some representative recent Soviet shorts to complete the programme. Publication of the Society's monthly Film Review is being continued until June and the season will end with the Annual General Meeting in late May. At this meeting it has been our custom to show some sub-standard film of historic interest but so far no definite arrangements have been made for this year's meeting (but it would be unfortunate if the practice had to be broken), for although the Society have screened many films there has been nothing in the way of discussion and lecture meetings in this past winter. The Workers' Film Association Ltd. is not allowing the war to interfere with its work of popularising the film as a medium of education and propaganda. Proposals are under consideration for the production of a film on the Cavalcade of Labour. This film will show how the workers through struggle and comradeship have attained a position of partnership in the State at the most critical period of our history. A Film Summer School is being arranged at Holywell Manor. St. Hugh's College. Oxford, during the period 18th to 24th July. The speakers so far secured are Mr. George Ridley, MP.. Mi George Pearson "Feature Films and Social Problems", Mr. Oliver Bell. "How the Film has become one of our most important ambassadors"; Mr. Pat Mannock. film critic of the Daif Herald. "The films I review": Mr. Ritchie < alder, "How the film can be used for scientific education": Mr. Anthony Asquith, "I turn III m Critic"; Mr. Ivor Montagu. "Soviei Films", and finally Joseph Reeves. "Recent successes of the Workers' Film Association." Films will be screened during the week on democracy, Soviet Union, etc. v. accommodation will be limited, application should be made to Mr. J. Reeves. Workers' Film Association Ltd., Transport House. Smith Square, S.W.I, as soon as possible SCIENTIFIC FILM SOCIETIES With the meeting on March 18th. the Glasgow Society completed its ordinary meetings for the present season. Two extra meetings have still to beheld, the first of these taking the form of a joint matinee with the Glasgow Branch of the Scottish Educational Film Association, in the Cosmo Cinema. The programme will consist of films suitable for the higher forms of secondary schools, and should do much to arouse t heinterest of these students in the activities of the Society. The second extra meeting, to be held in May, will consist of a lecture, with illustrations, on "Orthochromatics", and will be a joint meeting with the Photographical Society of the Royal Technical College. During the past season, the members have seen at the six ordinary meetings of the Society, a total of 49 films, of which nine were semiscientific documentary, five were cartoons, and the remaining 35 scientific films were divided into groups as follows: — Natural History ... 4 Zoology .... 6 Embryology ... 1 Botany .... 4 Hygiene and Public Health . 3 Chemistry .... 3 Engineering ... 4 Physics .... 4 Astronomy ... 2 Industrial Chemistry and Metallurgy ... 4 The Society has not, as yet, built a programme round a single subject as the members seem to prefer one constructed on the basis of one film in each of the following classes: Zoological. Natural History, Botanical, Engineering, and Chemical or Physical. With regard to the zoological films, the policy has been to start with the lower forms of life and proceed through a complete series. An innovation this season was the inclusion of a "March of Time" film in each programme and this was so successful that it will be continued until the supply is exhausted.