Documentary News Letter (1942-1943)

!)()( I MENTAR^ NEWS LETTER \PRII. 1942 ARMY FILMS By R. S. MILES, L/CP1. I read with great interest the article by John Maddison in the March issue of D.N.L.. and would like to give some brief description of what I have done on similar lines. Before joining the Army I did some lectures for troops on behalf of the Regional Committee on Education for H.M. Forces. I nearly always insisted on using films and gave talks on "Raw Materials". "Oil", "The Blockade", illustrated by films whose titles are too well known for reiteration here. At one depot where 1 "filled in" for a lecturer on holiday with twenty minutes of rilm, half an hour's talk, and what seemed to be an endless discussion, the O.C. said that it was the first talk he had been able to understand. With a small unit I did twelve lectures on "Film Appreciation" during the course of which 1 showed Marcus Lycinius, The Great Train Robbery, a Chaplin selection. The White Hell of Pitz Palu, Potemkin (two reels), various educational and M.O.I, films, together with such documentaries as Night Mail and North Sea. They wanted the course to continue and their interest was evident by the fact that out of a unit of 60 I had voluntary attendances of 50— the others were mainly on picket. Recently 1 was interviewed by the Command Education Officer and this course of lectures was mentioned appreciatively. Since being called up 1 have been able to do some work with films. 1 organised twelve lectures on "The History and Social Significance of the Cinema" (horrid title). Attendances varied between two and fifty. I showed such films as The Great Train Robbery, Marcus Lycinius, Chaplin selections, selections from Potemkin, General Line, Metropolis, The Last Laugh, Caligari (in full). Song of Cevlon, Night Mail, The Londoners, Enough to Eat, The River, Transfer of Power. Distillation, Self-Defence by Plants, The Expansion oj Germany. The Pilot is Sate, Merchant Seamen. When the Pie was Opened, etc. I will not claim that the series was as successful as 1 had hoped, but out of it I was able to persuade the Education Officer to sponsor Sunday afternoon shows. Many of them have been rather opportunist in character, but we have shown The General Line, The Ghost that Never Returns, Owd Boh, Matio Grosso, Man oj Aran. The Man Who Knew Too Much, and we had proposed showing White Hell of Pitz Palu, Thunder over Mexico, and The Battleship Potemkin, but various unforeseen circumstances and the advent of summer have caused the abandoning for the time being of these, and by the coming of winter 1 shall probably not be here at all. These last shows have been very successful. About 180 people have attended and many have been turned away. For the last show. The Turn of the Tide, a gymnasium was well crowded. All these shows were preceded by a brief talk on the important points of the film, and I felt that a succession of these films, well mixed in stones, interest and technique, was not only providing entertainment but raising the standard of film going. "Shopping lor films" was being taught to a large number of men. and thus I think the film can have some educational value apart from its undoubted use in the Army, for vitalising much of Army education and making technical training more efficient. In future The Strand Film Company will be working in eonjunction with British National Films Ltd. Strand Films will eontinue to function as a production unit, and the same Technical Staff* will carry on. The British National Studios at Elstree w ill be Strand Films production headquarters. Particulars of new London offices will be given shortly. THE STRAND FILM COMPANY LTD. DONALD TAYLOR ALEXANDER SHAH MANAGING DIRECTOR DIRECTOR OF PRODUCTION Owned and published by Film Centre Ltd., 34 Soho Square, London, W.l, and printed by Simson Slmnd Ltd., The Shenrnl Press, London and Hertford