Documentary News Letter (1940)

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NEWS LEnER VOL 1 No 3 PUBLISHED MONTHLY BY FILM CENTRE 34 SOHO SQUARE LONDON W1 THREEPENCE 1 NOTES OF THE MONTH 3 NATIONAL PUBLICITY 4 THE CANADIAN FRONT A report from Ottawa on production progress 5 SOUR GRAPES? A discussion of an attack on Hollywood's Grapes of Wrath 6 NEW DOCUMENTARY FILMS 7 STORY FILM OF THE MONTH Reviews of The Stars Look Down 9 children's FILM OF THE MONTH Reviews of The Wizard of Oz 10 FILMS FOR PRIMITIVE PEOPLES The development of new educational techniques 13 DOCUMENTARY IN THE U.S.A. News from American Film Center 13 BRITISH DOCUMENTARY ACTIVITY Current production notes 15 FILM SOCIETY NEWS IVith reviews of the latest Foreign Films 16 BOOK REVIEWS The Film Answers Back, War Begins at Home, and others 17 NON-THEATRICAL FILM LIBRARIES IVith a review of the British Council Filtn Catalogue 18 CORRESPONDENCE 18 FACT AND OPINION News and views from all quarters The Imperial Theme WAR BRINGS TO normally unthinking citizens a deeper consciousness of the Commonwealth. It may even, during the next few years, gradually get people into the way of realising the difference between the Dominions and the Crown Colonies a point on which there is still widespread ignorance. And as the question of Imperialism is likely to loom larger and larger i|both during the war and after, this is all to the good. By the >ame token, it looks as though the cinema will soon become m important factor in Imperial relations. Elsewhere in this ssue will be found encouraging news of Canada's first drive owards a film policy of her own ; and, at the other end of the icale, news of the first efforts to harness the experience of ;ducational film technique to the needs of primitive peoples in Africa and elsewhere. Meantime John Grierson is visiting New Zealand and Australia, under the aegis of the Imperial Relaions Trust, and it is to be hoped that his experience in drafting Canadian film policy will be of assistance to the Governments )f those Dominions too. Some form of inter-Dominion public relations service would be of immense value in peacetime, let alone in war; and the idea of establishing Empire Cinemas in London and in all main Dominion cities is perhaps not entirely chimerical. If their size was no greater than that of our present newsreel theatres, and if quality productions from the Dominions and Colonies were readily and constantly available, they could probably command good and regular audiences. It is certainly true that whatever mandatory (or other) system might arrive in the future, the continuance of relationships between Britain and overseas would and could not cease. The future of films in this matter is important, and the prospects are already very promising. The Film Society Movement THE PRESERVATION of Cultural activities during wartime is a matter of vital national importance. Last autumn there was some ground for fearing that this side of our life was going to be severely curtailed. Since then, however, there have been several significant movements, such as the provision by London casts and companies of good plays in the provinces, 1