Documentary News Letter (1940)

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DOCUMENTARY NEWS LETTER JUNE 1940 Wisely, however, a coloured politician in the film sounds a note of warning when he says that the whole motive of progress should be directed towards the grafting of improvements upon the best aspects of native traditions. In other words, tropical Africa while under British protection, will be developed for the African who must be encouraged gradually to assume the fullest responsibilities. To this great task, the British Government, in spite of the fact that we are engaged in a life and death struggle with Nazism, has recently decided to contribute a sum of £50,000,000 extended over a period of ten years. We doubt whether any taxpayer who is fortunate enough to see Men of Africa will grumble at the share of this additional financial burden which he will be called upon to bear. Personally it left me with a feeling of pride that the principles for which we are fighting this war are so amply illustrated in what was once "darkest" Africa. The Birth of a Baby. Production: American Committee on Maternal Welfare. Distribution: National Baby Welfare Committee. 65 minutes. By a doctor IN the last twenty years it has become realised that the "occupational risks" of motherhood are unnecessarily high. One certain factor is economic, for childbirth illness, like tuberculosis, is largely a disease of the underfed ; but even in the more prosperous groups, motherhood is accompanied by too much avoidable illness. The most important factor in prevention is skilled supervision of the mothers during the period of pregnancy. This film was made in America to encourage expectant mothers to visit their doctors for this ante-natal care. The story of the film is of the ante-natal care and confinement of a young American wife. Her mother-in-law and her doctor, in short talks illustrated by diagrams, describe how the womb prepares to receive and nourish the fertilised ovum, and how this ovum develops during pregnancy. Advice is given on the management of the pregnancy and incidents are shown from the doctor's work to illustrate further points : he visits a woman whose serious illness could have been avoided by ante-natal care; he reproves an inconsiderate husband ; and to a rich childless wife who wishes to escape maternity, he gives a sharp warning of the dangers of abortion. The middle part of the film drags, but when the actual confinement is reached it speeds up again. After a brief shot of the arrival of the baby, there follows a thrilling close-up of the baby taking his first breaths. The film is preceded and followed by a spoken commentary on the ways in which English methods differ from American. The most responsible medical propaganda has to face much criticism, and in dealing with reproduction, certain special potential dangers arise. These are successfully avoided in this film. A large Saturday afternoon audience of men did not find a snigger in the whole film. The instruction is very elementary and could be improved and also increased with advantage, but the general ignorance is such that many will learn from this film. There is nothing in the film to frighten young wives from motherhood. On the other hand it is one which both individual doctors and public health authorities will be glad for them to see. As propaganda, the film loses some of its force for most of the mothers in this country as the setting is opulent and so unreal. The idea of the film is excellent and although "it could have been done much better", it is of high educative value, and should be shown throughout the country. Ring of Steel. Production: British Paramount. Distribution: Paramount. 40 minutes. ANYBODY who sccs ncwsrccls regularly has no difficulty in picking out from the mass of pool material the items shot by the Paramount cameramen. Their shooting is always lively, and brightened by a lot of moving camera material. Similarly the editing of Paramount News has a brisk and business-like quality of its own. Ring of Steel is the third of Paramount's newsreel features dealing with the Services. Like Inside Goods No. 1 , on the R.A.F., and 'ArfA Mo, Hitler, on the Army, Ring of Steel presents a lively account of the Navy's work in wartime in a first-class journalistic style. Particularly striking are the scenes of the Navy in the Arctic and the section on minesweeping. You get the feeling, so rare for this type of film, that the Navy themselves would feel that it puts them before the public in fair and sympathetic terms. In other words the film has been made with some understanding of the men and their job, and it does smell of the sea. For all-in surveys of this kind G. T. Cummins' efficiency and drive is just what is needed; forty minutes would otherwise seem very long for a straight piece of reporting. The Builders. Production: Workers' Film Association and Selwyn Films. Distribution: 16 mm. sound. Workers' Film Association. .'^O minutes. By thi' secretary of the Association of CineTechnicians THE British Trade Union Movement has made its first film — a modest effort but an excellent beginning. The Builders tells the story of the Amalgamated Union of Building Trade Workers, its early days, its organisation, and the benefits building workers obtain through membership. The film was shot direct on 16 mm. except for the interiors which were reduced from 35 mm. It cost £350. That's my main complaint, and that, of course, is the sponsor's and not the producers' fault. A leading member of the Trades Union Congress General Council criticised the film as not so good in quality as shorts he occasionally sees in a cinema. I told him why. The Trade Union Movement must realise when making further films that just as good print costs good money so do good films. Bearing in mind the small budget the production is most commendable. The important point is that at last the film has taken its place in trade union propaganda. Such a production will be far more efi'cctive than organisers' speeches and general literature. The dignity of labour stands out a mile. A very impressive scene is the initiation ceremony under 'liT gone by new members. Young bricklayers ai made to realise they are doing something fi more than signing on the dotted line. Improvements could have been made by voio of the actual "actors" at times instead of a co: tinuous commentary, and the film could ha^ dealt more intimately with the actual lives of son, of the workers. The producers have somethii to learn from the documentary movement her Otherwise I raise my union badge to this produ tion. It's a miracle at the price! I hope other Unions will follow suit. Tl British worker has a great deal to be proud c Let this pride continue to be portrayed on tl screen. Then we shall see, as The Builders shov us, much of the real history of this countr Moreover in doing so an important weapon w be used to strengthen the Trade Union Mov ment so that, come what may, we shall mo forcibly realise our real freedom. Dixie 1940. P/Wwff;o«.March of Time (No. 1 Fifth Year). Distribution: R.K.O. Radio Picture 19 minutes. Dixie 1940 sets out to tell us the story of t southern states of the U.S.A. in ninete minutes. At this rate the history of the wor would provide subject-matter for a single norir length feature, and to find justification for t production of anything as long as Gone with i Wind we should need to look beyond the tern trial universe for our material. It is comforti therefore to find that the March of Time is ab within the time-limits of Dixie 1940, to give only a series of snapshots which one hopes w one day provide the synopsis for a whole gro of films dealing with different aspects of life the southern half of the United States. Tht aspects are represented in the present film by scene or a pair of scenes each, so that the to' effect is of a snapshot album flicked over too f< to give a clear sight of any of its pages. This is March of Time at its most exasperatir Units were sent to cover a negroes' Sund prayer meeting, a negroes' Saturday night villa dance, and into an old "colonial" house wh( the negro retainers cringe amongst the anci( bric-a-brac as if they had never heard of Abi ham Lincoln; yet of all the material that was could have been shot, we are allowed to seeoi a few quick flashes. Tuskegee, the negro uniw ^ sity, is covered rather more thoroughly, asi Martha Berry's college for the children of i poverished whites. The film has no theme^uoii the controversy as to whether the South is bi described as the "problem" or as the "hope" the United States ranks as a theme. The id crops up once or twice that the problems of i South (Big Business has to be allowed footage imply inanely that there are none) might solved by increasing mass purchasing po' This, in fact, at one production stage, would i pear to have been the theme of the film; though March of Time has made new shots of I appalling living conditions of the sharecroppej March of Time arguments on their behalf hai lost indignation and vigour over the years