Documentary News Letter (1940)

16 DOCUMENTARY NEWS LETTER JUNE 1940 NEWS THEATRES IN WAR-TIME WITH BRITAIN at War News Theatre service will develop in technique and grow in utility. The service of information and entertainment given by the news theatres, rapidly developed during the last years of uneasy peace, can go forward in time of war. News, news documents and good short pictures are available. These are the essential supplies for the maintenance of the service. The function of the news theatres in peace or war is to present them in well balanced programmes and under good conditions. Under war conditions, and war conditions only, news is of necessity censored in the interests of the State — censorship by omission. Providing the import or meaning of news is not changed, this will not affect the utility of the service offered, nor will the public be betrayed. The development of the news theatres has been the outcome of public demand. Its power of service and influence for good or bad is immeasurably greater than if the development had been the result of created demand. Some news theatres are inclined to specialise in the presentation of news in a serious setting, others lean towards a light background, but in either form it can be truly said that an influential public is served, a public interested in aflfairs. The service that can be offered by the news theatre, having in mind the good short pictures that are available today, is as good as the news — and by "as good as the news" I do not mean as pleasant as the news. The British public want strong news. Coronations, jubilees and boat races are grand things for packing the theatres, but experience has shown that whilst the extra visitors who come to see these things are welcome guests, and frequently become the most ardent salesmen and saleswomen in our favour, their visits are annual or bi-annual at the most. The regular visitor comes for a service of actualities, pleasant or unpleasant, presented in a setting of good short pictures. To these basic facts the war has made no difference at all. In time of war, people are still more appreciative of the real contact with affairs that the news theatres offer them. Those responsible for running the theatres have definite proof of this. The public also appreciate the great work that is being put into many of the short pictures that are now becoming available.. We know from experience that the life, extension and continuing improvement in service that the news theatres ofter depend upon the regular visitor. A more demoralising reason for existence was never worked out than that news theatres were planned for "the man with an hour to spare". For those seeking evidence in support of the time-wasting idea there is, it is true, an occasional small theatre to be found running short programmes, featuring news supported by old pictures of little entertainment or other value. Some of the best news films are being produced By CORRY W. FENNELL in the form of news documents, and some of the best short pictures are being made in documentary form. The difference between a news document and a documentary short picture of general interest is that the "high spot" of the former must consist of authentic records of immediate news value, whilst the "high spot" of the latter may be past events — but they must still be of current interest. There is still one more type of documentary film — the film made to show existing effort, existing organisations and existing conditions of life. These films may be brilliant in conception and production, and more important, they may be exactly what is wanted by the public, but unless they are released without delay and plans are made for immediate showing, there is the almost certain risk that they will be outdated, uninteresting, and likely to recoil upon the producers. Whilst it is vital that news film, documentaries and short pictures in general should cover the war and war problems in full, it is absolutely essential that news apart from war should be made the very most of. Purely entertainment films too must receive full measure of attention. The most notable advance in news theatre technique since the beginning of the war is the' addition to programmes of the French Official War News. Journal de Guerre is documentary news in form — a detailed and intense study of life and action on the land and sea fronts of France. The public want this. News theatres are anxiously awaiting the next and obvious opportunity to move forward — the public are wanting pictures about the British Army, Navy and Air Force — and about Britain's war effort. New pictures only are wanted — old ones are useless. DOCUMENTARY BOOKINGS FOR JUNE {The following bookings for June are selected from a list covering its members supplied by the News and Specialised Theatres Association.) African Skyways News Theatre, Leeds 17th-22nd Tatler, Chester 24th-29th All Hands (Anti-gossip Film) Eros News Theatre, Piccadilly, London 3rd 5th Waterloo News Theatre, London 6th 9th World's News Theatre, London 13th-16th News Theatre, Bristol 17th-22nd Classic, Croydon 23rd-26th Embassy, Netting Hill Gate, London 23rd-26th Classic, Hammersmith, London 24th-26th Animal Geography Tatler, Manchester 24th-29th Birth of the Year Classic, Tooting, London I6th-19th Britain's Life Line Topical News Cinema, Aberdeen 3rd 8th Dangerous Comment (Anti-gossip Film) Waterloo News Theatre, London I3th-I6th News Theatre, Birmingham 17th-22nd Victoria News Theatre, London 20th-22nd Fingers and Thumbs Topical News Cinema, Aberdeen 24th-29th Classic, Croydon 27th-29th Fitness Wins: No. I News Theatre, Leeds I7th-22nd Tatler, Manchester 17th-22nd Gullible Gull Tatler. Chester 3rd 8th llousepainter Waterloo News Theatre, London 6th 9th Inside Goods Classic, Baker Street. London 9th-12lh March of Time: No. 1! Classic, Tooting, London 2nd 5th Classic, Croydon I3th-I6th Classic, Southampton I6th-20th World's New Theatre. London 20th-24lh March of Time: No. 12 Topical News Cinema, Aberdeen 15th-20th Classic, Baker Street, London 27th-30th Vogue, Mile End, London 27th 30th March of Time; No. 13 Tatler News Theatre, Liverpool Tatler, Manchester The News House, Newcastle-on-Tyne Premier News Theatre, Bournemouth March of Time: No. 1 (Sixth year) Victoria News Theatre, London Waterloo News Theatre. London Eros, Piccadilly, London Classic, Baker Street, London North Sea Classic, Hammersmith, London Now You're Talking (Anti-gossip Film) News The.itre. Birmingham News Theatre, Bristol Victoria News Theatre, London World's News Theatre, London Our Fighting Navy Waterloo News Theatre, London Classic, Tooting, London Point of View No. 3 Classic, Hendon, London Point of View No. 6 Classic. Southampton Classic, Croydon Point of View No. 7 News Theatre, Leeds The News House, Newcastle-on-Tyne Point of View No. 5 Premier News Theatre, Bournemouth Reporter in Soho Victoria News Theatre, London Ring of Steel Classic, Croydon The News House, Newcastle-on-Tyne Sh:idow in the .Stream Tatler, Chester The City News Theatre, Leeds The Islanders News Theatre, Leeds These Children are Safe Tatler, Chester The Sea Breaks Through Vogue, Tooting, London 1 -' sn-ti C,B. I7th-22nd 24th-29th 24th-29th 17th-22nd I0lh-I7th I0th-17th 10th-17th 13th1 5th 9th1 2th 3rd 8tJ 3rd 8th] 6th 8th 20th-23rd 20th-23rd, 20th-23rd 3rd 6th pi 6th 8tb| 6ih 8th' 24th-29thJ., 24th-29tbr lOth-lSth 17th-I9tl! 9th-12ffl 17th-22od lOth-lStl I0th-15tt 24th-29ll 10th-15d 13th-ISU