Documentary News Letter (1947-1949)

162 DOCUMENTARY NEWS LETTER This photograph shows the interior of the theatre at GUILD HOUSE, EDINBURGH where many of the Festival shows were held NORMAN WILSON has written for us this account of the growth of the EDINBURGH FILM GUILD whatever measure of success the Edinburgh Film Guild has achieved is not due to any privileged position or unusual wealth. This suggestion of peculiar advantages enjoyed by Edinburgh rather hurts our Scots pride. The facts are, the Film Guild was founded some eighteen years ago when 'intelligent' filmgoing was not so popular as it now is. We were among the pioneers and we virtually had to create an audience. We lectured, argued, preached, bullied. It was hard work, sometimes dispiritingly hard work in the early days. We were young in those days and naturally poor. But we took risks and bravely put on films like Caligari and Rein que les Heures, in the hope that we'd scrape together enough members to pay the costs. We even ran bazaars to help the funds! Somehow or other we got through the first difficult years without going bankrupt — and without making any concession to popular appeal. FIFTY NATIONS are represented among the members of the British Film Institute who share a belief in the future of the film. For full information, please write to: The British Film Institute An independent organization financed through H. M. Privy Council 4 GREAT RUSSELL STREET, LONDON W. C I Our programmes were often 'difficult'. Th included all the work of the avant garde, the eat Russians and a strong infusion of documentary in the days when it was a heady and exotic bre In addition to our shows, we brought up film-makers themselves to talk about what th were aiming at. Grierson, Wright, Cavalcai will tell you they had a better platform and better Press in Edinburgh than they had London. We started film shows for children and on they were established handed them over to : Scottish Educational Film Association. V disliked the original set-up of the British Fi Institute and initiated the moves which led to t setting up of the Scottish Film Council. From the beginning, we believed that object of a film society was not merely to pro\ i 'unusual' films for the snobs who regard ordinary filmgoing as a form of intellecti slumming. We actually liked the cinema, che vulgar and shoddy as it was ; we also realized potentialities as a medium of expression and powers as a social influence. Instead of sitt aloof in a private and precious world of a\> garde art, we felt that our job was in the cinei and among the people. We therefore organized support for whatc worth-while films the trade had to offer played up the directors and producers vm mattered. We made friends with the renters the exhibitors. How hard we worked! We helped to establish the first British Fed tion of Film Societies and when that wa? failure we formed the Federation of Scot Film Societies, which has now operated succ fully for oser ten years. We sponsored the mation of the Edinburgh Scientific Film Socii now probably the largest in the country. We h] put on special shows for Government Dep ments, for the City Corporation and for van other organizations whose use of films thought it worth while to encourage. We have helped in many and devious way stimulate the production of films in Scotland we have helped and encouraged everyone has come to Scotland to make films. We the first Exhibition of Film Decor, held in august precincts of the National Gallery Scotland. And lastly we organized, with the