Educational film magazine; (19-)

FILM NEWS FROM FRANCE By E. Fletcher-Clayton Special Correspondent for Educationai. Film Magazine Paris, France, October 15, 1921. A MONGST the educational and documentary films made by /% Pathe and printed upon non-inflammable film, the most - -^ noteworthy are those of the new series of film lessons in geology, botany, zoology, physiology, etc. Each film - accompanied by special information for teachers upon the (reparation for the lesson to be given. A plan of each lesson is irovided, and in certain cases special diagramatic slides are jsued. All these film lessons are divided into four categories; fhich is to say, graded in order to meet the class divisions.. As he Pathe educational films are well known in America, it is need- ess to insist upon their quality. French Landowner's Initiative to Educate Employees Georges Marechal, proprietor of a vast agricultural enterprise ,:omprising thousands of acres in and around Sorel-Moussel, in he department of the Eure and Loire, has, for a landowner, very idvanced ideas. He employs hundreds of agricultural laborers, vhose work begins in childhood, whose hours are long, and for vhom the chances of educa'ion are rather slight. In order to keep hese people (some of whom are women) out of the village inns ind the cabarets of a low-class order, and especially to enlighten hem, M. Marechal has installed a free cinema in his chateau ivhere, twice a week, a representation is given, consisting for the neater part of films of educational value—though (and perhaps n'isely) these are not unmixed with comedy and drama films. \lthough many of the French farm laborers are largely ignorant Df the scientific side of the work they do daily, nobody in the Ministry of Agriculture has thought of offering M. Marechal any »f the official films dealing with the use of agricultural machinery in France, much of which is of American design and manufacture; yet this cha'eau cinema, which has a capacity of hundreds, is packed to suffocation on show nights. French Version of LaFont.aine's Fables The Union-Eclair company is editing a series of films, each one representing one of LaFontaine's fables. These films are being made under the direction of Louis Forest, the well-known journal- ist of Le Matin, and it would be difficult to imagine anyone be'ler qualified for the work. Plans for the distribution of these films are, I hear, not yet complete; but they will probably be hirable singly or in the series. The same company. Eclair, are issuing many documentary and sport subjects made by the Nordisk Film Company. Teaching by Cinema in the French Schools The idea of the "cinema scolaire" is slowly gaining ground, and the only people whose lack of imagination tend to hold it back are the few senile professors still in authority, who are re- spected more for their age than for their enlightenment, and the ■'blue stockings," of which class there are always too many in every country. The latest bit of news in this direction is that the municipal council of Saint-Etienne is to install a cinematographic apparatus in all the public schools under iis jurisdiction. A preliminary credit of 30,000 francs has been voted to permit, by October next, the placing of one projector in each school. In Paris the movement is rapidly gaining ground, though there are many difficulties in the way. However, by way of encourage- ment, the Association Amicales d'Anciens Eleves of eight schools have each given the sum of 500 francs to a foundation fund for the installation of cinemas in the schools of the capital. It must be understood that all instruction and all schools in France are under the supervision of the government, and that this has existed since the separation of state and chur«h some years ago. There are many in France who hold the view that the church is the greatest enemy of enlightenment, and amongst these are those who most heartily approve of the installation of cinemas in the schools, as in this way they hope for the spread of secularism, which is already wide in France. But on the other hand, there are those who maintain that the government system of education is not without purpose. So an even balance of opinion is maintained. However, the reader will gather from these notes that films of religious subjects are in little demand in France. Einstein's Theories to be Demonstrated by Film A group of French scientists, whose names are not given, are busy upon the preparation of a film destined to expose the theories of Einstein. I mean, both demonstrate and expose; for Einstein is not looked upon in France as being such a re- markable man as he has, perhaps, been too readily taken for in other countries. Some of his theories are held to be nothing entirely new, whilst others are rejected as untenable; but it is believed that a film demonstrating what is possible in this direc- tion would prove of considerable value. I understand that the "slow motion" camera of M. Labrely will play a very important part in the making of this film. Some of Einstein's theories, difficult for the mind to seize, or impossible to visualize, could, ii is thought, be very conclusively demonstrated by means of a film. According to information received, certain Swiss scientists are also preparing an Einstein film; and I am certain that one from America, with all the scientific perfection that such a film would undoubtedly have, would be very much welcomed here. American Slrcical Films at the French Academy of Medicine One of the newly formed film-hiring companies is Films-Erka, directed by L. and J. Edelsten, late of the Select-Pictures, of Paris. This company has the exploitation rights of certain films of surgical operations, American films of the Clinical Film Com- pany (according to the notices), showing famous surgeons per- forming delicate operations. Films were shown of operations by the surgeons W. Hewitt, W. Young, Emil Ries, J. Hill, and F. Erdmann; and that by Doctor Young was greeted by applause. Many eminent French surgeons attended the presentation of these films, including the professors and surgeons Hartmann, Delbet, Desmarest, Gregoire, Carnot, Mauclerc, Le Lorier, Richelot, Po- lack, Bertrand. Also M. M. de Martel, Mathieu, Moure, Souli- goux, Vaudremer, Beclere, Deneker, Lequeux. There were also several English, Spanish, and Italian surgeons present. M. Des- chaumes, the technical agent for Films-Erka, read the introductory nolice to each film before it was shown on the screen. The im- pression left upon the scientific audience was that such films. 11