The educational screen (c1922-c1956])

November, 1943 Page 335 books, magazines and pamphlets available for loan, and reminded the audience of the next film forum to come. Two or three films were shown each evening with a running time of twenty to thirty-five minutes. Dis- cussion did not necessarily confine itself to the films, but the films do provide the group with a common ex- perience and supply points of departure from which discussion can stem. Good discussion films are not available in all subjects, but even purely factual films provide atmosphere and background. Several OWI films were shown, the best of which are excellent. The film Divide and Conquer, however, came in for much criticism since the group felt that it incorporated the worst features of the very type of "propaganda" that it sought to expose. The following films used should be given sf)ecial mention because of technical excel- lence, conception, and discussion value: .-/ Cliild Went Forth, an extraordinarily beautiful document of childhood; For Health and Happiness, a lovely color film on nutrition : The Arm Behind the Army, an OWI film about the important part played by men and women in war industries; The Western Front, about China today; The World We Want to Live In, issued by the National Conference of Christians and Jews; and Priee of Victory, an OWI film based on Henry Wal- lace's speech. Rental fee on the films used was a very minor item. Where American films were not available British films were u.sed. The British films were always to the point and often came quickly to the core of the problem. Their lack of technical perfection in comparison with American films oddly enough sometimes added to their charm. However the group did have some difficulty with the British accent. The only film shared with another group. Price of Victory, was shown to a junior high school group of ninth graders. More of this should be done when we undertake another series next year. The discussion periods, lasting anywhere from a half-hour to an hour, were more enjoyed than the films. Each meeting was different. Sometimes dis- cussion marked the high point; at other times the audience was chiefly concerned in absorbing the lead- "Report from Russia" shows children working on the farm front. (An OWI release. U. S. News Review No. 4.) From the OWI film, "Wartime Nutrition." er's special knowledge of the subject. We discovered, incidentally, that the subject specialist does not always make the best discussion leader. Generally the best forums are those led by people, with knowledge of the subject to be sure, who are skilled in discussion tech- nique and the ability to draw out the group and keep discussion moving. Under the right leadership even a timid member of the audience can be induced to make his contribution to the group thought. The success of such a project is apt to be measured by the size of the audience attracted. For film forums a small group is often more conducive to good discus- sion than a large one. At several of our forums it was necessary to terminate discussion while it was still going strong. There is something essentially sound, it seems to us, about meetings of this kind where men and women of diverse backgrounds discuss com- mon problems with saneness and intelligence. Perhaps the best discussion of all comes after the formal meet- ing is over. Ten o'clock on many a Monday evening found small groups still eagerly carrying on, some en- tering the discussion who had not previously spoken. We know of some discussions that continued all the way home, and we should like to hope that through books further exploration of many subjects was made. Book lists were prepared for each meeting available for home loan. The number of books issued was small, liut there was not an evening when they failed to cir- • iilatc. And now that the series is over? Certainly our first impression—now a conviction—is that the undertak- ing was successful and important as a whole. And there are the small things, mere straws of evidence but in essence near to the heart of the whole film forum idea. There was, for example, our first forum on China—eagerly awaited as an initial barometer of interest in our venture—on February 15. The mer- 'ury stood at fourteen below zero and our hopes sank Imost as low. Yet thirty people braved the cold and c felt amply repaid. One cherished impression is of -nme boys, not noted for quiet behavior, who gave rapt attention to the film and the discussion, and gathered around the leader afterward hanging on every word