The film daily year book of motion pictures (1935)

regular censorship fee of 4 fillers per meter on films made in Hungary and 10 fillers if made abroad. Weekly news, educational and scientific films are exempt from all charges except censorship iee and import duty. Foreign i.iade equipment and supplies requ're special import permits issued by the Ministry of Commeicc. Censorship — Film censors'aip is under the direciion of the Royal Hungarian Ministry^f tlie Interior, the members ot the Censorship Board being appointed by the Minister. Appeal can be taicen from the Board's decision in the first, second and third instances ; the nnal appeal being to the Minister of the Interior. In most cases one of these appeal boards has permitted pictures, previously rejected by the board, to be .shown aftci certain changes had been made in sublitlet or after offending parts had been cut out. Pictures are classified in two groups by the board of censors, viz., whether they may be shown universally or only to persons over 16 years of age. Non-official censorship does not exist in Hungary. The pictures are censored by the official board solely with regard to public morals and the safety of the State. There are no discriminations against American film companies and, in cases where rejection was deemed necessary, marked consideration has been shown by the authorities. 926 films (952,141 meters total length) were censored in 1933, of which 835 were sound films and 91 silent films. The board rejected 34 sound films and one silent film, totaling 69,168 meters in length, or about 8.5 per cent ot the total reviewed. Of the sound films licensed for projection, 400 were American, 218 German. 144 Hungarian, 26 Austrian, 19 British, 17 French and 11 Italian, Dutch and Czechoslovakian films. Competition — The film production of Hungary in 1933 and 1934 continued to be solely of local importance. The expatriated German film production benefited Budapest to some extent. The same situation helped to reestablish American leadership Three years ago German films held nearly 90 per cent of the trade but in 1932 American films regained the ground lost, representing 55 per cent of films shown, and iii 1933 advanced to 65 per cent. The increase in the percentage of American films shown is continuing. Copyright Relations — A special convention signed October 13. 1913, gives copyright protection. Production — The only sound studio, the Hunnia. controlled by the Governmental Film Fund, produced during 1933, eight feature sound films, 8 short and 16 industrial and educational films. The total cost of production was 1,683,000 pengo. of which 40 per cent is calculated as paid by Hungary, the remainder representing the investments of foreign producers. During 1934 12 siund features and three shorts were produced at a cost of 2,262.000 pengo of which 60 per cent is calculated as paid by Hungary. Of the current year's production, 8 were synchronized in Hungarian, two in German and two in GermanI-Iungarian version. Hungarian sound films are essential to ensure receipts in the provinces. Taxes — The amusement tax is 6 per cent of the total receipts at Budapest, and varies between 5 and 15 per cent in the provinces. The additional turnover tax (national) is 3 per cent. Theaters — On January 1. 1934. there were 380 motion picture theaters in operation. Sound — 315 theater? were wired for sound films. 314 are using sound-on-film equipment and one house sound-on-disc equipment. The new installations are all of domestic manufacture. The unwired theaters in the rural districts, are too imall to oecome prospective buyers for sound film apparatus. Imports from United States — 1933— Positive Sound 1.059,551 ft. $17,416 1934 — First Ten Months: Positive sound 1,199,585 ft. $24,618 Negative sound 55.432 ft. 763 N'ote : One pengo equals $0.2961. The commercial cost of the dollar is 5.50 pengo for one dollar. DISTRIBUTORS AND IMPORTERS BUDAPEST City Film, Erzsebet konit 8. /United Artista/ Danubius Film, Erzsebet korut 44. Eco Film, Rakoczi ut 14. Express Film, Nepszinhaz u 21. /RKO/ Fox Film, Raikoczi ut 9. Hermes Film, Erzsebet krt 8. Harmonia Film, Akacfa_ u 7. Hirsch es Tsuk, Rakoczi ut 14. Kovacs es Tsa, Erzsebet krt 8. Kultur Filrn, Nepszinhaz u 17. Libertiny Film, Nepszinhaz u 21. /Columbia/ Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Sandor ter 3. Muvesz Film, Rakoczi ut 40. Pap Film, Vilmos Csaszar ut. Paramount Film, Rakoczi ut 59. Patria Film, Erzsebet konit 8. Phobus Film, Erzsebet krt 8. Plesz Ferenc, Akacfa u 7. Reflektor Film, Sandor ter 4. Schuchmann Film, Rokk Szilard u 20. Stylus Film, Erzsebet krt 4. Turul Film, Miksa u 7. UFA Film, Kossuth Lajos u 13. Ungar Film, Nemet u 31. Universal Film, Nepszinhaz u 21. Warner Bros., Jozsef korut 30-32. PRODUCERS City Film, Erzsebet krt 8. Hermes Film, Erzsebet krt 8. Harmonia Film, Akacfa u 7. Patna Film, Erzsebet krt 8. INDIA Agitation — There is little, if any, agitation against American films as such. There is increasing agitation by religious and civic organizations against all films of an immoral character or showing scenes considered not in the best of taste from a moral point of view. Censorship— No startling evidence of over-indulgence in censorship on the part of the Boards of Censors has been observed. The Bengal Board suspended the Bombay Board's certificates for "The Private Life of Henry VIII" and also an American feature, the former on the basis that the film "militates against the traditional reference of Indians for the reign-house in England" and the second because the film tenders to "hurt the feelings of the occidental and the oriental." Cuts were made in 20 films during the year ending March 31, 1934, one of them being four dancing scenes from an old American picture. During the year ending March 31, 1934, a total of 1,444 films were certified by the Bengal Board representing 3,391,475 feet. The footage was made up of 1,448,578 American; 1,141,173 Indian; 769,898 British; and 31,826 other countries. Importers and exhibitors have been reauested by the Board to submit all posters and advertising matter for the Board's scrutiny before public exhibition. The seven anna per foot duty imposed on imported exposed cinematograph films continues to work hardship on importers as it forces them to bring in fewer prints of all except the really super features. They are endeavoring to place more responsibility on the exhibitor for the conditions of films and thus to get more bookings per print. Competition — During the fiscal year April 1, 1932 to March 31, 1933. about 65%. by footage, of the imported pictures were American. "This figure is an estimate, as inaccuracies are found in import statistics due to reimportation of American films from Ceylon. The distribution arrangements for British pictures is constantlo' improvinfj and British pictures accounted for 18% during the above period. Copyright Relations — See United Kingdom. Production — Accurate production figures are unobtainable. There are, according to statistics given us by the Motion Picture Society of India, 38 Indian companies producing Indian language talking pictures. Oosest estimate of production is obtained from the pictures censored by the Calcutta and Bombay Boards. During the year 1060