Year book of motion pictures (1938)

about 60 percent in 1937. German and English films also were lower both in number and in percentage of the total. French and Swedish producers registered the only gains among the leaders, the first named increasing their participation from only 9 films or 4 percent in 1936 to 24 pictures or approximately 11 percent in 1937, while the share in the market of the Swedish producers was up from 10 films, or 4 percent, in 1936 to 16 films, or almost 8 percent in 1937. In the table which follows is given a summary of the number of feature films released during the first nine months of 1937 compared with the same period of 1936: (Nine Months) 1936 1937 American 147 125 German 41 23 English 11 7 French 9 24 Swedish 10 16 Austrian 2 2 Russian 1 4 Czechoslovakian — 2 Japanese — 1 Hungarian 1 — Jugoslavian 1 — Danish 6 7 Total 229 211 In the calendar year 1936 a total of 309 feature pictures were released as compared with 305 in 1935. French films considerably bettered their position in this market in the winter of 1936-37 when they changed from pictures received with indifference by the public and mistrust by the exhibitors to best-sellers. Most of the French successes were films in a lighter vein. The film "La Kermesse Heroique" ran for over 12 weeks at a centrally located theater and is said to have brought in a net of about 100,000 crowns. German and English films generally speaking were disappointing. In the opinion of many the English films were poorer than at any time since the advent of the talkies. The German pictures leave the impression that the industry is on a reorganization basis and actual results achieved in this market were few. Russian pictures are only infrequently shown and have no popular appeal. Several of the Danish pictures were quite poor this year and some of the theater owners in the provinces, the stronghold of domestic films, report a smaller attendance at Danish pictures and stress the importance of an immediate improvement. At the same time other domestic films made a good box office record. For example two of the Asa pictures drew 225,000 persons each during the first 3^^ weeks of their Copenhagen run. The number of film distributors has increased in late years and at present there are around 32 operating in this market giving local theater owners a wide choice of films. There are six American film distributors, several of which _ import a few European films from time to time. Of the balance the following, all of which are located in Copenhagen, are the rnost active: Name of Company Films Distributed Gloria Film A/S American, French, Finlandia Film Swedish Gefion Film Finnish Nordisk Films Swedish, German Kompagni A/S Danish, German Aero Film German, French Filmaktieselskabet German, Austrian Nordlys Bolvig Film American, French, English, Swedish Fotorama French, German, Eng Filrabureau A/S lish, Swedish, Italian Dansk Svensk Film Swedish Skandinavisk Film American, German, French, Czechoslovakian Film-Centralen Danish, German, Aus Palladium A/S trian, French, American Constantin French, English Films A/S Kosmofilm A/S French Vald. Skaarup Russian, French, German Panther Film English Europa Film French 1200 Fifteen of the distributors, including the six American branches, are joined together in Foreningen af Filmsudlejere i Danmark (Association of Film Distributors in Denmark). The Danish film producing companies distribtit*' their own films. Local distributors rent out motion picture films to first run distributors on a percentage basis amounting to 30 percent of box office receipts exclusive of tax. Second run houses pay 25 percent. No guarantee is required, and bloc booking is not practiced. Copyright Relation& — The laws of the country protect copyrights on a reciprocal basis. The Xordisk Films Kompagni which controls the Scandinavian patent rights to the so-called "noiseless intensity system" exacts a fee of 350 crowns for each picture using that system shown in Denmark from four American companies who have signed a special agreement with the Danish company. One American cornpany refuses to sign an agreement with Xordisk Films Kompagni and continues to import its own re-recorded films. Another American company imports a few rerecorded pictures as well as films using the patented system for which it pays a special fee of 700 crowns per picture. All other companies pay 1,000 crowns per picture. Production — -The government does not subsidize the domestic film industry. A subsidy or assistance in the form of exemption from the 40 percent tax on box office receipts has long been advocated by local producers and the question of State support has been considered by the motion picture commission. In the meantime three of the Danish film companies have been met part way, as a measure of assistance has been yielded through their being granted licenses to operate motion picture theaters. Xordish Films Kompagni now controls the Paladsteatret and its director controls Kinopalaet, while Palladium will open its own theater in January in the center of Copenhagen, and Asa Film has been granted a license to build a theater in one of the suburbs of Copenhagen. There are five motion picture companies producing feature films. A list of the domestic producers follows : Filmatelieret Asa A/S, Copenhagen Nordisk Films Kompagni, " Palladium A/S, Dana Film, Gefion Film, " The first three producers own their own studios. The studio owned by Nordisk Films Kompagni has three stages and one sound recording apparatus, a Danish Petersen & Poulsen recorder. The Palladium Studio has three stages, A Bofa sound system made by Bang & Olufsen of Struer, Denmark, and one sound recording truck. Filmsatelieret Asa A/S has a studio with two stages and an American sound recording system. Dana Film rents the studio of the Nordisk Films Kompagni while Gefion Film uses the Palladium studio. In addition to the three studios mentioned above there is a fourth owned by Fotorama Filmbureau A/S, Copenhagen, which is not producing feature motion pictures, but is specializing in shorts and advertising films. Thirteen feature films were produced by the domestic industry in 1937 as compared with only 6 in 1936. Five films were produced by Asa, three by Nordisk Film Kompagni, three by Palladium, one by Gefion and one by Dana Film, a new company formed in the summer of 1937. Two of the Nordisk Film Kompagni productions were cast with Swedish actors and the outdoor shots were taken in Sweden and Lapland. All the studio scenes were made at the Nordisk Film Studio at Copenhagen. The Asa studio was built in 1936. This company has a production schedule of from 3-5 films a year. It is reported to have a working arrangement with Europa Film of Stockholm whereby the Asa films may also be produced with Swedish players at the Copenhagen studio. One such film was made by the Swedish company in 1937. Nine of the pictures were comedies, two were dramas and one was a revue film made up of the 24 best numbers from the various summer shows. The length of these Danish films ranged from