FilmIndia (1939)

notes and news— RANJIT & ROYAL OPERA HOUSE Ranjit Movietone who usually produce the largest number of pictures in a single year, have secured the release right for a period of one year at the Royal Opera House. This popular theatre will of course remain under the management of Ideal Pictures Ltd., but the programmes will be arranged by the Ranjit Movietone. This brings two theatres in the city under the Ranjit control. "Sant l| Tulsidas" will be the first Ranjit i picture to grace the Royal Opera i House. FILM PRODUCERS AND THE COMMERCE MEMBER On the 10th January a deputaI tion of the leading film producers of the city led by Sir Rahimtullah ; Chinoy, the President of the Motion Picture Society of India wait■ ed on the Hon. Sir Mahomed Zafarullah Khan, the Commerce Member of the Government of India, during his short visit to the city. Consequent upon the lead given by "filmindia" with regard to the huge profits made by the distributors of the foreign films, the deputation pointed out to the Hon. Commerce Member that over 55 lakhs of rupees a year were sent out as nett profits to foreign producers. The Hon. Commerce Member was urged upon to increase the assessment value of the exposed films coming into the country and raise the import duty thereon suitably when the Ottawa Agreement terminates in the near future, while maintaining the present duty on the raw films. The deputationists further stressed the necessity of establishing a Central Body to guide and advise the Indian film industry in the same way as the British Film Institute in England or the Federal Department of Visual Instruction in Germany. FILM STARS BOYCOTT GERMANY ? "A declaration of Independence" calling upon President Roosevelt to sever economic relations with Germany, has been drawn up by a group of prominent film stars and motion picture executives. Some of the prominent signatories are: Edward G. Robinson, Fred Astaire, Bob Montgomery, Miriam Hopkins, Joan Bennett, Claudette Colbert, Paul Muni, G. Marx, Ginger Rogers and Bette Davis. Copies of the declaration will be presented to the theatre-goers for endorsement and it is hoped to obtain 30,000,000 signatories in support. That will be something for Hitler to think of. UNITY IS STRENGTH ! Paris Cinema owners recently expressed their dislike for new taxation on them by the authorities by closing down all the cinemas for three days. The new taxation which was proposed to be imposed on them would have necessitated their increasing the prices of the seats by 50^. The cinema owners refused to penalise the public thus. For three continuous days Paris the city of lights and pleasure had all the picture houses closed. The Deputy Premier, M. Chautemps agreed to the new tax being suspended pending an inquiry into the grievances provided the cinema owners agreed to re-open immediately. But the cmema-owners had no use for compromises. AMERICANS FINANCE THE BRITISH ! 20th Century-Fox the American firm will invest £1,000,000 in a production programme at the Gainsborough studios at Islington. This means that the future Gainsborough productions will be financed by the American firm. In this connection, it is significant to recall that early last year GaumontBritish closed down their £300,000 studios at Shepherd's Bush. Now the problem of financing Gaumont-Britlsh and Gainsborough is automatically solved. NOW NO VACANCY! Mr. Baburao Pai for years associated with the remarkable success of Prabhat pictures has now accepted a fifth partnership in the Prabhat Film Company of Poona. Mr. Pai being of course the most enterprising among the partners of Prabhat, we expect that studio to give us more and better pictures in future. Production will continue under the control of Maurice Ostrer and Edward Black, with Robert T. Kane of 20th Century-Fox working in liaison. In India also, we are threatened with an early invasion from the foreigners. BOYS MUST NOT SEE CRIME PICTURES On account of the serious increase of juvenile crime in the district, Sittingbourne and Milton Council have decided to ban the showing of horrific films to children under the age of 16. Mr. A. J. Bedelle, the Chairman of the Council said that the boys brought before the magistrates for shop breaking had not only copied film gangsters but improved on their methods. The British Board of Film Censors at the suggestion of the London County Council classified these films as "H" to provide guidance to the exhibitors. What about the crime pictures coming to India with a tragic re r~ 121