FilmIndia (1940)

March 1940 FILM INDIA (Contd. from page 61) FILMS FOR CHILDREN There are studios in ten cities in the Soviet Union, for the production of "story films", including two studios for the production of children's films. A large group of studios is now being built in the Caucasus and when this is completed all the more important Soviet films will be made there, the site having been chosen for its excellent weather conditions and varied scenery. Films are made for different national republics, in their languages, national in character but socialist in content. The control of newsreel and documentary films is vested in Newsreel Film Trust. Varied work is done in this line. Special newsreels for children up to 8 years and from 8-17 are also made. There are special theatres for the exhibition of chronicle films: they remain open for 12 hours, with continuous programme. Raw film material and cinema equipments including cameras and lenses are manufactured in the land itself and in the near future, the studios will use only Soviet material. In each city where there is a studio or film manufacturing plant there is also a technical research institute. They issue also technical film journals. In 1931, only 100 million feet of film was produced, but in 1936 this figure reached 350 million feet and will show an increase of 150 per cent per year. A young Russian actress who generally works in children's films. SOME PROFIT The record gross receipts from the exhibition of one film in Soviet Union reached 66,000,000 rubles and amounted to an approximate return of 5000 per cent (exchange rate 2b rubles to £ 1). All cinemas show special children's programme in the morning and as part of their school curriculum children are shown educational films, interest films and play films. Besides there are special cinema theatres for children. The ordinary problems of competitive advertising do not occur in USSR. There is liteially no attempt in any sphere of activity to attract people to prefer one product to another. Advertising of films and cinemas resolve itself into far simpler art of announcement. NO "FILMINDIA" THERE? There are no film-fan magazines, but there are two magazines — one technical and the other artistic and critical. The Soviet film authorities pay much attention to serious criticisms. They constantly ask visitors for criticism.— constructive and destructive— of films they have seen. The film critics in the newspapers and magazines are highly paid journalists and their views are treated seriously by the film authorities. A special institute for psychology exists to make extensive research in finding out the public's reactions in different types of films. Eisenstein has much to do with this work. In 1926. D. W. Griffith, the pioneer American film director, called the movie "the working man's university". This has been realised for the first time in Soviet Russia. India can learn a lot from Soviet Russia. In Eisenstein's words — "We need films of meaningful vision. We want scenarist's approach to the ant-heap of life, their assault on reality. We need collectors of what is socially visualised. But that is not enough. He must carry us away, set us on fire, so that we seize our camera, and rush to some dull spot on our boundless map that the waiter with his eloquence has set aflame with the fire of life. To be possessed of our subject — that is what the writer must implant in us. Without it every enterprise remains pale shadow hanging over the silver canvas of the screen." An interesting situation from "Gorakhnath" an Arun Picture, now showing at Central Cinema, Bombay. 63