FilmIndia (1940)

August 1940 THE FILM ADVISORY BOARD. I am directly concerned with the Film Advisory Board which Mr. Desmond Young, the Chief Press Adv.'ser to the Government established with Sardar Chandulal Shah as the Chairman and C. B. Newbery as the Vice-Chairman. What has this Board, composed as it is of leading producers and distributors— both Indian and foreign — done during the month? Nothing! After the inaugural meeting on the 4th of July, the Board held another meeting on the 17th July. For full thirteen days every one probably slept satisfied with the thought that the Associated Press had covered the first meeting and their names had been published in papers all over India. They got the publicity and that is why most of them seem to be there. On the 17th they met again — strangers to their work and the next day they issued an appeal to the public saying that any suggestions for short documentary films dealing with the country's material resources and war effort and also cultural, industrial and agricultural aspects would be welcome. Do you like this gipsy? She is INDU RANI who will be soon seen in a gipsy picture of Mohan Studios FILM INDIA A rider was added that no payment would be made *T for such suggestions. This is war and every one must make sacrifices — every one but the members of the Film Advisory Board. Commenting on this fiat Alex Hague of Pathe had something to say in a letter to a daily paper: "One would have thought that the gentlemen con_ stituting this Board are ''experts" in the film trade and should know what the public should be given instead of asking the public to tell them what they themselves should do and that without payment: — too. Moreover what have the subjects such as "Cultural", "Indus, trial" and "Agricultural" got to do with War Propaganda?" Alex Hague has never before said anything more sensible and I feel the same way as he does and ask the same question. There are at least five active and leading producers on the Film Advisory Board who are daily stretching their imaginatiin and creating new pictures for entertainment and incidentally making a lot of money for themselves. Why have they suddenly become dumb-bells? All the intelligence and imagination which they exercise for the conduct of their own production business from day to day could easily suggest a hundred ways of making war propaganda films only if they sincerely tried. Are they waiting for Hitler to do his worst before they start even thinking? If the members of the Board are seriously thinking of being useful to the country and to the Government in these difficult times of war, let them meet every alternate day and pool all their resources and flood the country with propaganda films. If they can't do that for one reason or other, let them vacate their places and make room for others who would actively work. We do not want drawing room dumb-waiters to kill time by small talk while thousands are being killed in Europe and millions are threatened in India. We want men who can sacrifice their time, money and energy and who can go all out, or help us by keeping themselves out. No one can conduct War Propaganda by fortnightly meetings, where members meet one another as greater strangers every time. SOME GLARING "SACRIFICES" Let me take stock of the "sacrifices" made by some members of the industry. This is not the time to mince words. Someone must talk honestly and bluntly. I am going to hurt many people by doing so. But one cannot afford to be decorous where the safety of our nation and of the entire empire is threatened. I don't approve of the way the Twentieth-Century Fox distributors under the guidance of Mr. Newbery are taking advantage of the war situation. Numerous prints of Fox news-reels with several regional commentaries are running at different cinemas in India today. On every one of them Twentieth-Century Fox is making some money as hire.