FilmIndia (1945)

FILMINDI A October, 1945 After the recent fires at the Famous Cine Laboratory and the United Artists, both under similar circumstances, it was the duty of the Paramount management to see that their film storage was removed to some safer place where there was less danger of explosion. They did not do so, nor do they seem to have taken any special precautions as, according to reports, their film repairer was actually working outside the vault door, with the door open and with a lot of loose film reels lying on the floor. That film repairer is, of course, no more. The Paramount people have been occupying these premises for at least nine years, i.e., from 3 years before the war. During all these years, they could have easily equiped the vault with an air-conditioning plant. Paramount is a very rich firm. It cannot plead shortage of money. Paramount is a world organization and it cannot plead ignorance of film storing conditions having its business all over the world. After weighing all these facts we are compelled to reach only one conclusion that owing to the rash and negligient act of the Paramount management, the tragic explosion took place. With ordinary precautions the explosion and its tragic toll of human lives could have been avoided. It is most essential that the official inquiry commission, which will ultimately be appointed to investigate these film fires, must fix the final guilt of the fire on the offending party and award suitable compensations to the families of those who have lost their lives. At the young age of 37 Subhodh Ganguly, drawing Rs. 2,ooo| per month, was blasted out of this world, leaving behind him seven children and a widow. What happens to this family ? Though they can't get their breadwinner back, they must at least get the bread he would have brought in had he lived and had he not been a victim of the criminal negligence of others. Ganguly's family must get at least his 10 years' salary as compensation seeing that 7 children from ten downwards have to grow to an adult age. And Paramount must pay this. The two little children of Carol Haslam have become orphans in a day. They used to cost their mother Rs. 200! a month for education and maintenance only. Pamela is 14 and little Gordon has just starled with his 12. At least for 8 years more they need care and protection. These little ones deserve a small share of the huge Paramount fortune. And similarly seventeen other families are today on the streets, because their bread-winners have sacrificed their lives as loyal workers of Paramount. It is up to this rich American firm, which has made millions in India for so many years, to compensate the helpless dependents of those who were killed on Paramount duty. If the Paramount reiuses to do this willingly, it must be made to yield by legal methods. But this American firm must not get away with Indian lives without paying for them. ®(MlU& calling! T»£ PHOTOGRAPH FROVr Most Movies are on Film made by Serving human progress through Photography KODAK lTD.,(lncorp. in tngland) BOMBAY CALCUTTA UUOtE MADRAS FROM the time when Thomas A. Edison and George Eastman worked together on the early, flickering movies, the improve, mer.c of ' materials for professional motion pictures has been one of the chief fields of Kodak research. Kodak has been moviedom's pacemaker, and is by far its largest supplier. Kodak'* original production of transparent roll film (the key to motion pictures), specialiaed negative and positive films, the production of high-speed panchromatic materials, the modern colour phase— now rapidly expanding : these are important scenes in the advance from "the flickers" to today's work of art, in which Kodak has played a leading role. And there is another, most important of all : the making of "Sound" — a Imxin part of the picture. Today sound, too. is pictured, changed into light, recorded on the film simultaneously with the scenes Then as you sit in the theatre, the process is reverstd — the "light picture" on the sound track are changed back into sound. Movies fur wervhoily; For children, movies are education. For normal men and women they are the grandest form of entertainment, reaching almost everyone For those distraught by worry or sorrow, they are wholesome escape. PHOTOGRAPHIC WRONG DOERS: 6: THE MAN WHO NEEDS EXPOSING He needs showing up — so dees his work. It doesn't show up because it's underexposed. It's underexposed because — well, even in these days of Kodak Film's amazing latitude, one can still be criminally careless in the matter of apertureand-speed. Camera tilt, dirty lenses, double-exposures and cut-off compositions are other photographic crimes which do not pay in times of film scarcity. 8