FilmIndia (Feb-Dec 1949)

larch, 1949 FILMINDIA nas showing British pictures, Rank's acquisition of 15 \eu York cinemas dwindled to only two cinemas. Where {ank is gasping for breath from month to month in \merica what earthly chance have the Indian producers vith their putrid product? It is true that some foreign pictures, like "Paisan", "Open City", "Shoe Shine" etc., made in Italy, France md Sweden ran well in America. But these pictures got break because they were purchased outright by influential American distributors who had to recover a part if their collections frozen in Italy and other countries. The producers of these films, however, always got very ittle and all the profits, as usual, were collected by the \merican distributors. Besides, quite a few of these foreign films have some (uality and unusual realism which hold audience interest n America in addition to the racial aspect that the •layers in these pictures belong to the white races that lave become Uncle Sam s wards under the Marshall Aid Man. The social life and the costumes in these foreign 'ictures harmonize with those seen in American pictures nd as such contribute to the white democracy of the Vestern nations. In spite of all this, very few of these foreign pictures et a Broadway release. The majority of them are shown i small down-town theatres and bring in just a little proit over their cost price. American producers and distributors are almost inatically conscious of their home markets and are ruth;ss in scotching any possible competition in their field. > ith their fabulous resources and an almost unholy unity f purpose in these matters, they will never allow any Dreign producer to get a foothold in the American larket, though, of course, they are themselves always on ie alert to acquire new fields for their own films and ring the heavens down in protest if some nations enact efensive measures to conserve their own economic ability. Some of the American film producers are perhaps ie most selfish, greedy and unscrupulous people one can md in any part of the world. They have often bought tuite a few of the British pictures which threatened to ippeal to the American masses and instead of showing iiem in America they have either burnt their negatives Ir shelved the pictures completely. Ruthless and un|:rupulous in competition, these producers would easily )end millions to maintain their monopoly of American iiarkets rather than allow a good foreign picture to eate a different taste in the American audiences. Another important factor that militates against the bssibility of Indian pictures being popular in America the language of the Indian films. Though some dubbed ictures have sometimes appealed to the city audiences |i America for reasons given above, even the best Italian ictures have failed to be popular in little towns and Ilages where audiences are completely hypnotized by ie Hollywood glamour and publicity. The average Ameican, though he fancies himself to be the first cousin the Englishman, can hardly understand the English In "Sipahiya" produced and directed by Aspi, Yaqub, the popular star, looks every inch a high grade military officer. man's English and sticks to his American version of the language. When he hears Sir Laurence Olivier's beautiful diction in Shakespearean films, he is completely flabbergasted and often gives vent to his confusion by saying: "Goddammit! What's all the row about?" To sell an Indian picture to an American audience in such circumstances is like passing a camel through the needle's eye. It is high time that Indian producers realize the utter stupidity of their foolhardy ambition to produce pictures for the American market. Indian producers haven't a dog s chance to show an Indian picture on a commercial basis in America, and there is no sense in wasting Indian money in buying American dollars and making ourselves more poor than we are today. Our producers have neither intelligence nor patriotism and it is difficult to put sense into their bullet-proof heads but the Government of India can certainly stop these idiots from draining off our already slender economic resources by refusing them pass-ports to get out of the country with their wives and putrid films. Unless the Government take some drastic steps immediately quite a few producers who are already packing up new tins of their own celluloid junk are likely to waste some more Indian money overseas in buying dollars with which we can purchase some food for our hungry millions. 7