Film and Radio Guide (Oct 1945-Jun 1946)

J-nuary, 1946 FILM AND RADIO GUIDE 27 (plus a general report and atlas) comprising the studies resulting from the Regents’ Inquiry into the Character and Cost of Public Education in the State of New York, under the chairmanship of Owen D. Young and the direction of Mr. Gulick. It is only natural that under the eye of Mr. Young, a former major executive in the electrical industry, which underlies all film and radio development, a study of this kind should turn out to be practical. Miss Laine’s book, after summarizing the platitudes about the educational possibilities of films, which apparently had to be stated here for the nth time, defines the role of the state department in an educational film program. She sets up a graphic chart, showing how a state department of education should function in the dissemination of film information, in the training of teachers in film techniques, in film experimentation and research, and in the circulation of materials. Notable in the plan is the recognition given to curriculum units in photoplay appreciation as a phase of visual education. In line with the aims of the former motion-picture committee of the National Council of Teachers of English, better guidance of pupils in their selection of motion-picture entertainment is recommended as well as “more effective utilization of the better theatrical films in literature courses and in courses in motion-picture appreciation.” 47. MOTION-PICTURE VERSION OF SHAKESPEARE'S ROMEO AND JULIET, A. By Irving G. Thalberg and others. New York: Random House, Inc., 1936. Pp. 290, with ten full-page illustrations. The first volume of its kind, presenting a literary classic together with the shooting script of the screen version. A de-luxe case study for teachers and stu dents of photoplay appreciation. Illuminating articles by the producer, by the literary consultant, by the stars, by the director, by the screen playwright, by the art director, and by the costume designers, as well as a notable study guide by Max J. Herzberg. 48. MOVIE LOT TO BEACHHEAD. By the editors of Look. Preface by Robert St. John. 292 pp. Garden City, N. Y.: Doubleday, Doran and Co., Inc. 1945. A stunning array of pictures and a concise text, telling the story of how Hollywood went to war and how it prepared for peace — with training films, documentaries, and entertainment features — sending i t s writers, cinematographers, actors, and directors to Army and Navy studios, foxhole circuits, battle stations, and beachheads. Historians and teachers will find this vivid volume a ti’easure-trove of pictorial information about the movies in relation to World War II. 49. MOVIE PARADE. By Paul Rotha. New York: The Studio Publications, Inc., 1936. Pp. X, 142, with 600 illustrations. The history of films from 1903 to 1936 told in a pageant of beautifully reproduced stills, with penetrating analytical comment on each type of film. This is Rotha’s best book. 50. NORTH STAR, THE. By Lillian Helfman. 118 pp. New York: The Viking Press. 1943. A movie script by the playwright who wrote The Watch on the Rhine, The Little Foxes, The Children’s Hour, and The Searching Wind. A native of New Orleans and a lover of the Southland, Miss Heilman writes here of a Russian village in the South of that country, before and after it was invaded by the German army. Louis Kronenberger provides an introduction in which he admits he had never before seen a movie script. Nevertheless, his evaluation is ap preciative of the elements which make the scenario a good one. The script was given an elaborate production by Samuel Goldwyn under the direction of Lewis Milestone. Students of the film, which is now available to schools and colleges in 16mm, will enjoy reading this shooting script before and after seeing the film. 51. ON FILM TECHNIQUE. By Vsevolod Illarionovich Pudovkin. Translated and annotated by Ivor Montogue. London: Victor Gollancz, Ltd., 1929. Pp. 203. Three important essays and an address on the art of writing, editing, a n d directing silent films, with considerable emphasis on the technique of montage. Comparable t o Edgar Allan Poe’s essays on the art of the short-story in that the author is a master of the art he discusses. 52. PARTICIPATION: THE LAST WORD IN FILMS. By Bruce Allyn Findlay. Foreword by Vierling Kersey. School Publication No. 384. 36 pp. Los Angeles: Office of the Superintendent of Schools. 1942. This brochure, by the Los Angeles administrator of visual education, blazes new trails in techniques for utilization of classroom films. Mr. Findlay has no use for teachers who present films without disturbing the complacency of students. He is all for using films to develop action and reaction in learners. He offers a series of imaginative ideas for incorporating in the films themselves devices for compelling maximum class participation in the educational process. Mr. Findlay suggests, for example, that the film may include challenging statements or scoring devices as part of the film narration; that the commentator may make deliberate misstatements to test the alertness of listeners ; that the film may embody a quiz for self-scoring by students ; that it may par