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A FILM REVIEW
FOCUS
ORGAN OF THE CATHOLIC FILM INSTITUTE
Vol. Ill
MAY 1950
No. 5
Quotation
The other day I was talking to a priest about the Importance and Necessity of a Catholic Film Institute. He listened, kindly and courteously, and pulled from the bottom drawer of his desk a comfortable looking “common place’’ book, ripped a page from it, handed it to me, as he said: “This might interest some of your readers’’. It was an extract from an article on “The Faith and the Cinema”, which Mr. McDonald had written for “The Month” in December, 1922. Here it is . . .
The external structure of the Church is based upon the principle that is applied in the Cinema. A means of instruction that has only been appreciated by psychologists and advertisers in recent years has been utilised persistently throughout the history of the Church, which, recognising that man is not as a rule capable of purely abstract thought, has been careful to provide him with images and symbols that bring home to him the great truths of his religion. For the mind loves pictures and will assimilate illustrated truth with remarkable ease . . . Why not, then, a Film Evidence Guild? The means to be employed have been indicated at least in part by Mr. Belloc, who is
a stout champion of the Cinema. He advocates for the purposes of secular education, the production of a number of short films which would show developments in constitutional government, architecture and the general life of the people. One, for instance, might show London Bridge at various periods of its history, another the form of government in this country throughout the centuries. A third (and this is more to our purpose) might show pictures of worship in St. Paul’s.
1. — The sacrifices that took place on the site of St. Paul’s in pagan times.
2. — Pictures of the Mass in early Christian days and before the Reformation.
3. — Illustrations of a modem service (as a contrast) .
That such a film would be an admirable lesson in apologetics is certain and the use of judicious subtitles would help to make it conclusive, if it. were supplemented by a short historical picture showing why a radical difference exists between the pre-Reformation and the post-Reformation act of worship.
(“Month”, Dec. 1922, McDonald)