Focus: A Film Review (1950-1951)

228 An Urgent Appeal For Catholic Action At the recent General Council meeting of the International Catholic Film Office held in Rome, it was regretfully decided that unless there can be a very definite increase in the circulation of the English edition of the International Film Review, it must cease publication. This is a double tragedy. It is sad to think that the only truly international film review should be unable to find enough English readers to keep it going; it is even more distressing that the only review really attempting to develop the Christian philosophy of the art of film should be unable to find enough Catholics interested in the religious and artistic aspects of the cinema to support its modest requirements to keep it in existence. \ Let it not be thought that the International Film Review is just one more in the large list of glamorous cinema publications. It is the only journal seriously approaching the problems presented by the cinema, both morally and artistically, from an international point of view. It has recently been honoured with a series of recommendations from personalities of the highest competence in every walk of life. From Mgr. Montini, of the Vatican Secretariat of State, we received the following letter. Addressed to the President of the International Catholic Cinema Office, it reads as follows: “You are not unaware of the warm interest with which the Holy Father follows the work and development of the O.C.I.C. Recently, on the occasion of the General Council Meeting of your Office in London, it was my pleasure to confirm this attitude which the Head of the Church has towards you. “But an organisation such as yours owes it to itself to have a special publication at its service, and at this time, as the International Film Review enters its second year, I am able to tell you that the Holy See sends encouragement to your work and hopes for the develop ment of your periodical. This review, with its fine format and serious content, aims, in effect, to respond on the international plane to the need that you have felt to express with faith and knowledge the Catholic point of view in the problems which the development of the cinema has set the world of today. . . . One cannot but hope that, while in no way supplanting national publications, your review is obtaining the circulation that is merited by the cause it serves.” From the two ladies who are, without doubt, the most influential film critics in this country we have pleasure in publishing these testimonials. C. A. Lejeune, of The Observer, writes: “I am very happy indeed to have the chance to say a few words about International Film Review. In my opinion it provides, together with Focus, a more sensible assessment of film values than any other magazine at present obtainable in English. What I like so much about it is its sanity. It is wise without being priggish; neither writes ' up nor writes down; but manages to impart and invite intelligence without ever falling into the trap of abstraction. “No other review, to my knowledge, provides such a full and balanced picture of the state of film in the world today, and I particularly like the care it gives to the needs of children in the cinema. A really splendid job.” Miss Dilys Powell, of the Sunday Times, writes, “I have read International Film Review with interest and am impressed by the range of the material and the high standard of its criticism. It seems to me that the serious student of the cinema should find much here which he cannot afford to neglect.” From our English Hierarchy we have had many encouraging letters. May I quote as typical the letter of the Bishop of Menevia. His Lordship says: “May I say how important it is that the English-speaking Catholic world should have as much information as possible.