Focus: A Film Review (1950-1951)

314 Ave Maria, a charming Italian film depicting a village procession to a shrine of Our Lady in Abruzzi. Abbot Upson’s beautiful, silent, coloured film, As Sure As God’s in Gloucestershire, aroused the greatest enthusiasm with its well-chosen sequences showing the life of the Benedictines at Prinknash Abbej\ The Atom and You, the Films For Humanity lecture film on the question of atomic power, demonstrated a further use of film as propaganda. The beautiful photography of The Passionate Friends, by David Lean, set a standard for imaginative and poetic camera-work even in professional commercial films. It is hoped that some of the lectures given at the Summer School may be printed in Focus at a later date. INSTITUTE NOTES Hierarchy Centenary Congress The Catholic Film Institute has been invited by the Committee of the Hierarchy Centenary Congress to produce a souvenir film of the Congress celebrations. Monsieur Vincent By the courtesy of C. V. Bargate, Esq., the Catholic Film Institute was enabled to show the famous French film Monsieur Vincent to the Little Sisters of the Poor at Portobello Road, London, on the occasion of a special gathering of the Sisters at the end of a Retreat. The film was much appreciated and the Sisters, whose work of charity is so similar to that initiated by St. Vincent de Paul, savoured to the full the implications of the film with its demand that supernatural charity impregnate all social and rescue work undertaken for the poor. Dr. Andrew Buchanan We are delighted to learn that the International Academy has awarded to Andrew Buchanan, the well-known Producer and Director of factual films, the Honorary Degree of Doctor of Literature in recognition of his work in writing and lecturing on films. Rarely has an academic honour been more richly deserved and we hasten to offer to Dr. Buchanan our warm congratulations. Readers of Focus will know bv experience the characteristic claritv and lucidity which distinguishes his writings. Film Competition We have so far received few films for our Film Competition. It will be remembered that our purpose in announcing the Competition was to discover latent or unrecognised talent among the amateur cinematographers who are members of the C.F.I. or readers of Focus. They must be aware by now of our hope to be able to form groups of students willing to study the technique of film-making and so provide the recruiting basis from which to develop our plan for an independent professionally competent production unit for religious films and films for humanity. This year must have stimulated many possessors of cine-cameras to record their pilgrimage, holiday, or other interesting occasion. Do let us see what you have done. It will help us immensely. There is a prize of £20 for the person whose film is judged the best, technically and imaginatively. A prize Plaque will be awarded to the winner and diplomas to the runners-up. The work of the S.V.P., the C.P.E.A., the Y.C.W., etc., suggest many interesting subjects for amateur filmmakers. C.F.I. Abroad The Chairman of the C.F.I. (Very Rev. Hilary Carpenter, O.P.) and the Editor of Focus : A Film Review (Rev.