The Independent Film Journal (1954)

News And Views . . . Rosenfield on ''Aida” [ Detroit. — An audience of 5,000,000 in the U. S., many of whom are not regular film, theatre goers, is ready to support opera films such as “Aida,” according to Jonas Rosenfield, Jr., IFE vice-president in charge of advertising, publicity and exploitation, who addressed a group of local film critics here. Rosenfield’s estimate is based on a. national survey being conducted by TFE, covering thus far over 250,000 patrons attending per¬ formances of “Aida” in New York, Chicago, Baltimore, Cleveland, Philadelphia, and Ncav Orleans. Survey indicates that 56 percent of these patrons had never seen an opera, while 2714 percent had not been in a motion picture theatre for three years. As a result of “Aida’s” success, Rosenfield reveals, Ital¬ ian producers are readying “Madame Butter¬ fly,” ‘‘Carmen,” “Joan at the Stake,” and other operas for the American screen. Lubin on ''Rebound'' Reduction by two-thirds in the cost of production can be accomplished by shooting I a picture in Enlgand, it was pointed out by Arthur Lubin, director, at an interview with the trade press. Lubin has just eomJ pleted shooting “Rebound” in England for Producer Mike Frankovich and starring j Stewart Granger and Jean Simmons. Co¬ lumbia will release. Planned by Lubin, who is best known for his comedies about Francis, the talking mule, which he made for Universal, is a second picture for production in England. Film is “Ghost of Drury Lane.” Franko¬ vich will again produce and Columbia re¬ lease. Regarding Francis, the director said that he will make another and sixth talkingmule subject for Universal, Tentative title is “Francis Weighs Anchor,” with Donald I O’Connor again starring. Huston on "King" Producer-director John Huston has com1 pleted “Moby Dick” for Warner Bros, reI lease and is alreadv outlining plans for 1 “The Man Who Would Be King,” upon which shooting will commence either late this year or early 1956 for Allied Artists release. Tn town last week, Huston furnished some pertinent data on his most recent pic¬ ture, which was produced bvMoul in-El stree Productions. “Moby Dick,” he said, was some two years in the making, was brought in for “about $4,000,000” or one million above budget, and could have used even more funds to increase the research I and reconstruction of certain sailing ships | needed for the production. Huston will supervise the editing of “Dick” in Ireland, where he lives, then be] gin on “King.” which is based on a Rudyard Kipling story. No budget has yet been set but Peter Viertel will write the initial script and Humphrey Bogart will play one of the starring roles. Kaufman on "Silver” It is the duty of exhibitors to learn what merchandising aids the producer has avail¬ able on a picture and to utilize these aids, stated producer Joseph Kaufman at a meet¬ ing with the trade press. Kaufman, who is currently working on a promotion campaign l or “Long John Silver,” a DCA release, out¬ lined the exhibitor aids he has prepared on that CinemaScope-Eastman Color production. A 12-minute black and white short and a six-minute version of the same subject have been made on the production problems en¬ countered on “Silver.” The 12-minute short is being given to schools, auditoriums, etc. while the six-minute film is for use in theattres as a pre-trailer. Television and radio spot announcements, a series of half-hour radio programs and a serialization of the film’s story for insertion in newspapers have all been created as selling helps on the picture, Kaufman re¬ vealed. He appealed to exhibitors to make use of these exploitation and promotion helps. The producer has writers currently work¬ ing on four screen plays, which he plans to produce within the next two years. These include “Medicine Whip,” “The Sundown¬ ers,” “Come Away, Pearler,” and “Spanish Main.” These pictures will be shot in some process and color and will be filmed in Australia, Kaufman disclosed. Rhoden on "Patronage" Hollywood. — “We must sell our attrac¬ tions for dear life,” President Elmer C. Rhoden warns National Theatres managers in the latest issue of the organization’s house organ. “Our theatres,” wrote Rhoden, “are no longer privileged to cater to the movie-going public, but rather, we are hosts to a discern¬ ing public that selects its pictures very care¬ fully. I presume they weigh the pictures that we have to offer with the shows that can be seen gratis at home in their own parlors, and if it is a question of making up their minds as to whether they should ‘go out to see a show,’ or should sit it out before their TV sets, then the only deciding factor is the quality of the picture. “You have read the report of our first research project. . . . We believe that this first study will convince the producers that thev must take advantage of TV to pre-sell, and that today, greater emphasis must be made on the pre-selling of motion picture attractions. “Please don't believe that all of the job of pre-selling can and will be done by the producer. You must do a follow-up job as well. The moment you get a booking of an attraction, start to sell it!” Frayne on "Personnel" Dr. John G. Frayne, president of the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers, has made known the Society’s plan to set up a committee to look into the problem of the growing need for trained technical people in the motion picture in¬ dustry. Dr. Frayne explained that the mo¬ tion picture industry is becoming more and more technical, and that work that once could be done by unskilled people is now too complicated and requires the skill of trained personnel. Three Films On ‘ W ar and Peace ? Three production companies have definitely announced their intention to film Leo Tol¬ stoy’s monumental novel, “War and Peace.” T11 Hollywood, the Michael Todd Company, through its president, Phil Reisman, has announced that Fred Zinnemann will direct, and Robert E. Sherwood will write the screenplay. Film will be processed in ToddAO and budgeted at $7,500,000. The script is expected to be completed in June, and the film will bo shot in Yugoslavia with the full cooperation of the Yugoslav Army and Gov¬ ernment. In New York, Dino DeLaurentiis, of the Italian firm of Ponti-DeLaurentiis, which made “Mambo” and “Ulysses,” forthcoming Paramount releases, also announced a pro¬ duction of “War and Peace,” in VistaVision, to start in June. Film will be the most ex¬ pensive ever made in Italy, with a budget of $4,500,000 to $5,000,000, and will be photographed in Yugoslavia, Finland, and Italy. King Vidor Signed DeLaurentiis, who has a signed contract with Avala Film of Belgrade, has designated King Vidor to direct the Tolstoy film. De¬ Laurentiis is negotiating with three top American stars for the leads. David O. Selznick, who revealed last June that he had Ben Heeht working on the treatment of “War and Peace,” said he had “no comment” on the Todd announcement, but expected to make his own statement soon. M-G-M has also filed claim to the work with the Title Registration Bureau of the MPAA. Ordinarily, conflicts such as this are resolved by the title bureau, which de¬ termines priority of rights to stories in the public domain on the basis of application for clearance made by producers. Todd said that he was an “outsider” — a non-member of the association — and therefore did not feel re¬ quired to seek clearance. Ponti-DeLaurentiis also operate outside the area of the agree¬ ment. Film Firm Dividends Show Substantial Rise Washington. — Dividends publicly de¬ clared by film corporations last year reached $28,289,000, far above the $23,405,000 paid out in 1953, according to the Department of Commerce. Dividends during December of last year exceeded dividends of December 1953 by $656,000, with 20th-Fox and Loew’s accounting for the increase. Fox paid $1,108,000 plus a special $277,000 dividend in December 1954 compared to $692,000 in the same month of 1953, while Loew’s paid $1,286,000 in December 1954 compared to $1,029,000 paid in the final month of 1953. Admish Prices Drop Washington. — Film theatre admission prices declined an unspecified amount dur¬ ing December, according to the Labor De¬ partment’s consumer price report. The drop was ascribed to a return to regular admis¬ sion prices after showing of special features in a number of cities. THE INDEPENDENT FILM JOURNAL— February 5, 1955 17