International Review of Educational Cinematography (Jan-Dec 1930)

— 4o — in most cases stipulate agreements with quite a number of film holders or dealers, cultural and even school cinemas may in some cases be actually compelled to cease operations. The question of the actual availability of a film is therefore of the highest importance . In this connection it makes no difference whether the film holder is a purely commercial concern or a public spirited institution. The difficulty can be remedied only by public film collections with an adequate film stock. By this we do not of course advocate a State monopoly of cultural and educational films, but merely what should be a subsidiary function of public film collections. This auxiliary function, as in the case of photographic collections, is indispensable, because all privately supported film collections, whether belonging to „ business concerns or to public spirited institutions, must be formed of films which offer a reasonable security that the money spent on them will be recovered in a comparatively short period. Furthermore, owing to the pressure of competition, such collections cannot be replenished systematically , but as a rule they are added to only by occasional purchases made when the situation of the market permits. Now, for instructional and scientific purposes, and those of popular education, there arises at repeated but perhaps rare intervals the necessity of getting films which interest only a comparatively limited circle, but are of the utmost importance to those interested. Only a public body can be in a position to collect such films and to make them available, whenever the need for them arises, for a low fee. Only such a public organization, possessing adequate means, could systematically produce films for the above purposes as well as for popular instruction (in hygienics, economics, general culture), and with highly beneficial results. Only such a body could have at its command the whole scientific, pedagogical and State apparatus, and, as it would not be hampered by business considerations, it would also be in a position to carry out a film producing program without having to make any concession to bad taste. There is here a chance for a division of labour satisfactory to both parties, between the public film collection and the private film hirers, who are so strongly influenced by economic motives. The co-operation of film experts would obviate exaggerations, waste and dilettante experiments. It is particularly important that users, especially schools and scientific institutions, should be able to obtain the required films within a reasonable period of time. While for reasons of economy, it might not alwavs be possible to supply all schools simultaneously with the films wanted, still the exigencies, of a regular course of instruction make it imperative that the films shoidd as far as possible be made available at the right moment. The public film organization would therefore have to help not only as regards the quality of the films but also their quantity. 5) All users of educational and teaching films must, even more than cultural film users, see that they get their films at a relatively very low cost, as they are not in a position to recover their expenses. Scholastic cinemas for elementary and secondary schools in particular will have to go in more and more for the free exhibition of films. In any case, only a very small proportion of the costs incurred can be included in or added to the school fees (like the laboratory charges to be paid in universities, etc.). But that should not be an obstacle to the utilization, already