International Review of Educational Cinematography (Jan-Dec 1930)

84 mentioned in our July and August numbers: these pictures were produced by the Zionist Committee and bore the titles : « Springtime in Palestine » and « Sailing up the Jordan ». In our December issue we mentioned the Jewish film « Buried Alive », which was meeting with great success in France. This film tells the life story of a Jewish hero and reproduces a number of Jewish rites that are wonderfully reproduced. Scenes of a like kind are shown in the film « The Promised Land », produced in 1925 by Henry Roussel, featuring the well-known actress, Raquel Meller, who is so greatly admired by the French public. « Jacob's Well » is the only film of a theatrical character among these Palestine films, except for a few brief Zionist propaganda films. The British War Office has released a film entitled « The Palestine Campaign and the Surrender of Jerusalem". A film which is being prepared in the Paris studios of the Rue Francceur, the photographs of which were taken by the operator Sammy Brill, is of great topical interest. This operator was in Palestine during the recent disorders and did not hesitate to risk his life to take a documentary film that shows Palestine before, during, and after the rioting. (Comnedia Paris, F. 6/298). A few Russian films also deserve attention. The scene director, A.Soloviev, of the Vufka Co., is preparing a film « The Five Brides Elect », representing an episode in the pogroms committed in a small Jewish community by bands of Petliura. (Les Nouveaute's dn Cinema Sovietique F. 11/62). The scene director, V. Tourine, and his assistant K. Aron, of the Vostok-kino, have left for White Russia, in quest of material for a new film, « The Jews on land work » (Les Nouveaute's du Cinema Sovietique). The Anglican Missionary Society has released a fine film on India and the Hindu religions. The Catholic Church is also endeavouring to propagandise the Faith by means of the film in India. The Indian press notes that the film « The King of Kings » met with an enormous success in that country. It has been showing for several weeks in Madras. This fact — as the papers point out — suggests that the cinema offers on efficacious medium for carrying the message of the Christian Faith to the Indians. The noble figure of Christ and the fearlessness with which He proclaimed himself to be the Son of God and the promised Messiah, make a powerful impression on the minds of the uninitiated. (M. K. B. Film-Rimdschau, Essen F. 11,71). Let us lastly mention, by way of information, certain films of a purely documentary type not concerned with religious propaganda; but which come within the category of religious films because they illustrate the religious uses and customs still prevailing among certain peoples. As stated in our December issue the scene director Dmtriev is about to release an ethnographical film « In the Country of the Oudmourts », based on the photographs taken by the Mejrabpomfilm in the Votsk region. This film shows more particularly the ceremonies and sacrifices of a religious kind that still prevail in that territory. The « Maya Cycle » was recently shown at the Odeon Theatre at the Hague. This film, besides showing some very. interesting views of the Islands of Java and Borneo, contains the documentary record of the cremation ceremonies in those lands (Kinematograph, Berlin F. 6"323). In India the religious film movement is well developed, as are film activities in general. We would particularly recall to the reader's memory the article that appeared in the August 1929 issue of the International Review. A few particulars will suffice here. We have, of course, only been able to glance at the big question of religious film activity in this brief survey. In later numbers we shall publish further particulars relating to protestant propaganda by the cinema.