International Review of Educational Cinematography (Jan-Dec 1934)

J92 THE CINEMA IN EDUCATION according to the purpose and use it has had to serve. Classification and Thrift films have all Character of Thrift wjthout exception a fundamental educational character on account of the very nature of thrift propaganda, the motives on which this propaganda is based and the nature of !he institutions promoting it. Yet bearing in mind this fundamentalcharacter common to all thrift films, it is possible to effect among them a first classification of an exclusively technical sort on the basis of the prevalent method of using them, and of the surroundings in which they are for the most part screened. Bearing this in mind, thrift films can be divided into : A) advertisement films ; B) educational films properly so called; C) cultural or instructional films. (A). Advertisement Films — These are short films (50, 120, 150 metres) or exceedingly short (20-40 metres) intended mostly for screening in the advertising part or during the intervals of public shows. Their purpose is to propagate thrift in a general way by showing some particularly beneficial aspect of it, or, as a contrast, the harm of waste, etc. Others are intended as propaganda of a special form of thrift or of the use of a given service at the Savings Banks, for instance, the system of payments by means of transfer accounts (very popular in Germany), saving for home-building, etc. Whilst the very short films have gradually fallen into disuse in view of the impossibility of developing clearly a complete thought on thrift in a few dozen metres of film, the 50-120 metre films have proved really effective for the Savings Banks that have made use of them, particularly in Germany and Czechoslovakia. Intended, as we have already stated, to be screened for the most part in public halls in the part of the show reserved for publicity, they inevitably suffer the disadvantages pecu liar to films of this kind, irrespective of successful execution. The public generally has the disagreeable feeling that ideas and sensations are being forced on it that are not exactly the same as those which attracted it to the entertainment. Furthermore, the ideas awakened by these short films during the few minutes of their screening are bound to be overwhelmed by the sensations that crowd upon the spectator during the two or three hours of the principal show. Hence the necessity of films of this kind being of a racy character, such as will arouse the spectator's curiosity and engross his attention by their originality and the beauty of the idea. Films of the animated cartoon type (trick films : adventures of Micky Mouse, Felix the Cat, etc.) of a comical nature are in general those still preferred by the spectators, who, however, show marked intolerance of old cartoons, too often repeated or executed with faulty or out-of-date technique. Certainly, after the magnificent examples of Walt Disney and the introduction of coloured cartoons, the field is not an easy one for our institutions, who have not abundant financial resources at their disposal. It is nevertheless open to the fertile inventiveness of the artists and of our educationists, who can draw new and universally deep-felt inspirations from the humanity and variety of the aspects of providence. Among the films of this type, for which the German Savings Banks in particular show marked partiality having ascertained their effectiveness, special mention must be made of the most recent, some of them talking films, produced with a view to combating hoarding and promoting the economic education of the people, in particular the following films, produced by the National Association of German Savings Banks : " Geht man so mit Geld um " 50 metres (Is this the way to deal with money ?) illustrating cases taken from the daily chronicle of thefts, fires, loss of money, hoarding : — " Stillstand ist Ruckgang "90 metres (He