International Review of Educational Cinematography (Jan-Dec 1934)

THE CINEMA, HYGIENE AND PREVENTION OF DISEASE 803 « The Propaganda Committee of Social Hygiene for the Upper and Lower Rhine and the Moselle which contain a population of 1,800,000 souls, has made large use of film propaganda. « All the lectures organized are illustrated by films. Slides are only used in illustrating lectures of the Venereal Danger for masculine audiences. Such slides generally show the lesions referred to by the lecturer. « In the course of the last five years in the three departments of Upper and Lower Rhine and the Moselle, 28,872 films on hygiene subjects have been projected. « The activity of the last year in Lower Rhine and Moselle shows 5595 films projected on hygiene and 187 recreational pictures. The importance of these figures depends on the fact of the collaboration of the Alsace and Lorraine rural cinema which has 320 cinemas halls spread over three departments. During the six weeks of the sale of the Anti-tuberculosis stamp, a short propaganda film edited by the Committee was shown. (( We must not fail to note that the recreational as well as the strictly social hygiene film has helped in the work against the disease. The recreational film has its own value when used with educational pictures. <cWe have had wide recourse to the recreational film in this region where we organize every year, in collaboration with the National Bureau of Social Hygiene, the Tuberculosis Defence Committee and the Pedagogic Museum of Strasburg as well as some other associations, a series of tours. The programme of these tours contains a short talk dealing with the various subjects connected with the preventive treatment of disease the lecture of talk being followed by an illustrative film. A second item in the programme consists of a comic and documentary film. « This is a formula the worth of which has been proved for its effect on the big public, especially in country districts. « During the course of the last tour which took place from November 3, 1933 to Feb ruary 10, 1934, 3 hygiene soirees were organized in the departments of the Lower Rhine and the Moselle, and the audiences totalled 6859 persons. This figure is all the more satisfactory since it is in respect of rural localities of from 1000 to 2000 inhabitants. The lectures given on the same day in the schools were attended by a total of 9935 PuPils « The coming of the talking film has very considerably extended the possibilities of action of the educational cinema. Thanks to it the teachers who are best equipped to talk on their special subjects can address the public in the furthest off corners of our land, placing their knowledge and experience of hygiene at the disposal of a great many people. « The use of this method, of course, means that sound and talking film apparatuses must be purchased, and these are costly. But, at the same time, there is a corresponding diminution in the expenses owing to the possibility of reducing the list of lecturers and their fees. « Whether we are going to use a silent or talking film apparatus, it ought, in any case, to be of the best quality. It is only if it is a first class apparatus that it will be in a position to neutralize the dryness of the ordinary subjects dealt with, and arouse the interest of the spectators who must give an effort of their attention to subjects which they cannot immediately understand. « The financial resources and the technical means at the disposal of the departmental and inter-departmental organizations do not allow of their producing films on their own account. This work should belong in all countries to a central organization having powerful means and support behind it, and also all necessary technical equipment. The country's film repositories should be furnished in this way, and constantly kept up to date with all kinds of pictures dealing with local and regional interests. « The matter however, is by no means an easy one, for the hygiene film is somewhat difficult to produce, requiring, as it does, a