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12
The Kinemcitogyaph Year Booh.
Reciprocity, as a means of an outlet for independently produced British films into the world market — with particular reference, of course, to America — was quickly recognised as being a vital question.
It was quickly seen that the obvious next step would merely be the establishment of producing units over here by American organisations. The output might be British in one sense of the term, in that the pictures would be made in this country, but this would by no means satisfy the genuine demand for a growth of our producing industry.
While it was felt that we badly needed to learn the lessons of organisation and technique that the Americans could teach us, it was made quite clear on all hands that a British film must mean a film made by British finance and enterprise.
Needless to say the discussions were followed with the greatest keenness in America, and an emissary of Will Hays was in London during the sittings of the Joint Production Committee, to keep the Trade leaders in New York and Hollywood in touch with all developments.
The impression here was that the Americans' chief fear was of the quota, and the opinion was pretty freely expressed that reciprocity would mean their co-operation just as far as the big stick threw its shadow. How much justification there was in this reading of the situation has not yet, of course, been revealed; for as far as concrete effects are concerned there is no advance, even at this date, to record.
All this time the anti blind-booking attitude of the C.E.A. had been vigorously maintained. It had been said in many quarters that no scheme would be laid down which would prove effective, and it was the determined way in which W. N. Blake, the President of the C.E.A., kept hammering at this question that finally settled the policy.
The many voices that had appealed for " no Government intervention ;' died down ; it was realised that legislation was the only remedy, and the referendum to which I have referred above was the result.
Imperial Conference.
Meantime, as a reminder that the independence of the British screen was no longer to be regarded as a domestic matter, there came the Imperial Conference demand. Colonial views had been