Kinematograph year book : 1931 (1931)

The Year in Australia. 19 THE YEAR IN AUSTRALIA. I3y Kathleen Ussher. TRADE depression in Australia called a halt to the extensive kinemabuilding of the previous year, and led to a working agreement between the two largest circuits. Union Theatres, Ltd., and Hoyts, Ltd. (controlling jointly 250 houses), not to build against each other, and also to a merger of their interests as regards bookings. The widespread unemployment throughout the major towns was also responsible for a 40 per cent, cut in admission prices. Under these circumstances, no noticeable drop in kinema attendances was experienced. Five times as many people attended the pictures as went to all other forms of amusement combined ; or a total of, roughly, 125,000,000 persons ; that is, every man, woman and child in the Commonwealth went to the kinema on an average 20 times a year. As elsewhere, the triumphant march of the talkies swept all before it. The stage was seriously menaced, and Fullers, Ltd., the old-established variety circuit, found it necessary to wire their houses or go out of business. The following legitimate theatres (seating capacities in parenthesis) were among those wired : Empire, Brisbane (1,400) ; Victoria, Newcastle (1,400) ; Roxv, Sydney (1,500) ; Roxy, Newtown (2,000) ; Palace, Melbourne (1,600) ; Gaiety, Melbourne (1,000) ; Majestic, Adelaide (1,400) ; and His Majesty's, Perth (2,000). Fullers also control the Capitol, Perth (2,000) ; Empire, Sydney (3,000) ; and the Capitol, Melbourne (2,500), as well as many suburban and provincial independent theatres. Associated with their change-over to talkies is the powerful Tait-Williamson chain, which featured film revues (chiefly M.-G.-M.) in place of stage shows, retaining only four touring companies to play in such of their theatres as remained available. Nearly one-fourth of Au.stralia's 1,300 kinemas are now wired for talkies, principally with American apparatus. Western Electric being well in the lead with 277 installations up to October. By the beginning of 1931, it is anticipated that 750 cinemas will be equipped for sound. Ten competitive sets are operating in Australia, but the largest total reached by any one local manufacturer is 37. In the course of the year, 823 feature films were imported into Australia. Of these, 713 came from the United States, and 61 from the United Kingdom, showing an increase over the previous year of 6 per cent, in the case of American films and a decrease of 4 per cent, in the case of British films. Censorship was exercised with drastic effect, only 39 percent, of the films being passed without cuts, nearly 52 per cent, having pieces cut out, and 9 per cent, being rejected. On appeal, the rejections were reduced to 5| per cent. The proportion of British feature films rejected was nearly double that of American. In addition, 22 "talkie shorts" were rejected, as "undesirable." Owing to the control of the film industry being divided between six different States, no system of classification has j^et been devised whereby pictures may be marked, "suitable for general exhibition," or otherwise. Onus of responsibility, therefore, rests with the Film Censor for maintaining a uniform moral standard for young and old alike, and probably accounts for the banning of certain films designed for the more discriminating audiences. Among the British films banned were " Wliite Cargo," " The Informer," " Knowing Men," " The Lady from the Sea," " The W Plan," " Murder," " Suspense," and " Young Woodley " (although the play had been fully performed on the stage). The decision of the Censor in the case of the five last-named films has since been reversed. Anyone who doubts that the Australian public really wants British talkies had only to note the audience reaction to " Splinters " and " Rookery Nook." The former ran for seven weeks in Melbourne and eight weeks in Sydney, the latter for eleven weeks in Melbourne and five weeks in Sydney. "At the Villa Rose," "Sleeping Partners," and "At the House of the Arrow" also did good business. Australian rights to these productions were held by