Kinematograph year book (1940)

The Year Abroad. 17 Trade Activities.— Annual production, apart from a considerable number of shorts, has risen to 12 feature pictures ; the three most successful ones were also produced in a Swedish-speaking version in conjunction with Swedish firms. Danish films, though hardly up to international standards, are monopolising to an increasing extent the theatres of Copenhagen and the other larger towns, thus rendering it difficult for foreign product to be placed advantageously. The yearly consumption of imported feature pictures (generally shown with locally made sub-titles) amounts to 300-350. Of these, 190-200 originate from U.S.A., 30-40 from Germany, 40-50 from France, 20-25 from Sweden, and 15-20 from England. FINLAND. Quota and Import Regulations. — No restrictions of any kind. Foreign films are granted a 5 per cent, reduction of the entertainments tax if shown together with at least 200 metres of domestic shorts, as is generally the case. Censorship. — State censorship is applied leniently by Valtion Filmitarkastamo and by Valtion Filmilautakunta as board of appeal. Trade Activities. — Finland's growing prosperity now destroyed by the Russian attack, was reflected by her flourishing film industry. Domestic production, assisted by exemption from entertainments tax granted to all locally-made films and the fact that the box-office value of a Finnish feature picture is about six times that of a foreign one, rose from six features and 130 shorts in 1934 to 19 features and 199 shorts, generally of a fair quality, in 1938. Under normal conditions a further increase could have been expected for 1939. Imported films released in 1938 numbered 315 (271 in 1937), including 167 (146) from U.S.A., 43 (49) from Germany and Austria, 19 (13) from Sweden, and eight (19) from England. Owing to the steady increase in attendance figures, the number of permanent kinemas (all wired) rose from 269 in 1936 to 337 in 1938, with an estimated seating capacity of 94,000. Of these, 49 were in Helsinki, 140 in other towns, and 148 in rural villages. FRANCE. The regulations reported in the 1938 and 1939 Year Books have been amended and supplemented by the following : — ■ Legislation and Organisation. — -The strike entered into by the Paris kinemas at the beginning of 1939 ended by the decision of the authorities to raise revenues not by higher taxes but by a compulsory 20 per cent, increase of admission prices. The Film Bill, prepared and several times amended by the Minister for Education, Jean Zay, was submitted to the Chamber of Deputies in a foim providing mainly for a purge of the film industry from undesirable elements, the refusal of censorship visas to foreign films which, though not objectionable themselves, were made by producers responsible for other films detrimental to the prestige of France ; the possibility of introducing a dubbing tax by decree ; the institution of a public register disclosing the legal and financial position of films before, during and after their production ; and a strict control of box-office receipts by checking the tickets issued to exhibitors. While the Bill itself has not gone further than the committee stage, owing to the political developments, the last-named measure was adopted by decree, and has been in force since July 29, 1939. Emergency Measures. — Of the changes brought about by the war, the following are the most important ones : — The film industry as well as any other section of the amusement industry is subordinated to the Service General dTnformation ; dissension among the organisations of the various groups of employees was ended by the estab