Kinematograph year book (1944)

Digest of Acts. 133 (3) This section shall not authorise the making of an order — (a) altering any of the proportions prescribed by Part I of the First Schedule to this Act to a proportion being, in relation to long films, less than twenty per cent, or more than thirty per cent, or, in relation to short films, less than fifteen per cent, or more than 30 per cent., or (6) altering any of the proportions prescribed by Part II of the said Schedule to a proportion being, in relation to long films, less than fifteen per cent, or more than thirty per cent, or, in relation to short films, less than twelve and a half per cent, or more than thirty per cent. 4) As from the coming into operation of an order under this section altering any of the proportions prescribed by the First Schedules to this Act, that Schedule shall have effect as if it prescribed, instead of that proportion, the proportion substituted therefor by the order. (5) In this section the expression "calendar year" means year beginning with the first day of January. (16). — Reduction of exhibitors' quotas for year ending 30th September, 1938. The First Schedule to the Act of 1927 shall have effect, and be deemed always to have had effect, as if the proportion prescribed by Pat t II of that Schedule as respects the year ending with the thirtieth day of September nineteen hundred and thiity-eight were fifteen per cent, and not twenty per cent. PART II. RESTRICTIONS ON BLIND BOOKING AND ADVANCE BOOKING OF FILMS. (17) . — Restriction on blind booking. (1) No renter shall, in the period beginning at the commencement of this Act and ending with the thirtieth day of September nineteen hundred and forty-eight, procure the giving by an exhibitor (whether for a consideration or not, and whether orally or in writing) of any such undertaking as would, if it were legally binding on the exhibitor, impose on him an obligation, either actual or contingent, to take delivery of a film to which this Act applies, for public exhibition at a theatre in Great Britain, being a film which had not been trade-shown at the time of his giving the undertaking : Provided that this subsection shall not operate so as to restrict — (a) in relation to any serial film or series of films, the making, at a time when at least three parts of the film or series have been trade-shown, of an agreement for the public exhibition of any part thereof. (b) the making, in relation to any one film, of an agreement for the exhibition of that film at one theatre only and on a number of consecutive days, or (c) the making, in relation to any one film, of agreements for the exhibition of that film on not more than three days and at not more than three theatres. (2) Where, in relation to any one film, there have been made, at a time when that film has not been trade-shown, several agreements the purport of which taken together is to provide for the public exhibition of that film in Great Britain either at more than one theatre or otherwise than on consecutive days, the benefit of paragraph (6) of the proviso to the preceding subsection shall not extend to any of those agreements ; and where, in relation to any one film, there have been made, at a time when that film has not been trade-shown, several agreements the purport of which taken together is to provide for the public exhibition of the film in Great Britain either on more than three days or at more than three theatres, the benefit of paragraph (c) of the said proviso shall not extend to any of those agreements. In relation to any film being a part of a serial film or series of films, the preceding provisions of this subsection shall have effect as if, in those provisions, for the words "when that film has not been trade-shown," in each place where those words occur, there were substituted the words " before three parts of that serial film or series of films have been trade-shown." (18) . — Restriction on advance booking. No renter shall, in the period beginning at the commencement of this Act and ending with the thirty-first day of March nineteen hundred and forty-eight, procure the giving by an exhibitor (whether for a consideration or not, and whether orally or in writing) of any such undertaking as would, if it were legally binding on the exhibitor, impose on him an obligation, either actual or contingent, to take delivery of a film to which this Act applies for public exhibition at a theatre in Great Britain at a date later than six months after the date on which he gives the undertaking : Provided that, in relation to any serial film or series of films, this section shall not operate so as to restrict the making of an agreement in so far as it provides for any part of the film or series being exhibited after three parts thereof have been exhibited to the public at a theatre in Great Britain. (19) . — Penalties. If any renter contravenes any of the provisions of this Part of this Act, he shall be liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding two hundred and fifty pounds.