La Cinématographie Française (1938)

rTTTiiixxixixxxirxxxxxxj cinej FR RAPHIE SE rxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxi CINEMA IN FRANCE Current Problème of a MM Industry by P. A. HARLÉ At the end of the 1937-8 season, the French Cinéma seems to hâve acquired the stability which it has been looking for during the last twenty years. The French Industry is no longer faced with such problems as : « How to hâve well equipped théâtres ? » or « How to produce good pictures ? », or « How to get ail to know their job properly ? » We hâve reached the point where a concern yields a good output because both workers and machines are properly tuned. On a ten-time smaller scale, since the French urban population which represents the Motion Picture Théâtres attendance, does not exceed ten million patrons, the Cinéma in France has reached the envied situation which the American film Industry has for a long time shown us as example : an honourable national production and a market which pays for it. MADNESS OF SALARIES The still very active French legitimate theatre has brought the Film Industry an excellent recruiting of players, script and screen-play writers. This abundance of first-rate artists and technicians has however not stopped the French Cinéma to escape the madness of salaries. Everyday, one hears with renewed astonishment that a young leading man of still limited expérience, demands (and obtains) 300.000 francs ($ 1 0,000) for a part which will not take longer than six weeks, that a film director receives double salary for his directing work, that two weeks of dialogue writing are paid more than 50.000 francs ($ 1 ,500) . As a matter of fact, this dangerous excess is not peculiar to France : on the contrary it is here the resuit of what has happened in Hollywood an in London. The madness of exaggerated salaries for stars, film executives, directors and Writers is an international plague. COLOR AND TELEVISION This rush for expenditure on the production of current films in the World Cinéma is ail the more dangerous as the Film Industry will soon hâve to face two new inventions which will probably cause a similar trouble to film budgets and theatre equipments as that caused by the advent of sound pictures and talkies. The United States hâve made a start and we are awaiting the results of this experiment. Money would be more usefully invested if it were employed to bring to the Cinéma new inventions, namely colour to-day, and télévision to-morrow, which are undoubttly the new ways of expression and diffusion. We know that great pioneers such as Louis Lumière, Charles Pathé, Léon Gaumont, hâve retired from the trade struggle, but are they no other audacious men ? French laboratories only pursue the study of new inventions as far as the first patents. Then they let them go to Foreign countries from whitch they are returned industrialized plus royalties to pay. How much cost to the French Cinéma and is still costing the use of foreign sound equipment ? The expense even burdens our film exportations without any counter-value. Color can be splendidely used : take « Snow White », take this year’s new American productions. Color must be put immediately in the hands of the French artists, and painters. There is a case of a black and white European film the production of which last year has cost 1 8 million francs (nearly $ 500,000) . If this film had been in color, it would hâve found its output. DANGEROUS EXCESS OF COMPETITION The methods applied in film distribution are still very questionable. There are distributors who run the race just like stayers. Claude May et Roland Toutain dans le film de Daniel Norman, Prince de mon Cœur. renting their filmd to the biggest number of exhibitors with sustained prices. Others launch brilliant first runs and sell off the general release. Are they right or wrong to play outsiders ? The struggle is free. Ail takings are good. But the resuit is a terrible disorder in renting prices, in exhibition, and finally in the output of certain films. After that, the Distributors complain : they accuse the Exhibitors of badly managing their business, of showing the films at the unfavourable times of the year, and of not maintaining their admission rates. Who is responsible ? Distributors are wrong in accusing Exhibitors for a disorder which they hâve brought on themselves. Are they not free to décidé the renting prices they allow ? Are they not free to décidé the distribution of the films in the various towns, as well as the release dates? The struggle of first runs with high admission rates against the following runs at lower admission rates is managed by nobody else but the Distributors. It must be hoped that in future, real rules will be laid down for this délicate business game which is called « distribution ». Free compétition is useful. But it also has its dangerous excesses. Beyond a certain point of ferocity, wrestling puts the athlètes out !