La Cinématographie Française (1939)

□cmcm ♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦ CIIVE French Cinéma îs a continuée! mdustry By P. A. Harlé Une vue de toute beauté de Paris dans le film Louise avec Grâce Moore et Georges Thill 37 CXXZljmXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXl Our foreign reaciers will find in this current issue of La Cinématographie française a full survey of the French Film Industry. This urvey will interest as well our French readers generally too busy by their work in the specializing branch to which they are devoted to look over the whole of the very strong organization which the French film Industry represents. Our journal îs a very faithful witness of the contmued 20-year work of the French cinéma. Reading back its news and advertisement pages of its 20-year issues, one will be particularly împressed by this contmued activity. During these last 20-year, the developement of the French film Industry has been progressive with no bending. The annual number of films produced or the seat-capacity of the théâtres are on this po nt less valuable proves than the inside consolidation pointed out by the stability of employement and wages, as well as the formation of speciahzed techmcians, not only for the studios and the laboratones but also for distribution and exhibition. Such serious events as the unanimous closing of ail Pans Motion Picture Théâtres, last January, as a protest against excessive taxes, and the general increase of admission prices rates made in a week-time at the request of the Finances department hâve shown which deep cohésion exists between ail the men of the Industry w'hen general interest asks for it. * * * It is also important to note the real corporative spirit of this Industry. Most of the contested commercial matters are being always settled without any interférence of the law-courts by a simple arbitration of committees created by the Film Syndical Chambers and made up cf people of the Industry. On the same way such organizations as « Protex » wh ch Iay the bad payers under an interdict, the Joint Committee of Admission prices which Controls the application of the rates established in common agreement by the Distributors and the Exhibitors, and ail the Funds for social insurance and help and holiday with pay are in excellent operation. It is in full independence, without any pressure of the Government, without any control but an ordinary censorship for morahty, and without any financial help of the State, that the French Cinéma has been producing for many years a regular amount of good pictures, împorting foreign films, exhibiting both of them, and also exporting its production. * * * This is now a very rare case in the world, maybe the only one in Continental Europe. By pointing it out, we do not challenge anybody. Our only desire is that this independence and freedom of the Michel S|mon et Claude Dauphin dans Cavalcade d’Amour. film de Raymond Bernard trade — in other words this liberalism of the film industry — can be extended to the countnes from which we buy pictures or to which we sell our production. This is the only way to obtain these international exchanges that everyone has been always asking for in the name of the progress of art and cultural diffusion, but which in fact are more and more restricted by ail the clearing Systems, trusts’ pressure, and diplomatie hypocrisy. It is a childish pretext to make the international tension followed with a « cinéma tension » by opening and closing the borders according to the fluctuations of the diplomatie relations. We only see in that System an obvious commercial tnck from trademen who use an official state protection to ehminate the salesmen of the rival nations. This mistake may give a little profit at the very moment, but later the Industry of the nation who has used it always suffers for it. The power of the Cinéma is very weak m pohtical fights. On the contrary its isolation stops ail the progress of the local hlm industries. Unsuccessful experiments hâve shown (hat the groupmenl of hlm companies under the control of the Governement is a very bad System. We think that everybody agréés on the fact that a Governement which encourages the hlm production for a large wordly diffusion, with the necessary financial and moral freedom that this pohey asks for, obtains for its propaganda much better results.