Motion Picture Herald (Jul-Aug 1944)

Latin America Builds Own Film Industry War Spurs Rapid Growth of Production, Especially in Mexico and Argentina The development of a domestic industry of significance in Latin America has been exceedingly rapid in the past five years, notably in Mexico and Argentina. To a large extent it is a growth stemming from the war, which has resulted in the practical elimination of product below the Rio Grande from any foreign source other than the United States. Today, in Mexico, there are 13 major producers who during the 1943-44 season turned out some 80 pictures, compared to about 60 in 1942-43. Yet, five years ago Mexican production was negligible. About 20 per cent of the films produced in Mexico were musicals. Unlike other foreign films, many Mexican pictures are released in the United States. Clasa-Mohme, the major distributor of Mexican product in the United States, plays Spanish speaking product in nearly 400 theatres north of the Rio Grande. More Mexican Playing Time But it is in Mexico itself that native producthas made its greatest strides. The Mexican producers of yesterday rarely if ever got playing time in first run Mexican theatres. Today at least 50 per cent of the playing time in first run and subsequents goes to Mexican films. Before the war, Hollywood product dominated Mexican exhibition. But Hollywood did not monopolize Mexican screens. There was other foreign product, from Spain and Argentine mainly, and also from France, England and Germany. With the outbreak of war there was little left but Hollywood and South American product for Mexico, and the first attempt at large scale production was initiated. And when the United States entered the war and Hollywood started turning out war dramas with Yanks so often the heroes, Mexican-made films gained a foothold in the Mexican exhibition scene. Another important factor favoring Spanishspeaking films, especially in the provinces of Mexico, was the fact that the illiteracy rate, while descending, was still high, and Englishspeaking pictures with Spanish subtitles left many Mexicans in the dark as to what it was all about on the screen. Inevitably, there came growing pains with the development of Mexican production and exhibition. Theatres started to mushroom. In Mexico City and environs there are now some 100 houses, half of them built in the last five years. All this has added to the demand for product. Production obstacles are chiefly shortages in studio space and raw stock. New studios are being built. UA Interested in Mexico The Hollywood company with the greatest production interest in Mexico is United Artists. Dudley Murphy, one-time Hollywood director and now an independent producer in Mexico, has contracted to make four pictures which United Artists will release through Latin America. Mr. Murphy recently completed shooting the first of the four, "The Bell of My Village," at the Azteca Studios near Mexi 24 co City. UA distributed the Mexican film, "Santa" with "highly satisfactory" results. Mr. Murphy has organized a producing company with Jose Calderon, Azteca Studios' owner, as president, and Elizabeth Higgins, circuit owner. Of all pictures released in Mexico annually, some 25 per cent are Mexican made, but this 25 per cent gets about 50 per cent of the playing time in both first run and subsequent houses, and gross about the same percentage. See Gains in Latin America Indications also point to Mexican gains in Latin America as a result of a slowdown in Argentine production caused by internal difficulties. Argentina, producing about half the number of pictures, has been Mexico's major Latin American rival. But now, in the Argentine, producers are at odds with exhibitors. The Argentinian producers have asked the Government to adopt a quota law, requiring exhibitors to give one-third of the playing time in first run houses to domestic product, and 50 per cent in subsequent run houses. At last report, brought to this country by Sam Seidelman of United Artists, the exhibitors were balking, some declaring they would rather turn their theatres over to the Government. There are few Americans in the Mexican industry, a handful of technicians and directors. As the aim of Mexican production is to avoid copying Hollywood, the demand for American directors is not great. Most of the players southbound out of Hollywood for roles in Mexican pictures have been Mexicans long in Hollywood, such as Dolores Del Rio, Lupe Velez and Arturo de Cordova. Miss Del Rio is back in her native land taking an active part in the industry and is one of the leaders of the union that, in Mexico, corresponds to Hollywood's Actor's Guild. Miss Velez is back and forth. Mr. de Cordova is under contract to Paramount, but is scheduled to return to Mexico to complete a Mexican contract. Hollywood-bound from below the border are two Mexican stars, each under contract for one picture. Esther Fernandez will work in Paramount's "Two Years Before the Mast." Cantinflas, Mexico's most famous comedian, will do a picture for RKO. Dubbing Plan Caused Problem A Hollywood-Mexico tempest recently blew up — and has not yet altogether blown over — when American companies started combing Mexico for trained voices to be used in dubbing Hollywood films for Latin Amerian consumption. First report had it that Hollywood dubbing was meeting with Mexican opposition. Mexico, it was said, feared the competition of dubbed films, and the Mexican Actors Guild feared the pirating of players. But then, the week before last, Lieutenant Jorge Negrete, president of the Mexican Actors Guild, arrived in Hollywood, met with a committee of Screen Actors Guild, and made it known that there was no opposition in Mexico to Hollywood dubbed films. He also said that "There is no intention of adopting measures or restrictions against the dubbing system." He said he had come to Hollywood to discuss "a reciprocal agreement which would benefit" members of both the Mexican and Hollywood actor guilds. Argentine Folic* Led to U.S. Ban i\ Shipment of Stoik by FRANCIS L. BURT in Washington Anti-democratic policies of the Farrell gcir ment which have led to a rupture of dipk In relations between the United States and A;ei tina were disclosed last week as" responsifr I i the cutting off of shipments of raw stock tc!:h country some weeks ago. The formal reason for the suspension of Ajti tina film allocations is understood to have !«( a growing stringency of supply and the necjsti for action to insure raw stock for use in cotlrii where our own film interests consume it, bi t1 background for the step was growing dissatisf 'tit with the unnecessarily rigorous Argentine o >< ship of United Nations films. The continuing support of the Axis by the;'a rell regime influenced the State Departmt ! recall Ambassador Armour from Buenos jre and Argentina later recalled its ambassad ; Washington. In several notes, Secretary \h made clear the basis of our refusal to recc ii: the present Argentine government. Under the wartime raw stock control prc jar Argentina was given an allocation of somjiir like 22,000,000 linear feet a year, and in 1 Cm quarters was considered to have been t |ite much better than other countries of whose ;nei ence to the democratic cause there was no ae. tion. This film enabled production in Argenti] some feature pictures and of newsreels whicl liavi circulation throughout South America. So far as can be learned, there has be|&ij complaint that the Argentine newsreels c nej any Axis propaganda, the inclusion of which jic'j ly would have killed off the greater part of hd market. The reels, however, are understcj! a have carried Argentine propaganda. Whii pleasing, this was not considered a mattqffl complaint. The Farrell government's Axis bias, hot la was disclosed in its censorship of imported \lm Many feature pictures have been banneqaii others sharply edited, but it was in the ciii newtereels that Argentina's position was lici clearly manifested, many pictures being cijot because they were displeasing to German oij'fcj ian interests in the country. While the suspension of raw stock supplicjw require Argentina to curtail and eventually don her film production, it is not expected to such an effect immediately. It is understoo1 a considerable stock of film has been b\i which will permit continued issuance of nev1 for some time to come, although it may be nec&l to cut down or halt the production of f eatufi. Meanwhile, the film which formerly went rffl gentina is available for distribution in other pui tries where it is badly needed. The inte; ifii shortage was due in part to heavily increasec tary demand and in part to the inability of ish producers to make good on their cc, ments, which necessitated the filling of quotas from United States supplies. h i 65 Requests for Television Stations Filed with FCC The Federal Communications Commissi' of July 25, 1944, had received 65 applicatio permission to erect commercial television s' in 24 states and the District of Columbia, 2 ing to data compiled by the Television Broad Association, Inc. No action will be taken applications until the expiration of wartime i. tions on essential materials. With the large ber of television applications filed with the for new stations, and nine stations now teli programs, industry leaders believe televisic vice for a large portion of the nation's pop may be expected within two years after tl ends and manufacture of transmitters and re is resumed. MOTION PICTURE HERALD, AUGUST ! trj m FC 'si' Sf Iti