Motion Picture Herald (Jan-Feb 1948)

EIRE T A 5C ROSSES REPORT RUINING by T. J. M. SHEEHY in Dublin At the end of the first week of higher admissions, caused by the increased entertainment taxes which went into effect January 16, Irish cinemas reported a serious decline in attendance. For the first time in many years, Dublin was without the large queues normally waiting for seats at weekend night performances. A similar fall in the box office was experienced in other Eire cities and in the country districts. Government officials hope that attendance will increase as patrons get accustomed to the new price scales, but exhibitors are confident that no improvement will take place as long as the new admissions tax and resulting higher prices remain at current levels. Exhibitors are keeping careful tally of attendance and will forward monthly figures to the Department of Finance, hoping to persuade the Minister to lower the taxes at the next budget hearings. Meanwhile, friction is developing between the exhibitors and renters because the latter, so far, have not -joined in the trade fight against the tax increase. The renters plead that the dispute is a domestic one in which representatives of overseas firms can hardly intervene. Present taxes, in many cases, amount to well over 100 per cent of the admission price. BELGIUM by AN TYS • in Brussels The Belgian Government is creating a commission to bring together all ministerial officials having to deal with motion pictures as an industry, an art or an educational medium. This commission will deal with taxes, international conventions regulating the manufacture and distribution of motion pictures, the interests of the Belgian film and picture industries, and with the manufacture and distribution of films for schools and elsewhere where they will promote education and culture. SWITZERLAND by KURT EMMENEGGER in Zurich The Swiss Film Chamber has again been given official status as the sole government department handling motion picture questions for the whole of Switzerland. The Chamber was given constitutional standing January 1 for a period of only one year. Previously it had been given official standing for three-year periods. However, a re organization of the Chamber is imminent, hence the one-year period. The Chamber is not a legislative body, but only a consultative one. It consists of a president, a permanent secretary and 24 members, 12 representing cultural organizations and 12 representing the picture industry. All members are elected by the Federal Government. V New limits on the amount of newspaper advertising which can be taken by exhibitors have been decreed by Zurcher Lichtspieltheater-Verband, the local exhibitors' organization. It has ruled that advertisements for Sunday morning performances of cultural and documentary films must be limited to the Neue Zurcher Zeitwng, the Tagblatt der Stadt Zurch and Tages-Anzeiger, the three largest dailies. Previously, the organization had set weekly maximums for newspaper advertising space which must be adhered to by all exhibitors. If one week's maximum is exceeded, the surplus must be subtracted from the next week's quota. V A new motion picture monthly, International Film Review, is being published in Basle. It is written in German, French and English and is edited by Edwin Wieser, Victor Lenz and Michael Arthur. MEXICO by LUIS BECERRA CEUS in Mexico City The studios that were established at Churubusco by RKO and Mexican interests headed by Emilio Azcarraga are only functioning part time. This is partially due to a demand by the Picture Production Workers Union that for every picture made there in English one must be made there in Spanish. The union is soon expected to modify its demand since the below par production means less work for union members. y An un-named English producer — rumored to be J. Arthur Rank — is making plans to establish a studio for his own services in or about this city, according to an announcement from Jose Angel Ceniceros, chairman of the Mexican Government's Foreign and Domestic Investments Board. He made the announcement following a long interview with President Miguel Aleman. V Mexico's Variety Club celebrated its first anniversary January 16 with a luncheon at which Mario Moreno, known as "Cantinflas," was the principal speaker. V Francisco Somohano, Villahermosa exhibitor, is the new president of the National Exhibitors Association. He was elected at the bi-annual convention here which chose as his aides : Manuel Angel Fernandez and Guillermo Santibanez, vice-presidents; Eduardo Chavez Garcia, treasurer, and Jose A. Quiroga, secretary. V Eagle Lion has established headquarters here at Paseo de la Revorma, No. 153. V "Duel in the Sun," playing in three theatres simultaneously, started its sixteenth week here January 8. The picture opened September 15 in four first runs. The local Selznick office estimates that 238,672 people have seen the picture. ITALY by ARGEO SANTUCCI in Rome An additional duty of five lira (about one cent) is expected to be added soon to Italian admission fees and remain in effect until March 31, 1948. The duty will be contributed to the National Fund for Aid to Unemployed Workers which the Italian Government has recently decided to establish. The Government has accepted this proposal to add to admissions and an order to that effect is now expected. V Dr. Giovanni De Berardinis and Rodolfo Raoul Chiodelli, have been appointed managing directors of the G. D. B. Distributing Company, distributors of Monogram Pictures here. Dr. Vicenzo Maia has been appointed member of the board of the company. V Dr. Alfredo Messineo has been appointed managing director of Stabilimenti Cinematografici Cinecitta (Cinecitta Studios) by the board of directors. V According to a recently signed agreement between Italy and Jugoslavia, payment for imported and exported pictures will be made in Italian lira. All amounts for Italian pictures exported to Jugoslavia will be withdrawn from a special "Jugoslavian account" here. URUGUAY by PAUL BODO in Montevideo A new distributing company to handle Spanish productions in South American countries and South American productions in Spain has been established by a group of Uruguayan capitalists of Spanish descent. The company is Cinematografica de Espana y America and its general manager is Dr. Leonardo Alonso. V Estudios Filmadores Rioplatenses, a producing company formed last year, has begun shooting its first full length picture, "Esta Tierra es Mia" ("This Land Belongs to Me"). Martinez Arboleya is directing. V " Alfredo Smith has opened his new theatre, the York, here. It is the first theatre in the city to employ only women. 30 MOTION PICTURE HERALD, JANUARY 31, 1948