National Board of Review Magazine (Jan 1936 - Dec 1938)

October, 1938 21 Motion Pictures' Greatest Year WITH September 1st as the starting date, all forces in the motion picture industry announced plans to line up behind a nationwide campaign to stimulate public awareness of the tremendous strides the screen has made and its importance in national life. This campaign, according to the committee, is to be a cumulative statement of the essential character of motion picture entertainment in the social and cultural life of the people and is intended to bring forcefully to the attention of motion picture patrons the efforts of Hollywood writers, directors, actors, and technicians in providing America with its most popular form of entertainment. Newspapers and theatres are cooperating in bringing word and plans of this national drive to all communities. Motion Picture Councils will find in it a stimulus to new Fall activity, for the campaign is to run from September through December. Exhibitors will welcome the cooperation of the Councils in support of the drive, which is not only to stimulate theatre attendance, but to create good will and to make the public motion picture conscious. The slogan of the campaign is "Motion Pictures are Your Best Entertainment," and those in community motion picture groups who so actively give their effort to this work must agree with this statement and welcome ready-made plans which can be used in their activity. The Movie Quiz, a feature of the campaign, is sure to interest many, for it will test the movie patron's powers of observation and in addition hold out the possibility of a substantial prize. We had a state club motion picture chairman in our office recently who expressed interest in this and in bringing it before her chairmen and members through the club publication, so we took her to Mr. Paul Gulick, Coordinator of the Campaign Committee who gave her helpful information saying, at the same time, he would like to see all the women attacking this contest. So1 to those who want to attack (to use Mr. Gulick' s active word) we suggest writing to him at Motion Pictures' Greatest Year, Inc., 1270 Sixth Ave., New York, N. Y., or, since it is to be a local matter with thousands of theatres cooperating, going to the theatre manager for details of the Quiz and other plans. (Continued from page 12) China, by Japanese airmen ; a New York fashion show in April, 1938; a preview of the World's Fair, showing the parade of floats. This newsreel is art of an elaborate "cross-section of civilization" contained in the Time Capsule, which has been constructed to preserve word of today for remote posterity. One of the major items is a microfilm "essay" of more than 10,000,000 words in which the art of the motion picture and of photography generally receives much attention. The entire section on the Motion Picture in the Encyclopaedia Britannica, is reproduced in the Micro-File ; followed by the Radio City Music Hall program for the picture You Can't Take It JJ'it'h You, and various shots of motion picture stars. All the film included in the Capsule, both Micro-File and newsreel, was carefully processed according to instructions furnished by the United States Bureau of Standards. For further safety, it was spooled on small hollow cores of laboratory glass, wrapped in 100 per cent rag paper and sealed in specially fabricated spun aluminum containers. And finally, the air was exhausted from the glasslined crypt where the film and other objects were stored ; and a preservative gas, nitrogen, took its place. Archaeologists who supervised the project agree that, whatever else the people of fifty centuries hence may have, the) will be sure of a good "movie." THOSE who deplore the lack of films available for study in various subjects may be surprised to learn that in a pamphlet entitled "A Review of Sixteen-Millimeter Films in Psychology and Allied Sciences" by L. F. Beck of the University of Oregon, there are listed three hundred and twentyfour 16mm films in psychology. In addition to this complete film listing Mr. Beck gives other information concerning sources and subjects of value to the users of films in this specialized field.