Picture Stories Magazine (Sept 1914-Feb 1915)

268 ON THE SCREEN. and, the tape passed, is now fagging. I want recreation when I go to the cinema in the evening, but am not averse to acquiring a little knowledge, provided it is given with a relish which will tickle my mental appetite, or providing it is half unconsciously absorbed. And so it is with us all, but very few have taken the trouble to realise this ; in consequence, the ' educational " takes a back seat, and the high brows turn with scorn from the rabble " which seeks to be amused and happy rather than be bored and miserable. * * * OUR educational authorities have a deal to answer for on this score. Conservative and utterly incapable of seeing the good in anything but their fathers' methods, they have wasted the finest of educational opportunities. They have failed to make use of the cinema and of cinematography. Had they the will they could purge the picture halls of objectionable pictures and replace them with films of particular educative worth. Instead of looking at cinematography fairly and squarely they have abused it roundly, and the more abusive have been, as a rule, those who had never seen the inside of a cinema. Their idea of cinematography is vague, and ' what the peasant does not know he will not eat." Really, cinematography — the very ordinary kind — is doing as nmch for the education of the people, perhaps more, as are the newspapers. Each picture, the ordinary domestic drama, the Wild West stuff, the comedy, the Russian tale, has its lesson. We learn of other lands, we accept the influence of laughter, we are taught a moral, customs of foreigners, geography, history, a thousand and one things, unappreciative at the time of the effort, and indeed of the value of the lesson. Why should not the ' educational " film be brought more in line with the ordinary picture 1 What matters if the lesson goes home effortless — if it goes home ! It will have to come to this, and the film lecturers are going to play a big part in bringing it about. * * * SOMEONE has called me to book for a note in my article in last month's Picture Stories Magazine. I must explain and clear myself. It appears I advised patronage of German films, and that is unpatriotic. Yes, in a way ! But when you know the conditions you will realise my intention was good. There are a number of good German films in this country and they came here before the war. There were a number of Germans in the film trade in this country before the outbreak of hostilities, but there is not one now, because under the Defence of the Realm Regulations, 1914, no alien enemy is allowed to trade in films, to be employed in the film trade, or even to enter film business houses. Now to explain to some degree what I wrote last month. It is not unpatriotic to appreciate German films, but it is unpatriotic to supply the enemy with funds. As a matter of fact, I daresay, every German film in the country at the present moment is handled by Britishers, who paid (before the war commenced) for the film. Having paid away their money for an article at a time when it was legitimate, it is not fair that they should suffer on account of circumstances they could not foresee. So long as the money does not go into the pockets of the enemy no harm is done. Money, however, does go into the pockets of Germans at the present moment, and in large quantities from the cinemas of this country. But these Germans live and produce their goods in America. I should not be surprised, however, if some of them had fat banking accounts in Germany. It would not surprise me particularly if some of the money taken by German-Americans from the cinemas of this country did not find its way to the Vaterland even now. So, gentle reader, if your patriotic fervour needs an outlet, you have a hint as to direction, but do not crib the poor British film-man who seeks to regain some of what he had paid away before Germany was a disclosed enemy. As to firms with German capital — including cinemas — as I have said before, we should each of us individually know our duty. The best we can do at the present time is to demand as far as possible British goods, British handled, at British cinemas. But at the same time we must avoid becoming so bigoted as to deny the obvious value of a foreign subject. * * + WAR-TIME is a time which emphasises the truth of the adage " Charity begins at home." But in war-time we must realise that home does not mean our own little house in the suburbs, or our cottage by the sea ; but all Britain and