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MUCH SUSPENSE CAN A MOTIlON PICTURE HOLD
LONDON obseivations
by Jock MacGregor
Sir Sidney Clift bad no enviable task replying to the Rigbt Hon.. Anthony Eden's toast to the industry at the Annual Dinner and Dance of the London Branch of the CEA. The deputy leader of the opposition was in terrific form and was a very popular choice among exhibitors. Over 500 attended and applauded vigorously.
While giving no lead on what the Tory policy on the film industry would be, Mr. Eden made it abundantly clear it was
strongly opposed to a "'"'^ MacGregor
state ownership or control of the industry. Having mentioned that figures showed that every Briton, including children, visit the cinema an average of thirty timies a year, he stated, "It is of the utmost importance that kinema ownership and managements should remain in free and competitive hands."
Sir Sydney claimed that so long as the Treasury takes £38,000,000 out of the £108,000,000 paid at the box-offices annually, there can never be a healthy British film industry.
"For over 30 years," he continued, "I regarded myself as a showman, but I gave that up when the Board of Trade started to book my films for me."
Theo Fligelstone, vice-chairman, proposed the toast of the guests, in a concise, pointed and extremely well delivered speech.
The evening which gave the branch its biggest attendance since the war and was so oversubscribed that 250 applicants had to be turned down, was once again brilliantly organized by Arthur Taylor.
Firmly established as the leading sounding board of opinion is the annual forum organized by the Kine W eekly. This year, it was attended by Sir Philip Warter, Sir Alexander King, Sir Alexander Korda, Sir Michael Balcon, Sir Henry French, J. Arthur Rank, Sam Eckman, R. P. Baker, Arthur Dent, Randolph Richards and W. R. Fuller.
The debate which stemmed mainly from the Plant committee's recommendations for reforms in exhibition and distribution, was lively and revealing. Korda was in a particularly talkative mood and rose to the bait when Warter asked how he could have got more out of "The Third Man." He claimed that in Greater London the renter received £35,000 and the producer £25,000. He believed he should have received £100,000 for this area.
Warter stressed that the whole basis of the industry is people going to the cinema each week and that if you kept a picture on indefinitely in London it would be a disaster.
Sam Eckman supported Warter on this and could not see any advantage of a free London market. He concurred that irrespective of where films came from, they could not stand up to 60, or 70 or 80 or 100 concurrencies for longer than a week. The industry's system of releases must be based on the majority of offerings and not just on "The Third Man."
Joseph A. McConville, Columbia Pictures International president, looked in on the British sales convention as part of his around-the-world flight. He will be back home for Christmas.