Variety (October 1952)

'VAR'iriVr ioHedw wrier ' $ St. Martin's Plac#, Trafalgar Sqoara PSribty HVTKH1VATI01VAL n Govt. Committee Asks Tighter Control Of Aid Law to Stabilize French Prod. Paris, Oct. 28. A governmental committee, hcad- pd bv Jean Lanet, has made public its report on the condition of the French film industry. Main con- sensus is the known fact that the industry has been in' a state of financial crisis for many years. The renort specified that the crisis was not onlv due to the declining pur- chasing power of prospective pa- trons foreign competition and ris- in* production costs but also the setup of the film biz as a whole. It made clear that drastic reforms are needed. Committee found that grosses had fallen 6.5% since 1948, while the cost of films had gone up 50%. Aid funds have managed to keep an equilibrium until now. This ex- plains the heed for a cleaning up of production financing and a clear- er working use of the Film Aid Law funds. There are far too many produ- cers with 299 registered and 90 fairly active, with only 50 pro- ducing regularly since 1950. This leads to many one-shot and fly-by- night producers. A suggested rem- edy is to set a certain level of de- clared assets before a firm can go into production. Committee feels that many abuses can be abolished by making producers put up 25% of the nut. On exhibition, the report cited three main problems. They are the rundown theatres and equipment; the single feature policy and the surplus of mediocre pix. Suggested remedies were special dispensa- tions to top quality films; aid to exhibs in renovating houses and equipment and eliminating the fixed quota of French film playing time (five out of every 13 weeks) to make the market more competi- tive. thus weeding out the low quality films. The committee felt there were also too many distributors in the field; also that the limited French field is not enough to support all of them, with cutthroat competition resulting. A suggested remedy is also to have distribs with a certain amount of assets. Also under con- sideration is the distrib’s cut, which is considered too big a bite into the production take. Other questions on the commit- tee agenda were on author’s rights, censorship, and the status of re- lated film industries. It was felt that the labs should obtain govern- ment aid as well as the producers and exhibs. The protective meas- ures of the 138 foreign film quota, the tax on foreign films, and the French quota playing time were also discussed. It was felt that the single feature ruling could be eliminated. Brit. Producers Decide To Give Up Agitation For Distributors’ Quot; . r London, Oct. 21. After giving the matter furthe thoughts, British film producer have decided there is no advan [age to be gained in agitating fo the restoration of the distributors quota. They came to this decisio) at their council meeting recentl; when they decided there was m reason for a change. h was mainly as a result o producer policy that distributors Quota was dropped from the 194 Act after'^ ‘ havlrig”beeh'*fi Peration for 20 years. The; tben tbat * provided th xiubnors’ quota was controlled t ie normal law of supply and de niand would insure British film ? ade an d that the industr cou d dispense with distrib quot? fiiic •" of tbe studio unions sharei N J le ) vpoint > but Tom O’Brien’ Kj n „ on ?J As sn. of Theatrical an it p . v m Pl°yees always oppose tti cii . i t° 0 ’ bave been anxiou bec-iifL 1 1? return of distrib quot vido n° 1 bey . feel tb is would pre inargin UMn with a wider bookin lJ',1 11 !* in some sections of th tribui J- 1( ; agltat ion to put the dis quota back on the sta < go vol !? ks . continues, the officai agroin i f 11 Vlew is that existin this -Si on tariffs preclud ventioM<f 9 ene ,y a an d Havana cor BrSuo 1S ’ t0 b °th of which th r e''oc'ihh-°'. ei i nmen * : subscribe, ii lion ni u ? u | e .. out the introduc 1 « distrib quota in Britair + — U.S. Chirp Set for Opera Dates in Spain and Italy Rome, Oct. 21. Dolores Wilson, U. S. coloratura soprano, who recently returned to Italy from her first series of opera dates in Spain, has been signed for opera engagements in Madrid, Seville, Valencia, Rome and Paler- mo the next two months. Singer has been studying voice abroad since she turned down bid to be a vocalist with the Spitalny All-Girl Orchestra, and has been getting several opera bids. She sang Gilda of “Rigoletto” at the La Fenice Theatre, Venice, recent- ly, at a memorial performance for Verdi. British Film Biz TV Show Clicks London, 6ct. 21. | Having had a free plug on British TV for the last nine months, the picture industry here has been taking stock and learned that the experiment has paid off well. The boost comes via the fort- nightly program, “Current Re- lease,” which features extracts of upcoming releases and interviews with topical film personalities. In- troduction of “Current Release” was the major achievement of the British film industry’s Better Busi- ness Drive. The results, according to informed opinion, more than jus- tified the prolonged negotiations that preceded the launching of the program. Although originally started on a trial basis “Current Release” has become a strong favorite with au- diences. and recently its screening was switched from Thursday to the peak mid-week viewing night of Wednesday. It runs 45 minutes and usually includes clips from six new pix. It is now regarded as one of the top British Broadcasting Corp.-TV attractions. Since the expansion of the network to Scot-, land, it is estimated that the pro- gram reaches between 3,000,000 and-4,000,000 viewers every two weeks. Although it has been impossible to pinpoint the effect of “Current Release” on boxoffice biz, all ma- jor British and U. S. film compa- nies agree that it has proved a strong selling factor. Its impetus on receipts can best be gauged by the experience of most majors who report that with two comparable productions and only one getting screenings time on “Current Re- lease,” the, contrasting effect at the wickets is quite substantial. Despite its popularity, the pro- gram comes in for regular digs from TV columnists, most of whom complain that the effort is too one- sided, and that it is time for the film industry to show its apprecia- tion by releasing current attrac- tions for TV programs. Venice Prize Prompts Paris Reissue of 'Games’ Paris, Oct. 21. “Forbidden Games” (Jeux Inter- .ditsL-tbe. Rene .CJ em.CJit. .fijjn_.whi ch won the First Prize Golden Lion of St. Marks at the Venice Film Fes- tival, is getting a first-run house for reissue run here on the strength of the kudo. Film originally ran at two first-run houses here last spring with only fair returns. Pic had been turned down by the selection com- mittee for the*Cannes Festival last May. When shown there out of competition, it raised a storm of protest from film crix who claimed the best French picture had to be shown out of the running. Entered at the Venice Festival it was first turned down because show# at Cannes but was finally re- instated. This moving moppet film easily took the big prize. The film’s boxoffice returns will serve as a good indication of the actual business value of a festival prize. Director Rene Clement is reported to have offers from 20th-Fox but is staying on here to make another film before accepting any U. S. deal. Guinness Signed by Korda London, Oct. 21. Alec Guinness, whose recent films, with a* couple of exceptions have been made by the J. Arthur Rank organization, has been signed by the Sir Alexander Korda group to co-star with Yvonne de- Carlo and Celia Johnson in “Para- dise.” Anthony Kimmins is direct- ing for London Films, with distri- bution through British Lion. Film is based on an original story by Alex Coppell, with screenplay by Nicholas Phipps. 1st Feature Defaulters’ Dip Forecast in Past British Quota Year London, Oct. 21. A drop in the total of first fea- ture quota defaulters is likely to be revealed when returns for the year ended Sept. 30 are published. It is expected officially that there will be a substantial improvement on the figure of 771 defaulters in the previous 12 months.. A number of prosecutions in re- gard to the 1950-51 quota year are now being readied by the Board of Trade’s legal division. Four al- ready have been successfully insti- gated by the department, and others are to follow during the coming months. Official govern- ment view is that many of the de faults were unjustified and exhib- itors could have fulfilled their legal obligation had they made the nec- essary effort. It is believed that the cases already heard in the courts will spur other exhibitors to take the law more seriously. The four successful prosecutions to date were all in respect of thea- tres occupying solo positions, but future cases will include some the-' atres who have been granted par- tial relief from the 30% quota. Such relief is only granted where a theatre’s booking position is weakened by competitive houses. Although prosecutions already launched involve only first-feature defaulters, it is understood that consideration is also being given to supporting program defaults. Ear- lier in the year, it will be recalled the Films Council considered h there was justification for institut- ing proceedings against some of the Rank-controlled theatres which defaulted in this category. ML’ RINGS LOUDLY ON TOKYO ROADSHOW Tokyo, Oct. 21. “For Whom the Bell Tolls” (Par) opened its Tokyo roadshow run at one theatre here and almost nudged Metro’s “Gone With Wind” from first place in the boxoffice sweepstakes. “Bell” grossed $13,- 200 the first week while “Wind’s” did $13,800. The second week of “Wind” held firm at $13,000, while “Bell” dipped to $9,600. Other roadshow releases during the fortnight were “Ivanhoe” (M-G) and “Place in Sun” (Par). “Ivanhoe” took $8,300 on first week while “Sun” was sluggish at $5,600. 'Sun,’ 'Queen’ Biff in Kansai Area Osaka. Oct, 21. “Place in Sun” (Par) shone brightly in the Kansai area for two weeks. Playing the first week in four houses, it grossed $16,300. “African Queen” (UA) did $15,000 during its first week also in four spots. “Wind” (M-G), suffering a steady decline here where it has been * roadsherwu ~at one-' theatre; was a weak $7,300 for two weeks. “David and Bathsheba,” only other film to run two weeks, was strong $10,700 in first week in five houses. “Third JMan” (UA) hit $12,500 in one week at six the- atres. Marvin Plans London Prod, of ‘Physicians’ London, Oct. 21. London production of “Five Philadelphia Physicians” by Amer- ican playwright Hugh Evans is be- ing lined up for presentation on Feb. 4. Andre Van Gyseghem has been inked to direct. Play wilT be presented under the auspices of Mark Marvin, the American producer who has co- presented two plays in the West End, “All the Year Round” and “Red Letter Day.” He will be as- sociated with Mrs. Renee Soskin, lessor of the Embassy Theatre.. Aussie Pix Chains Mull Bringing Back Stageshows to Bolster Biz Jackson Religioso Disk Top Dane Foreign Seller Copenhagen, Oct. 28. Lead selling foreign record in Denmark this year is colored church singer Mahalia Jackson’s interpretation of “Silent Night,” issued here by Metronome. After being played one Sunday over the State Radio, nearly 20,000 orders for the record poured in. She waxes for Apollo Records in her native U. S. Miss Jackson is now coming to Denmark to give a recital of hymns over the State Radio and in Holy Souls’ Church. She has declined offers to sing in concert halls here. Iran Launches Own Film Prod. Washington, Oct. 28. Although Iran is best known cur- rently for its row with the British over oil, it is also making some headway with its smallfry film in- dustry. Country’s largest studio, Pars Film Studio, which turned out two features last year, was de- stroyed by fire in May. It is being rebuilt. The nation now has four addi- tional studios, reports Nathan D. Golden, director of the Commerce Department film division. One stu- dio has a feature in production, a second has finished a 16m pic, a third mainly dubs foreign films, and the fourth has^retained a Ger- man. pic expert to make 35m product. Iran now has 62 theatres, of which two were erected in Teheran in the past year. Hollywood product still has the bulk of the market but Russian pictures have been mus- cling in recently. Naturally, British films are not so popular any more, but German and French films are getting a foothold in the country. Golden also reports that Ceylon now has 159 theatres with a seating capacity of 110,000, including tour- ing theatres. Of the regular thea- tre pix, 49% are made in India and 41% come from the U. S. There is an official Ceylon gov- ernment film unit which released four documentaries, three shorts and four newsreels last year. The lone commercial producer set up shop in 1950 at Kandana. Golden revealed that Afghanis- tan has nine theatres with a 10th under construction. A system. of censorship has been established, pix being screened before an offi- cer of the press department. About 40% of the films comes from India, with a slightly smaller percentage from the U. S. * Selznick-DeSica Pic To Star Jennifer Jones Rome, Oct. 21. In an interview broadcast over the Italian Radio networks, director Vittorio DeSica, producer David O. Selznick and Jennifer Jones an- . no.unced... Abe...starL. of.. Jth&k. film t “Termini Station,” to be shot here. Scripted by Cesare Zavattini, it was originally scheduled for direc- tion by Claude Autant-Lara as a Franco-Italian co-production, with Marlon Brando starred, but the deal fell through. It was subse- quently picked up by Selznick, who proposed it to DeSica while the latter was in Hollywood prepping his forthcoming “Miracle in the Rain.” Montgomery Clift is due in Rome at the end of the month to co-star with Miss Jones in “Sta- tion.” Most of the action takes place in Rome’s ultra-modern railroad terminal. Film will depict fhe last 90 minutes passed in the station by two lovers before being separated forever. Gino Cervi, Virgilio Rien- to, Giovanni Grazzo and Giuseppe Porelli are among Italian actors slated for parts in the film. It will be shot in English, and dubbed for local distribution. Sydney, Oct. 21. Return of stage presentations in ace Aussie cinemas is forecast for early next year as a business hypo. .While major circuit operators de- cline to admit a switch to stage- shows, Greater Union Theatres, headed .by Norman B. Rydge, will experiment this week with the Bobby Limb band (popular local combo) at the Capitol here, 2,275- seutcr. Some time ago, both GUT and Hoyts, the opposition loop, dropped stageshows and pit bands because of the high operational costs. Metro also nixed pit bands from their own key houses for the same reason. The 1,400-seater Prince Edward here, run by Carroll-Mus- grave, is presently the only spot using a stageshow with pix. Un- derstood that several executives with GUT, Hoyts and other key circuits figure that a good stage policy, spotting overseas’ talent combined with films would give the necessary shot in the arm to jaded film patrons to provide a boxoffice upbeat. Should plans mature beyond the talk stage, overseas’ talent, could be obtained via a hook with one of the major vaude loops such as David N. Martin or J. C. William- son to save on importation costs. Radio has been buying talent for a long time from the local vaude- ville circuits to good advantage. Figuring is that cinemas could do likewise. Reopening of key cinemas to stageshows would make Australia a sought-after playdate by both U. S. and British talent, especially since this territory is now less than three days by plane from the U. S. and Britain.-' * Number of High-Grossing Films in Italy Nearly Double Total of ’50-’51 Genoa, Oct. 21. With final figures still to be tabu- lated, film returns indicate signifi- cant rise during the past season in the number of films making over 100,000,000 lire (about $150,000) at local boxoffices. In the past 10- month period, a total of nine fea- tures made the grade, with another just missing that figure. The past season’s winners, in or- der of biz, are “Don Camillo” (Italian-French), “Samson and De- lilah” (Par), “David and Bathshe- ba” (20th), “Cops and Robbers” (Italian), “Anna” (Italian), “Gone With Wind” (M-G), “Toto in Color” (Italian) and “All About Eve” (20th), with “Pandora” not quite reaching the $150,000 mark. Gross- es on “Don Camillo” nearly dou- bled those of its nearest rival, with the pic still playing in Italian houses. As against nine this season, only five features passed the $150,000 mark during the 1950-51 season. In order of grosses these were “Gone With Wind” (M-G), “Cinder- ella” (RKCtt, “Forsyte Saga” (M-G). “Three Musketeers” (M-G), and “Millionaire Naples” (Italian). “Wind,” slowly playing out its first-run dates made the grade both seasons, and is still doing healthy trade. A significant rise is noted in the number of Italo pix to hit top positions this year as against past seasons. RANK TO HANDLE NEW ACT PICTURE,-'TEST’ London, Oct. 21. Second major co-operative pro- duction by the company set up by the Assn, of Cine Technicians will be distributed by the J. Arthur Rank group. It will be lensed at the Pinewood studios. The film titled, “The Final Test,” is from Terence Rattigan’s play which had its first outing on TV earlier this year. Anthony Asquith, who is presi- dent of ACT, will direct. Produc- tion chore will be handled by R. J. Minney. ACT’s first production, wTiich was mainly financed out of public funds, failed to get circuit release, and has little prospect of recoup- ing its $250,000 negative cost. With this new effort, the labor organiza- tion is using its top names in an endeavor to establish its claim as ,an important producing unit.