World Film News and Television Progress (Apr 1936-Mar 1937)

WORLD OF FILMS ATTEMPT TO SABOTAGE BRUSSELS EXHIBITION At a February meeting in Berlin of Uie FIPRESCI (Federation Internationale de la Presse Cinematographique), Italian, German and French delegates made a combined attempt to prevent futm-e meetings of the Brussels Film Festival. Film producers of many countries welcomed the successful inauguration of this international film competition at Brussels in 1935. Its organisers intend to repeat it periodically. "The committee draws the vigilant attention of the FIPRESCI to those without official authority who attempt to organise so-called 'international' film exhibitions in any country." This was the resolution passed by the Italian, German and French delegates. Mussolini's organisation, the 1 1 EC, is said to have manoeuvered this result. They further demanded that, in future, the papers relating to proposed international exhibitions should be forwarded to the FIPRESCI in order to avoid overlapping of activities and in order to check on the official standing of the organisers. The Belgian delegates abstained from voting. In Brussels the resolution was read as an attempt to restrict international film competitions to the Biennial Exhibition at Venice. It evoked a storm of protest, accompanied by strong feeUng that the Belgian delegates to Berlin should have taken a firmer stand. The majority of members of the Belgian Screen Press Association demanded the withdrawal of Belgium from the FIPRESCI. One section of British opinion strongly favours the independent attitude of the Belgian delegation. They express dissatisfaction with the organisation of previous festivals run by the IIEC. WAR THREATENS VENICE EXHIBITION Will the 1937 Venice Exhibition of Cinematography be an international exhibition? This is the poser facing the organisers of the biennial Venice film congress. Italian opinion maintains that the Italo-Abyssinian situation will not affect the congress. But the impression is that Venice will not see many European films. A correspondent of the Berlin Weltkunst writes: — "It is unlikely that the Italian adventure in East Africa will be terminated this summer. It is, therefore, highly improbable that France, England or Russia will take part Ln the Exhibition." "WAR IS HELL" DIRECTOR JOINS SCHACH — 1 Victor Trivas is coming to England. He directed War is Hell, a film which commanded wide attention when shown in England three years ago, and suggested how, by symbolical use of the film medium, great subjects could be cheaply expressed. This young Russian art-director began his career as the author of the script of The Brothers Karamazov — not a bad start. Then he became a director. His first production was known as War is Hell. It was an indictment of war, made by four soldiers of different nationalities who met in a ruined dug-out between the trenches. Trivas then went to Paris. He started work on a revolutionary idea; an adaptation of Victor Hugo's novel "1793." The project fell through. He became a director again. Using unknown actors, Trivas made a success, Dans la Rue. After that he wrote scripts for Granowsky, director of Moscow Nights, and others. Now Trivas is coming to this country. Max Schach has engaged turn to direct for Capitol Films. What will be his first English film? A novel by the Russian poet, Pushkin, or a modem theme? One thing is certain. Trivas wiU stamp every film he handles with his remarkable personality. AUDIOSCOPIKS An experiment in the three-dimensional screen, in the shape of a short colour trick film, will be shown in London shortly. It is called Audioscopiks and marks another step in the progress of the cinema. When the film is run at the Empire shortly the public will be given spectacles through which to view it, with one lens red and the other green. Without the spectacles the film would appear a colour blur. No longer are figures bounded by the two dimensions of the screen. Not only do they have the advantages of a stage production, but they can project themselves toward the audience. When a girl swings, she swings out toward you and her feet seem in close proximity with your head. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, producers of the film, wUl not try a feature film until further invention has overcome the need of spectacles. A similar solution of the stereoscopic problem has been frightening audiences of the Casino de Paris for some months. NEWS FROM ABROAD Berlin has started telephone-television transmission for the Leipzig Fair. Telephone-television transmission costs approximately 5s. for three minutes. Mussolini told Leni Riefenstahl, during an audience accorded her in Rome, that before he had seen Triumph of the WiU, a film of the Nazi Congress in Nuremberg, he had no belief in realist fihns. Wilfred Basse, director of the realist film Germany Yesterday and To-day, is working on an educational film series for the Ministry of Culture of the German Government. The film rights of Sinclair Lewis' anti-fascist novel. It Can't Happen Here, cost approximately £50,000. The film will not be made. La Garfonne, Victor Marguerite's sensational novel, which has been made into a film, has aroused strong demands for censorship in Paris. Switzerland plans to build studios and produce films. The Quai d'Orsay Foreign Secretary in France runs his own propaganda film organisation. During last year, this unit distributed in foreign countries 139 pictures, most of which were actuality films. In Copenhagen, Paul Fejos, director of Armabella's Hungarian film Marie, is stiU cutting the material of his Madagascar actuality film. The social documentary of Mexican fishermen, Pescados, photographed by Paul Strand, has been completed, and is now being shown in Mexico City. The music was written by the leading modem Mexican composer, Revueltas. The inventor of the "Leica" camera, Bamach, has died in Berlin. In Prague, a realist film Intellectual Revolution, has created wide discussion. It compares the 1918 bloodless revolution in Czecho-Slovakia with events in Germany and other countries. The film was directed by J. A. Holman. Zoltan Korda is leaving presently for Jerusalem to take some shots for the Lawrence of Arabia film, Revolt in The Desert. His technical adviser is Colonel Stirling, Lawrence's Chief of Staff during the campaign. Egypt has made its first operetta film Wehdad in the new Misr Studios at Cairo.