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

Film Society Personalities Burly, untidy, blackhaired, overcoated, IVOR MONTAGU is 32. Younger son of Swaythling family — famous Jewish bankers. Would make good banker himself had he not taken up zoology, table tennis, films and politics. Won medal at age of four, as youngest infant at that time to swim length of bath at Bath Club. Educated Westminster, where he studied zoology at South Kensington. Later studied imder Lance Hogben at Royal College of Surgeons. Then King's College, Cambridge. Failed on most exams, but was given B.A. standard for Zoology. Finally took degrees in English and French, two terms before his proper time. Had to stay at Cambridge to prove dihgence. Found lectures sent him to sleep, so was permitted to do original research. Forgot original research until last week of last term. Spent last week measuring skulls of beavers to nearest I /100th of a milUmetre. Original research passed as O.K. Took up table tennis because he thought he was good at it — better than anyone else. Found he wasn't, but all the same remains chairman of International Advisory Council of Table Tennis. Went out to look for mice in Caucasus and thence to films. Founded Film Society with Sydney Bernstein, Iris Barry, Angtis MacPhail, Adrian Brunei and others. At last moment George Atkinson — film joumaUst — accused Film Society of digging into well-known Moscow gold. Atkinson had to pubUsh apology and Film Society flourishes. Founded Brunei and Montagu who handled all kinds of foreign re-editing jobs. Knackers for the film industry, as Ivor describes them, and known widely as Brunei and Montage. Cut Lodger, early Hitchcock silent with only thirty titles — unheard of feat at the time. Made three silents for Rowson in 1929. Best known is Bluebottles. Quota just coming in, so Rowson held shorts up until Act passed. Talkies came at same time. Films missed boat. Now Unit Production Manager for Gaumont-British. Sandwiches job in with trips to Moscow, International Table Tennis, translation and many other pursuits. He and another sole members of A.C.T. for two years, in G.B. studio. A.C.T. now booming and Ivor plays important part. Doesn't Uke photographs of himself; hence none at top of this screed. PROFESSOR E. R. DODDS. To listen to his dry, schoolmaster voice, you would not take Dodds for a poet. Face and intonation betray no emotions. Yet once you know he has published a volume of verse, a certain look in his quick eyes and his detached, withdrawn attitude are explained. You sense the fire beneath the disciplined husk. You are not as surprised as you might have been to discover that he is interested in psychic research, nor that he was a conscientious objector. Educated at Belfast and Oxford, Dodds is 43 ; was lectiu'er in Classics at University College, Reading, 1919-24; since then has been Professor of Greek at the University of Birmingham and is now to succeed Sir Gilbert Murray as Regius Professor of Greek at Oxford. He has contributed several scholarly volumes to the literature of classical studies. As President of the Birmingham Film Society Dodds has taken an active part in the movement. No mere figurehead, he conducts meetings, gives lectures and is a conscientious committeeman. For a considerable time he was chairman of the council of the Federation of British Film Societies. He is a prominent figure at all conferences. It is hoped that his influence at Oxford will lead to a revival of the University film society. THOROLD DICKINSON, one of the doyens of the Film Society movement, and long connected with the London Film Society, has in his more public hfe been responsible for the wellbeing of many A.T.P. films, especially on the cutting bench. He is now an independent producer, and plans an elaborate Fact and Fantasy By courtesy United Artists series, in which Lotte Reiniger, Len Lye and several others are already involved. By the time this appears he wUl be on his way to Nigeria on a shooting expedition (cameras rather than guns). In regard to this voyage he has been heard to use the word "Buffalo" but there is a good deal more in it than that. The London Film Society will no doubt miss him, as he has hitherto supervised the technical presentation of their programmes, a job which is not so easy as it may soimd. NEWS FROM THE SOCIETIES TYNESIDE The third aimual report of the Tyneside Film Society shows that the membership is now 826. Eight Simday performances and a successful children's matinee were given during the season. Feature films shown came from France, Holland, Czechoslovakia, Austria and Russia. The shorts alone have made the society indispensable to any serious student of film; they have been representative of the best experimental and documentary work of the year, no significant movement having been missed. It is stated that "no film is chosen primarily for its 'entertairmient' value, but on accoimt of its skill in direction, its cutting, its experimental use of sound, its advanced technique; on the other hand, it may be selected for the quaUty of its content, its value as a social, artistic or pyschological document; or it may, in the case of an old film, be chosen for its historic interest." Discussions and lectures have been held throughout the season and two special art exhibitions were organised. The Walt Disney collection of original sketches and drawings was obtained after its London run and attracted an attendance of 1,677. The Society is to be comphmented on its initiative in arranging the first exhibition of the work of film art direction. Original designs by Emo Metzner, Andre Andreiev, Vincent Korda and Alfred Junge were displayed in conjunction with stills of the completed sets. Several thousand people attended this exhibition, which was held in the Hatton Art Gallery, Armstrong College. A questionnaire has been sent to all members asking the following questions relating to the films shown during the season : A. Did you consider this film good of its kind? B. Did you consider it, whether successful or not, worthy of inclusion in a film society programme? C. Would you Uke to see it again? LEICESTER The Leicester Film Society will hold its fifth annual general meeting at Vaughan College on September 19th. Monthly exhibitions for the season will begin on Saturday, October 24th. In addition to important foreign feature films, programmes will include short items of general interest, documentaries, abstracts and cartoons, and it is hoped that illustrated lectures on the cinema will be given by Robert Herring, Film Critic of the Manchester Guardian, H. J. Randall Lane, of Vaughan College, and Basil Wright (G.P.O. Film Unit). During the previous season (1935-1936) sbc principal performances of major productions were held, covering the best work available in seven separate countries. A large number of shorts, many of them British, were also shown. In addition to the fihn shows, a Study Group was held with a series of twelve lectures given by L. Cargill, Film Critic of the Leicester Mercury, on "How to look at a Film." Lectures were also given by Ivor Montagu and Richard Southern. The chairman of the Leicester Film Society is H. A. Silverman, and Hon. secretary, E. Irving Richards. 41