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

PEOPLE WITH PURPOSES From the Board of Trade Journal we learn that the Department of Overseas Trade has received from the Director of Canadian Trade Publicity in Great Britain a notice to the effect that his Government offers, free of charge, to schools and other institutions in the London area, the use of a library of cinematograph films, with complete projection equipment and an operator. These films are also a\ailable through the Empire Library at the Imperial Institute. To amphfy the subject matter of the films and add to their educational value an appropriate lecture wUl be given by Mr. Clayton Atto, a Canadian and a graduate of McGill University, at present in England. » * * Booklets on London and a fihn dealing with municipal activities are projected by the General Purposes Committee of the L.C.C. * * » A Mobile L.M.S. Projection rail unit is carrying instructional films to audiences of 421,000 employees throughout the country. * * * At the Imperial Institute Cinema, an hour of world travel films can be had by children for a penny. Plantation People, a Cadbury film, shot in Technicolor was recently shown at the Institute. This film describes the life of the peoples of Trinidad, the gathering of coconuts, bananas, sugar-cane, cocoa and grape fruit. * * * London firemen now have their own cinema for instructional purposes. * + * Colour has been used in a film to illustrate so unusual a subject as the manufacture of manure from garden refuse. The fUm, made by Messrs. Adco, Ltd., is used in conjimction with a lecture on "Organic Manures for the Garden." * * * A Bradford shoe repairing firm has prepared an instructional fitai for showing to its employees. * * * From America comes Postal Inspector, a feature fikn made with the United States Post Office as a background. The story indicates the part played by postal workers in fighting the gangster menace in the States. * * * Popular Science, a colour film sponsored by the magazine of that title, is being shown in this country. It illustrates the contents of the magazine. A pubUcity film for the city of Bristol, Bristol — Birthplace of America, is being shown in this coimtry and in the United States. * * * A decree has been passed in Berlin making it necessary for all cinemas to include at least one documentary or propaganda film in every programme. The German Government gave its visa to 360 propaganda films during the past year. * * * St. John Ambulance Association have sponsored an air raid precaution film. This was recently shown throughout the Bournemouth area. * * * Twelve new films of Canada and ten of New Zealand have been added to the Empire library at the Imperial Institute, South Kensington. * * * CathoUc Film Society's new programme of propaganda films includes a picture made in the Aran Islands, a film dealing with the subject of Holy Matrimony, and two comedies. The Society hopes to provide every parish with its own projector for propaganda film shows. * * + A number of propaganda films have been prepared to teach new methods of agriculture to the Natives in the Straits Settlements. * * * Land of Promise is the title of a new picture prepared for propaganda purposes by the Zionist Council. * * * Recruiting for Clann nah Etreann (The Irish Youth Movement) is being assisted by a propaganda film dealing with the traditions of Ireland. R.P.S. Programme A paper entitled "The Special Effects Department," is to be given by H. Chevalier, of the Denham Studios, to the Royal Photographic Society's Kinematograph Section, on March 18th (the meeting having been altered from the customary fourth Friday owing to Easter). Mr. Chevalier has obtained special permission from Alexander Korda to use for his demonstration shots from many Denham productions, and has also secured the co-operation of the process departments of other studios. Tickets for this meeting, which commences at 7.45 p.m., may be obtained from the Joint Secretary of the Kine Section, R. Howard Cricks, F.R.P.S., 159 Wardour Street, W.l. The meeting is held at 35 Russell Square, W.C.I. In Production G.B.I. The Gap (Air Defence) Voyage of the Discovery Heredity Series (4 films) Secrets of Life Series (12 films) West Indies Series (12 films) Realist Film Unit A film about schools, by Basil Wright Publicity Films Pioneers of Safety (vioTVlng title — for Dunlop) Gallons of Goodness (C.W.S. Milk) Strand Films The Future's in the Air Day in the Life of a Station Superintendent Watch and Ward in the Air Bice (working title) Tin (working title) Malaya (working title) Let's Have a Holiday Oil (working title) Spring in England We Are Building Land Settlement Social Service Lifeboats Lead G.P.O. Film Unit We Live in Two Worlds (International communications) Road Transport Big Money (The Nation's Budget) Films for Children The British Fihn Institute has published at Is. the Report of the Conference on Films for Children which took place on November 20th and 21st last. The Conference was organised to consider how film entertainment specifically designed for children could be provided at public cinemas. Amongst the speakers were Mr. S. W. Harris, Assistant Under-Secretary of State at the Home Ofiice, Mr. S. Rowson, President of the British Kinematograph Society, Dr. Emanuel Miller, Honorary Director of the East London Child Guidance Clinic, Mr. Kenneth Nyman, Chairman of the London Branch of the Cinematograph Exhibitors' Association, and Mr. Sidney Bernstein, Managing Director of the Bernstein chain of theatres. The British Film Institute is considering the proposals that emerged from the Conference so as to put them into effect as soon as possible. IS THIS MERLE OBERON'S FINGERPRINT? It wouldn't cause j'ou a flutter if it were. But print that in a film-fans' paper and thousands would get a top-note thrill. It's no good measuring the pubUc by yoxor own yardstick. You've got to study them very hard to discover what they like and disUke. That's our job. We know our pubhc. And that's probably why we get so many advertisers coming back to us for more and more films. • • • • • • • EUROPE'S LARGEST SELF-CONTAINED ADVERTISING FILM ORGANISATION PUBLICITY FILMS Ltd Managing Director : G. E. TURNER FILinCITr HOUSE UPPER ST.MABTIS'S § LAKE, W.C.2 39