CINEMA AND THE EMPIRE.

Press, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20543, 11 May 1932, Page 2

CINEMA AND THE EMPIRE.

PLEA FOR BETTER FILMS. CHILDREN'S TASTE. ujtou or* ow* cowtxspoitDßXT.i LONDON, March 31. A correspondent (Dr. Thomas Wood), writing to "The Times" from Singapore, brings up the subject of tho influence of the cinema upon the growing generations in the Dominions. He quotes the statement made by 1 an Australian in the lonely tropical settlement, Derby, on the north coast of West Australia. "The day is coming, if it has not already come, when the British film and the British talkie will mean more to the British Empire than the British Navy.'' No close study of films and talkies (says the correspondent) is needed to. convince one that the British point of view is neglected oversea. There is little enough shown with "Home" as a setting; practically nothing of the Empire, that treasure-house of colour and drama. Sentimentally this is a pity; politically it is a tragedy, for in this ease "point of view" connotes standards, influence, trade. We might have a link as strong as the Press is now, as vivid as broadcasting is going to be. Instead of that link there is a patchwork quilt. I am not preening myself that I am saying anything new. The experts know all this. But I doubt if the layman at Home does, I do not think he can unless he has spent s'ome time oversea. Yet with him is the only remedy. His taste governs the Home market; the Home market, to a large extent, sets the standard for the Dominions. Eemedy With the Layman. I repeat that the remedy lies with the layman at Home. If he encourages our own people to produce work which by sheer merit outsails that of the other Mian on every tack; if he insists on clean humour, on technical excellence, on plots which can be shown to children without hesitation and to the East without scruple, he will get what hewants; that link will be forged. But if ho goes on tolerating foreign extravaganc s which proclaim the white races to be nothing but degenerate half-wits, ■we shall pay the cost some day. A change cannot come in a week; there are too many difficulties which enly the experts can deal with—quotas, block-bookings, tariffs,,rents. But public opinion, like faith, can move mountains. Bouse that, and the mountains fall. And, as for difficulties, there may have been some which the British people failed to solve when their mind was set, but their memory has escaped me. "Even deeper than the question of the taste and morality of the films, lies the question of their idiom," comments "The Times" in a leading article. "The British Empire should know itself ; and the world should know the British Empire. The movement has begun. In January we announced the formation of the British United Film Producers Company, which proposes to distribute British films throughout all the colonies, protectorates, and mandated territories. But there is no limit to the work that can be done to win for the British film a worldwide influence. Our correspondent urges the layman, the cinema-goer, at home to make it his business. Beyond question there is nothing like a strong ami Healthy public opinion to make a strong and healthv art, and the experiment, reported on another page this morning, of educatine the children to demand the best in films has begun at the right end. Yet it might not be amiss also —even now. when times are very bad and the film industries are beirio; pluckily carried on against heavy odds—to ask whether those who make and those who exhibit films are nlways ready enouch to put faith in the minds and feelings of the public. Artful admixture of the still-better with the good-enough, an oooasxonal

touch of the middle-brow amid the popular, might add a new public to-the cinema and give the British film a still richer source of strength." Developing Children's Taste. The experiment "reported on another page" referred to above is that of British Instructional Films, Limited, and Associated British Cinemas have agreed to extend he, schemes of special matinees for children from London tb~oi&efc parts of the country. - Mr Bruco Woolfe, of British Instructional Films, stated that, after long consideration, the Commission on Educational and Cultural Films decided that the only satisfactory method to pursue in the effort to raise the standard of films shown in the ordinary picture' theatres was to educate the children to demand something better. It was felt that if children were only given the right type of film, and if a succession of programmes of that type of film could be offered, they would soon begin to develop a taste for good films. It was to put this theory into practice that British Instructional Film 3, in co-operation with the Associate! Cinemas, offered to arrange a series of matinees as an experiment. A beginning was made in four London cinemas at Barking, East "Ham, Manor Park, and West Norwood. At first the reception was onlv moderate, but the question of programme had something to do with this. In every case local managers insisted on the main pictures of the programme being "talkies," but it was soon discovered that the present tvpe of talking film is not popular with children. Dialogue as dialogue was not wanted. As soon as a talkie film started children bfegan to fidget and generally showed signs of inattention, but it was noticed that talk in the form of commentary to instructional films was appreciated. The change, as soon as the right type of programme was adopted, was remarkable. So marked was the difference that it was at once decided to extend the scope of the experiment to Golders Green. W T illesden, West Ealing, and Winchmore Hill; and these theatres having adopted the scheme, Associated , British Cinemas have agreed to extend the operation of the scheme to Birmingham. Norwich, and Yarmouth. Provided tin response to the scheme is successful, Associated British Cinemas intend to show special children's pictures at a ' l . their theatres on Saturday mornings. About 2000 panes of glass were i broken to pieces recently in a major stage of the demolition of a famous London landmark. This occurred when the roof of the large conservatory at the Royal Botanic. Gardens, Regents Park, was pulled down. The gardens are being taken over by the Office of Works, as the Government are not renewing the Royal Botanic Society's lease. The grounds are to be opened to the public. The conservatory was 80 years old and in a bad state of repair. An official of we Office of Works says that if they had not decided to demolish it, part o would probably have fallen down. ''<>"' Nine-storey apartment homes on stilts are proposed for New York City. Models of the dwellings were exhibited the other day by the two architects who worked out the novel plan. The structures would have no first storeys. Almost all the space usually devoted to a ground floor is reserved as a sheltered playground for children. According to the architects, apartments on , the street level will never be missed. The proposed apartments arc to have a glass and metal exterior, with long ribbon-like windows.