FILM SURVEY

Press, Volume XCII, Issue 27795, 21 October 1955, Page 2

FILM SURVEY

REPORT TO NATIONAL COUNCIL OF WOMEN

IMPROVED EDUCATIONAL VALUE NOTED

“Films are improving over the years in technique, educational value and general interest, though perhaps not in moral tone,” said Mrs W. Tarrant, convener of the film committee, in a comprehensive report to the National Council of Women last evening on a survey which her committee had made.

“The great majority of films are of decent moral tone,” she continued. “We feel that most harm is done by lurid and sensational advertising in press, posters and trailers of a particular incident, one likely to inflame adolescent imagination, being of sexual or brutal content contained in an other wise decent and even praiseworthy film.” Theatres which habitually showed “Westerns” or old films were poorly patronised. In Westerns good always triumphed in the end, and though there was a good deal of bloodshed and violence, taking the place of slapstick on the stage, the scene was so far removed from real life that it had little practical affect except to act as an escape for people whose lives might be dull, she said. Women’s work was needed on the film censorship board, said Mrs Tarrant. The presence of women was especially useful in watching the interests of adolescents. Adolescent children, the committee thought, were those likely to be adversely affected by poor or bad films. Younger children could be more easily controlled by their parents, and it should be a definite parental responsibility to choose the programmes that their children were allowed to see. Properly used, film-going could be a source of interest, amusement, moral uplift and education—an enrichment of life, said Mrs Tarrant.

The committee was surprised to find certain individuals had an expressed antipathy to films. She suggested that these people should see some good films, as films were a great means of education, and an easy means of imparting information. The Minister of Education (Mr R. M. Algie), after seeing the censored pieces cut from films was. reported as saying he had found the section dealing with violence the most revolting. News Reels Excellent “News reels are generally excellent, well chosen and informative,” said Mrs Tarrant. “Great value can accrue by surveys such as the present one. They keep the trade alive to the consumer’s point of view, his hopes and expectations; they promote confidence between trade and public.” Miss Mary Field, of the British Children's Film Foundation, set up by Mr J. Arthur Rank, was reported as saying: “Unsuitable films fostered a wrong sense of values and a contempt for law and order. There were few which did not stress the material side of living, and so perpetual attendance could undermine the best school background.” Mrs Tarrant suggested that the

"Great value can accrue by surveys such as the present one. They keep the trade alive to the consumer’s point of view, his hopes and expectations; they promote confidence between trade and public.” Miss Mary Field, of the British Children's Film Foundation, set up by Mr J. Arthur Rank, was reported as saying: “Unsuitable films fostered a wrong sense Qf values and a contempt for law and order. There were few which did not stress the material side of living, and so perpetual attendance could undermine the best school background.” Mrs Tarrant suggested that the National Council of Women could ask that greater care be taken with labelling of films. Usually the committee agreed with the censor’s label, but there were exceptions. A film called “Life Under the Sea” was of great educational interest and excellent for children, but it had been given an A certificate and put into an A programme. She suggested that theatres dealing with low quality and cheap films should include a percentage of films of better quality to educate their patrons gradually, and give them the opportunity to enjoy films of greater merit.

The managers of Christchurch theatres, she said, were disappointed that they had not the co-operation of heads of post-primary schools in sending groups of children to see films which the managers considered educational and worthy of support. Headmasters and headmistresses, on the other hand, felt that they could not spare the time for that in school hours. To remedy this her committee sug?ested that to arm the teachers with ore-knowledge of these films a teachers’ or parent-teachers’ panel might be formed, and be issued with tickets for the first showing by the management of the theatres. They would then be able and responsible to report to the heads of schools on the suitability or otherwise of the recommended films.

The quality of films would improve rapidly when the public demanded high quality, said Mrs Tarrant.