THE CINEMA GOMES INTO ITS OWN.

Dunstan Times, Issue 3149, 25 December 1922, Page 2

THE CINEMA GOMES INTO ITS OWN.

(By G. A. Atkinson.)

A great boom is coming in the film world', which, after three years of struggle, has emerged, clad only in commercial skin-tights, from poet-war-chaos. Organisation, and the leadership of snob men as Lord Ashfield and Sir William Jury, are solving the problems inherited •from get-rich-quick days. In another five year? tlie cinema, industry will probably occupy the fifth or sixth place in this country's commercial hierarchy in respect of eapitdl invested, numbers employed, and oorjiorn<te influence.' The reader will say, "How can that be? How can a business which exists on a purely artificial and rather democratic entertainment hope to challenge in wealth and importance such vested interests as railways, banking, and shipping?" The answer is" that patrons of cinema theatres, at which weekly attendances now aggregate 40,000,000, aire not .so vitally interested as the reader might suppose in the actual quality of the entertainment. The cinema theatre' is really the British equivalent of the "Continental cafe." It offers a cheap, convenient, comfortable, and restful means of passing the slack hours between business and bedtime. That is its strength and the secret of its lure. The cinema, industry has brought a score of new trades and professions into existence, and is closely dependent upon many other trades. Its inicrests in the building, electrical, and catering and' allied trades (such as sweets anu'tobaeco) are enormous. Jt is also opening up great fields of employment in decoration, upholstery, furniture, design, celluloid waste. chemicals, carbons, machinery, optical work, printing and poster work, costurnery, and fire appliances. It lias given a new orientation to musicplaying, and music publishing and l will return to the stage, in the shape of employment, at least as much as it has taken away. ft gives powerful aid to such municipal undertakings as tramways and electric power, and then' is no business which touches the general industrial life of the country at so; many points or offers such variegated avenues of employment. The number of people at present wholly employed in the cinema business in this country is about .'500.000. but it finds employment indirectly for another 5,000,000.' The total capital invested; in the business is about £40.000.000. and the capital invested on its behalf in associated trades is certainly not less. Two big and practically unexpJoited factors are educational and industrial films, each of which will play a great. part in national, iil'e. The total number of cinema theatres in Great Britain is about 1000, likely to be increased by at least another thousand, but films are now shown in many other places than cinema theatres. An adequate supply of photo-plays of good entertainment quality is now assured.