A PUBLIC APPEAL

Evening Post, Volume CX, Issue 48, 25 August 1925, Page 5

A PUBLIC APPEAL

BRITISH FILM INDUSTRY

PLEAFOR AN INQUIRY

PRIME MINISTER'S STATEMENT.

(FilOM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.)

LONDON, 3rd July

A number of eminent persona have addressed an open letter to the Prime Minister on the subject of the British film industry. The signatories included Dame Lena Ashwell and Mrs. Snowden, Mr. Thomas, Dr. Bridges (the Poet Laureate), Lord Carson, Mr. J. E. Clynes, Sir Edward Elgai', Lord Dawson of Ponn, Sir Sidney Lee, Sir Martin Conway, Sir Charles Oman, and Mr. Gordon Selfridge.

"We have in Great Britain," they' write, "approximately 4000 cinema theatres and halls where pictures are shown, and it is estimated that twenty millions attend 'the pictures' each week, while the yearly receipts amount to about thirty millions sterling. Yet it is a humiliating fact that of the pictures exhibited not 5 per cent, are of British production, all others having their origin abroad, mainly in the United States, although quite recently Germany has come forward as a seriouti competitor with the Americans in tha production of what are known as super* films. }

"No one who has followed the development of this new form of popular entertainment can be in, any doubt as to the immense importance of films as a subtle means of propaganda, none the less powerful because it is indirect.: Films have an atmosphere of their own. The bulk of films shown in this country have, to say the least of it, a non-Brit-ish atmosphere. These films are shown in our Dominions, colonies, and dependencies, and in all the countries of the world outside, the British Commonwealth of nations. Many of them are inferior productions, neither healthy nor pahiotic in tone, while the psychological influences which they convey may have fat 1-reaching consequences," They asked Mr. Baldwin to institute an inquiry, and thereby "permit a judgment to be formed as to the measures which should be taken to establish a film industry here on a sound foundation." BLOCK-BOOKING SYSTEM The United States film industry makes such large profits in' its own country," "The Times reminds the public, "that it can afford (with a superior smile at. anything so trifling as a M'Kenna duty) to dump its films on all othor countries at a clear profit.'. This profit is often considerably increased through what is known as block-booking. If an English distributor wants a good film from the United States, he cannot have it alone; he is forced to take it 'as part of a "block/ the other parts of which may or may not be contemptible or offensive rubbish. To that extent, if to no greater, each English cinema theatre comes to resemble a "tied" publichouso. 'Opportunity and energy having thus made the United States supreme, the Bwtish film, which at the best could win no large profit out of the comparatively small number of cinema theatres in the United Kingdom, can find no opening, outside, whether in the Dominions or abtoa'd. And thus the notion has grown up that British films' are not good films' and that we have neither the atmosphere nor the .material for making good films. Those who have studied the matter closely, assure us that this notion is false; that, though our light and air are not so suitable as those" of the Californian coast, there are four months in the year during which enough good outdoor photographs can be taken to meet* all demands: that for indoor work we are no worse' equipped than any other country; and that British film-pro-ducers and British film-players are constantly drawn away to the United States by the lure of salaries far greater than they could earn at home. The British film industry lacks only one thing for certain t and that is money." EFFECT ON THE DOMINIONS "What must be the result of the lamentable fact that in the Dominions only one per cent, of the films shown are British?" asks "The Times" in another leading article. "Our frequent experience has been that those who produce the big super-fihn3 distort history to their purpose. Lord Newton (in the House of Lords discussion) spoke of an American film, very popular in the States, which depicts the .German fleet surrendering to the American navy! The Englishman is rarely presented by the American producer in a favourable light. If it is a travel film, he is certain to be caricatured. If any exploitation of native labour is shown, the cruel exploiter is sure to be British. "We are not belittling the American, i'o. German, or the French film. On the contrary, we desire to see the best films of the whole world' shown in the picture-houses of this country. But the amount of foreign trash exhibited is appalling, and it 3 psychological influence —despite the preliminary 'nihil obstat' , of- the purely voluntary censorship maintained by the trade itself is bad. The picture-house with its appeal to the eye is a more powerful educative influence even than the school, which appeals to the ear. It appeals to a noiiri'esisting, absorbent, aha receptive sense. Its predominant atmosphere, therefore, should be British, and it is because it is so little British at this moment that we warmly endorse the appeal to the Government to appoint a committee to ascertain the facts and to .suggest a remedy." THE PLAIN FACTS Writing in the " Weekly Dispatch," Sir Sidney Low saws that anybody who has examined the cinema, trade can give the memorialists the information- they seek. And as to the remedial measures, these also are quite easy to indicate, though a little difficult to carry into operation. Sir Sidney Low continues:' "If Dame Lena Ashwell, Mr. Selfridge, Mr. Hardy, and their friends want to super-, sede American and other foreign pictures they should begin by raising a capital sum of at least one million sterling. A first-class five-reel or six-reel ' feature.' film may cost anything from £10,000 to £50,000 or more. The picture houses usually change their progrnnunes once or twice a, week. Consequently they must be provided with a constant supply of new productions. " No return can be expected on this investment Cor years. The British films, being British films, will not as a rule appeal to American audiences. The producers will find their market only in the 4000 picture houses-of Great Brit-' eiiii, while their American rivals are drawing revenue from five times as .many hulls. The British manufacturers must offer their wnrea as cheaply as the Anierinans, or the exhibitors will not take them. , To do-Mint tb.ey will probably lia.vo.to sell at a loss or at least without any substantial gain. PROTECTION NOT A SOLUTION "Having provided the requisite cupHal, Hie palmitic syntliuiilK must then' set. 1 Hull tin- Urilisll Urhnii'ril pruditciion is ill Irasl i'i|ti:il lv tluil of the foreignera. At present it is iuferwr. AH Iliad,

the Government and Parliament could do would be to impose a heavy tariff, upon the exhibition value of imported films. That would help the British producer, but not'very'much. A 33 1-3 per cent., or even a 60 per cent., ad valorem duty would not keep out the American films, because the exhibitor must have them until (or unless) the British manufacturers can furnish him with a steady stream of new pictures. " Then I doubt whether the British film-renting companies are really eager for Protection—at least to the extent of seriously, curtailing the flow of reels from abroad. It that happened, they would have to set up extensive studies and turn to the troublesome business of making original pictures, with nil its attendant costs, anxieties, and risks. PREMIER'S STATEMENT " I think the time has come," said the Prime Minister in the House of Commons, ." when the position of the film industry in this country should be examined with a view to seeing whether it lie not possible, as it is desirable on nationnl grounds, that a larger proportion of the films exhibited in this country are British films, having regard to the enormaus power which the film is developing for propaganda, purposes and the danger which wo in this country and our Empire subject ourselves to if wo allow that method of propaganda to be entirely in the hands of foreign countries." (Cheers.) The Federation of British Industries points out that the matter of the film industry has for some time past been receiving very serious consideration at a conference of national organisations representing educational, patriotic, and artistic interests which is being held at the offices of the Federation of British •Industries. When the question of the British film industry was raised by Lord Newton in the House of Lords, Lord Gainford, speaking on behalf of the F. 8.1., referred to these conferences. Since that time considerable progress has been made, and it is, hoped , that before long it may be possible to put some concrete proposals before the Government.