THE SOVIET CINEMA

Evening Post, Volume CXXIII, Issue 2, 4 January 1937, Page 7

THE SOVIET CINEMA

STATE SUBSIDY

CATERING FOR CHILDREN

Today in Moscow the eye is immediately arrested by an immense drawing of Stalin holding a radiant child and embowered with it in beautiful flowers. This emblem of the attention which the Government is paying to the upbringing of the Soviet child adorns the front of the famous Second Art Theatre, now the Central Children's Theatre and present culminating point of the Children's Theatre movement, which began soon after the Revolution and has gone on increasingly since, writes Huntly Carter in the "Manchester Guardian." For a long time foreign visitors have paid deserved tribute to the wonderful development, efficiency, and achievement of the Soviet theatre school. Now comes the turn of the Children's Cinema.

One morning a message came to me from cinema headquarters. Would I like to see Professor Kogan, director of the Arts Committee of the Children's Cinema Studios? Professor Kogan received me cordially at the old and famous Mezrapomfllm Studios, the whole of which, he explained, were now given over to the new industry and accordingly had received the name of Soyuzdetfilm. Further, that these studios have their own staff of directors, producers, scenario writers, and the rest of the special personnel. As to magnitude, he said that at present there are five central studios each capable of producing three to four pictures at a time. Besides this, there are studios all over the country organised to include children's pictures in their production schedules. NEW ACTORS AND SUBJECTS. Coming to the fundamental idea, he confirmed the news that this essential organisation is the outcome of the Government's recognition not only of the immense importance of the motion picture to the upbringing of the child, but of the fact that adult pictures are not satisfying children. Children want children's pictures, in which children, animals, and simple, natural, and scientific objects serve to tell them the story of the good life and how it should be lived. On the screen children appeal to children ill a manner that grown-ups cannot do. Herein is a sound basic principle. In the new concept of subject is another sound principle, that the child is father to the man. Domestic stories, in particular, show the influence of the child on the parents. From them peeps out the novelty of the child teaching the adult idea how to shoot

I asked Professor Kogan to tell me something about finance, production, distribution, and consumption, hoping thereby to gain a. better insight into the mysteries of subject and treatment. I learn that the financial structure has an unusual aspect, as might be expected in an industry from which the business man has been eliminated. Distribution is undertaken by a General Trust Republics and regions order their pictures, but though the pictures have different appeals the subjects have an All-Union interest. The production studios count on the distribution trust for bookings or returns. But the. trust cannot always guarantee returns to cover cost of production. Then the Government steps in. Thus, "A" studio plans to make, say, four pictures at a cost of 2,000,000 roubles or so. If this amount is not fully covered by the distributing trust before the pictures are finished, if, say, 500,000 roubles are needed, the Government makes up the deficit. This is the State system of subsidy. The important point is that the Government does not make up the deficit on any one picture, but on the whole of the planned output for a season. Exhibition is responsible in Moscow for ten special theatres for children's pictures, and their inclusion in the programmes of adult houses, clubs, and schools. Outside Moscow thera are 400 special theatres. MORAL PURPOSES. There is much that is novel in the subjects, which are treated as much as possible, from the children's point of view. It is easily understood that the Soviet process of building a new public conscience, new moral code, new relation of the sexes, new family relations, new home life, has cut off from screen treatment many subjects that are still fashionable in capitalist democracies and still considered fit for children, and introduced others which are expressions and illustrations of new instincts, needs, sentiments, and associations. Historical subjects are foremost, showing children how their parents lived formerly; contemporary one 3 interpret the new concept of living, and provide a banquet of present-day Soviet heroes; scientific, fantastic, and adventure subjects serve to stimulate curiosity. In rushes of pictures in course of production I found illustrations of the trend of subjects. "Father and Son" showed how, a boy taught his father to recognise the defect of his bringing up. The boy became an associate of criminals with whom he was seen in conflict owing to his natural honesty, which in the end saved him and restored him to clean society. This picture is popular with children because it shows them their sentiments and their problems in regard to their parents. "Friendship" shows children how they may engender and cement friendships between minor nationalities. It is the simple story of a girl who is kidnapped and taken to China, where,with the help of her courage, cleverness, and dog, she saves herself and makes friends. A friendship subject of a different kind appeared in a story of children and animals in the Moscow Zoo, where young children go after school hours to study and make friends with tha wild animals. I was startled by an infant Soviet Daniel entering the bears' den and walking among the wiljl animals ps calmly and unconcerned as the original Daniel did. The popularity of these and other pictures of a similar, type is increased by school children playing the principal parts. They have never appeared in motion pictures before, and their natural ways are an education. Colour is entering increasingly into children's pictures, much to the delight of the juvenile audiences, which are encouraged to criticise. Complexions that continue to take their hue from the grassy mound which covers the hero's remains are condemned as altogether silly. As one small boy said, "You can't fool me with that stuff."