MOTION PICTURES

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XVII, Issue 207, 16 August 1927, Page 5

MOTION PICTURES

THEIR EDUCATIONAL VALUE THE FILM ZEEBRUGGE TO BE SHOWN AT HASTINGS. When Mr Gladstone Hill wag in Hastings with the motion picture “With Cobham Through Africa.” he was told that the educative film “Zeebrugge,’’ which was produced under the auspices of the Britisli Admiraltv had not been shown in Hastings. Mr Hill then promised to ascertain whether it could not be brought here, a-s he considered that every scholar of the Hastings schools should have an opportunity of seeing it.

A letter was received from Mr Hill to-dav stating:— “1 am pleased to advise that 1 have secured ‘Zeebrugge’ for Hastings. It took some -retting, and manv difficulties had to be overcome. However. I shall be there with ?he picture on Monday and Tuesday. August 22nd and 23rd at the Municipal Theatre. lam taking a big risk in what I am doing but feel sure Hastings will be with me in mv efforts to show British pictures.” Mr Hill certainly deserves every encouragement in his patriotic endeavour to secure the presentation of a better class of film for the entertainment and education of the younger generation than is at nresem m i- the average film of American production. The educational value of the motion picture is now fullv realised and. as is well known, education can be on wrong lines even more easily than on right From the American trash that so frequently is seen on the New Zealand pictniC ruc’.i-' -ip. '.is •

young generation assimilates false impressions of life and receives a most undesirable education in uhhealthv moral codes for social conduct.

The inventor of motion pictures. Mr Thomas A. Edisdn. holds verv decided views on their educative value. He says:—

“I believe that a complete educational system can be evolved from motion pictures, a system of visual education that will present its lessons from life itself. That was mv earliest and greatest expectation for the motion picture camera and if 1 had to do it all over again I should concentrate its activities along those lines. Years ago 1 tried to make some of our leading educators see it as I did — but thev couldn’t Or didn’t. Instead of teaching our bovs and girls to face realities, thev are emphasising everything else but realities.”

Mr Edison believes that, although he mav not live to see it tes;t books will* disappear from schools, and visual instruction will take the ice of that now given by cold, lifeless type. Whether that will happen <r *Qot remains to be seen : but it is certain that, for good or for evil, the motion picture already exerts a crieat influence on the plastic minds of the young, and we have to thank men like Mr Hill, who are devoting themselves to the work of improving the cultural value of the films that are being screened throughout the British Empire.