BETTER PICTURES

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XXIV, Issue 196, 2 August 1934, Page 7

BETTER PICTURES

Criticism by Public THEATRE MANAGER REPLIES (By Telegraph—Press Association.) AUCKLAND Aug. 1. Commenting on the statement in Parliament by the Hon. J. A. Young during tho film censorship debate, Mr M. J. Moodabe. managing director of a large picture theatre company, said 1 that the people who were always crying out for educational and better films had had their opportunity recently, when a film concerning New Zealand history was screened. Mr Moodabe said the Minister had told tho House that an Auckland deputation purporting to speak for 77 religious and social bodies and to represent 190,000 electors had given the most criticism to the film censorship r.eport. Where were these electors and what steps did they take to encourage better films P The film he was referring to was shown in Wellington to 40,000 people and in Dunedin to 16,000, while in Auckland, the home of film censorship criticism, only 5500 saw it. This, said Mr Moodabe, raised the question: What did organisations that asked for stricter censorship do when better films were announced? Apparently they did nothing and their attitude seemed to be merely to pose. He added that some months ago his firm arranged for special films for children for matinee performances, but the support was so poor that the idea had to he abandoned and the company lost money by the experiment.