EDUCATIONAL FILMS

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXIV, 21 February 1931, Page 9

EDUCATIONAL FILMS

ATTITUDE OF PUBLIC f ’ “Thousands of educational films, covering almost the t whole field of instruction, are rotting in Wardour Street cellars because no theatre or school use can be found for them,” says the London “Daily Telegraph.” , Cinemaowners say that the public does not like educational films, and all efforts to find a regular theatro outlet for them were practically killed by the “quota” Act, which docs not allow educational nlms to rank for qutu purposes. “In Germany the cinema-owner who shows educational films is allowed a substantial rebate of entertainment tax, the “Telegraph” adds. “America shows them in thousands of theatres, schools, colleges and universities, and great cinema corporations deal in nothing else, in Britain there is practically _ no market for them It is consistent that there should be a public demand for unpiovement in the type of film shown to children and that, at the same time, no effort should be made to show to children the films which they should see. The diffipulty, apart from the quqja Act, as far as cinema theatres are concerned, is in the word ‘education.’ The cinema world lias made up its mind that between the word ‘education’ and the word ‘entertainment’ there is a gull that it is all but impossible to bridge it bv taking the printed letterpress out ot some educational films and fitting them with a spoken explanation. Inis ceitainly improves their entertainment quality by giving them a touch of personal intimacy, but it yet remains to be seen whether the public will favour such blends of talk and instruction.”