BRITISH FILMS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22344, 15 February 1936, Page 18

BRITISH FILMS

PEOSPECTS FOE FUTUEE COMPETITION WITH AMERICA DR. KEITH BARRY'S VIEWS "The film industry in Great Britain is making enormous strides," said Dr. Keith L. Barry, the well-known film critic and British Broadcasting Corporation film lecturer, who arrived in Auckland from London by the Empire Star yesterday. For tlio past two years, Dr. Barry has been closely associated with the principal English studios and he declares that in the next few years British films are likely to seriously competo with American productions in the world markets.

Referring to the recent disastrous fire at .Elstree, Dr. Barry said he thought the inconvenience caused would be only temporary. Largo numbers of new studios were being constructed in all parts of tlio district and immense capital, was being poured into the industry by British investors. At the end of 1935, there wero 37 films in production in Britain, Dr. Barry said. Leading American stars such as Anna Sten and Marlene Dietrich were now working at Elstree and their English pictures would be released before long. An actress could lose her screen reputation with one picture and it was certain that such celebrated figures in the film world would not come to England unless they were quite certain that the pictures in which they were going to appear were going to be well up to the American level. Few Great Personalities

"It is not generally realised that there is in the world tor-day a serious shortage of really great film personalities," Dr. Barry stated. Ho offered the suggestion that the only two actors who could fill theatres on name alone were Charles Chaplin and Greta Garbo, this applying not only to Europe and America, but to all the world. In the eyes of the more intelligent film-going public, the name of the director was beginning to mean almost as much as those of the actors. A first-class director could name almost any salary he likod. Britain's most prominent director was Alexander Korda, a Hungarian, who served his apprenticeship in Hollywood. Fine German Productions Dr. Barry made a number of trips to Germany last year, where he gave a series of talks over the Berlin radio stations. "It is a pity New Zealanders cannot see the better German films," ho said. "The photography is the finest in the world and the production is especially noteworthy." Television was making slow, but steady, progress, abroad, Dr. x Barry continued. At Christmas he saw ten television halls working in Berlin. There were regular transmissions from London and Berlin, and the French were commencing a schedule from the Eiffel Tower.

Dr. Barry, who has visited most of the important radio stations in Europe, visited IYA yesterday. He said that nowhere had he seen a more artistically designed radio building.