British Film Institute Library

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVI, Issue 23429, 19 August 1939, Page 16 (Supplement)

British Film Institute Library

LARGE COLLECTION About 300 .films have been added to the National Film Library of the British Film Institute during the past nine months. The library now has in its collection more than 1000 films, of a total length of more than 2,000,000 feet, says a London exchange. Recent acquisitions include an interesting group of British films made at the close of the silent period. Two of these. "The Lodger," produced in 1926, and "Downhill," produced in 1927, both featuring Ivor Novollo, are early works of the famous British director, Alfred Hitchcock. Another film of-the group, "Blighty,'' was directed in 1927 by Adrian Brunei, with Ellalino Terriss, Lilian HallDavies and Godfrey Winn in the cast. It was an attempt to portray British life on tho homo front . during tho war. Of> tho same period is "When Fleet Meets Fleet," also 1927, produced in Germany but made by a mixed English and German cast headed by Bernard Coetzke and Henry Sturat. It is a film of the Battle of Jutland and was commended at the time by Earl Jellicoo. Of foreign films acquired one of tho most interesting is an early Rene Clair film made in 1924, "The Phantom of the Moulin Rouge. 1 ' This is important for its use of multiple exposure, which was popular in the French films of that period. ' The library has also a selection of trick films made by Starevitcii, inventor of the puppet film. It includes his first essay of this kind, "Tho Beetle's Deception," mado in 1912. Involving the use of model insects, which are slowly moved stage by stage, just as the film cartoonist moves his drawings, it created a senyition when first issued. When Walt Disney was working ,at publicity films for the Kansas Slide Company in 1923 lie devoted his sparo time to making "Little Red -Riding Hood." This film, a copy of which has been discovered by tho National Film Library in recent weeks, secured Disney his contract to make the Oswald series of cartoon films which first set him on the ladder to fame. The National Film Library has now th» finest collection in tho world of pre-war films, and on a number of occasions copies liavo been supplied to other film archives.