Churchill as Film Editor

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXI, Issue 18580, 14 December 1934, Page 11

Churchill as Film Editor

THE news that Mr Winston Churchill has signed a contract to edit a series of informative pictures comes as no surprise to those who are familiar with Mr Korda’s ambitious plans for programme building, states the London Observer. The present scheme is to produce a series of short pictures dealing with such world problems as gold, unemployment, and the future of monarchy in a way that will make them clear to j the ordinary picturegoer of any country. The subjects will be chosen by Mr Winston Churchill, and will be made under his supervision by a staff of technical experts, while his son, Mr Randolph Churchill, is to take an active part in their preparation. “The idea,” Mr Korda says, “is to

illustrate Mr Churchill’s speech with diagrams, bits of topical film, and other devices, and it will involve a considerable amount oi work on our trick stages, besides extensive research. I think it should be interesting to the ordinary man and woman to see what is the gold standard, what is Fascism, and so on—to learn the meaning of the words they read in the newspapers and so often do not understand. “We a"e working now on tnc first of the series, which is to be called * The Ca.ptaiu Genera!.’ Its plan is 1o show the way the leader of an army works—what he must do to win a campaign —hn'w Caesar did it—how Napoleon did it—how Foch did it. We havi much interesting material, ami I. think L can be presented in a very simple and interesting way.”

ALTHOUGH Eddie Quillan has'.appeared lately in several fine films, his role in the comedy-drama of college football, “Gridiron Flash,” is considered by him as lii.s real return to the screen. lie explains that it was his chance to do the kind of work that was his speciality, the sort of characterisation that resulted in his first rise to stardom. Eddie enacts the difficult role of a young bandit who is pardoned from prison where he is a star, player, in return for his promise to play football for, and become a student at a small college. Betty Furness plays opposite him.