SPECIAL FILMS

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 676, 30 May 1929, Page 16

SPECIAL FILMS

HEALTHY INFLUENCE FOR CHILD AUDIENCES SCHEME IN OPERATION Under Vice-Regal patronage is the scheme which will result in the weekly screening of film programmes suitable for children. It is intended to show films that will instruct and amuse, thus saving children from the psychological menace of more sophisticated films. »p HE first of the special matinees •will be held on Saturday at the Lyric Theatre. Yesterday afternoon the first special programme was screened privately for the benefit of their Excel- ; lencies, Sir Charles and Lady Alice Fergusson, members of the Better Films League, and invited citizens. The pictures included “Soaring Wings,” a nature film, an Aesop Fable Cartoon and “South Seas Magic,” a Harold Lloyd comedy. Professor W. Anderson, president of the Better Films League, in an introductory speech said that the league was founded for the purpose of recommending to the public such films as merited special patronage. It had been associated with their Excellencies and Mr. Henry Hayward in evolving the scheme, which would enable films suitable for child audiences to be selected by the special vote of the league’s council. These would be shown each Saturday afternoon. “Children are keen patrons of the screen,” said his Excellency, “and it is not right that we should attempt to stop that interest; but it is important that we should make a special effort that children see films that can do them no harm.” He added that many childhood troubles were caused by films which did not exert good influence. The adult mind was not influenced by an advanced film, but with children the situation was different. A child was swayed more by whait it saw than by what it read or heard. He paid a tribute to the way in which Mr. Henry Hayward and Mr. Phil Hayward had viewed the scheme. They had been verj' sympathetic and, in fact, the whole cinema profession had co-operated eagerly. “Under this scheme,” said his Excellency, “children will find the cinema a pleasure, and it will be something that can exert a healthy influence on their lives.”