FILM FAMINE

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 74, Issue 140, 16 June 1931, Page 12

FILM FAMINE

BRITAIN IN PERIL WORLD SHORTAGE? British •cinema owners are threatened with a serious and possibly disastrous film famine, which, in my opinion, cannot now be averted, writes G. A. Atkinson, the London “Daily Telegraph” film critic. Al’any of our cinema theatres will bo compelled to close next autumn and winter, for longer or shorter periods, unless they can put on alternative entertainments. In this remarkable and un aralleled situation there is a great opportunity for the really efficient and not too costly British film. This famine was prophesied by me in a special article last year, but it was disregarded by producers and by most exhibitors. Its approach has been considerably hastened by the general decline in box office receipts. This (Incline has caused a large number of the most attractive films to be brought forward in advance of their normal release dates. It has also caused many exhibitors to exhaust available supplies by showing four feature films a week, though the original talkie programmes consisted of one feature film and a few “shorts,” which, in most instances, sufficed for the whole week. Language Restriction. Hud the famine occurred in the days of silent films the situation could have been saved by “re-issues,” but talkies do not seem to have much re-issue value, and technical improvements and changes swiftly put them out of date. It became obvious that there would be a famine as soon as the single-fea-ture programme failed to suffice for a week, but cinema magnates did not realise it. The restrictions imposed by the English language caused America to produce fewer films, owing to the shrinkage in her non-English markets. The same restrictions also caused a shrinkage in our film-supplies from foreign countries. Theatres, meanwhile, havo increased in number, but theatre owners are acting precisely as if the same number of films were available as in silent days. Requirements. Another important element in this crucial situation is the fact that talkies either succeed handsomely or not at all, as a general rule, whereas even a moderate silent film often succeeded in doing good box office business. Cinema theatres in this country have now reached a point where they need available supplies of 500 good talkies per annum. It is doubtful if they will be able to count this year on more than 200, of which forty or fifty will be British. Tho famine is already upon the American cinema owner, as indicated in the current issue of the British cinema owners’ official organ, the “Cinematograph Times” by its Hollywood correspondent, who says:— “Never in the history of tho business has there been such a shortage of product. Theatres a.' 1 hammering at distributors to accelerate releases. Distributors are urging Hollywood to speed up production. Hollywood is imploring bankers to furnish the necessary finance. “The situation is so serious that all artificial barriers and tariffs between one theatre chain and another are down. The famine has reached a point where many theatres do not know today whether they will have anything to project on Afonday. “Unless Hollywood finds an unexpected extra £i0,000,000 for production, within six months there will be no reserve fund of films.” Urgent Need. Aly opinion is that the theatres, during the next 12 months, will bo able to absorb many British films in excess ot current estimates of output, and that tho industry is urgently in need of new finance. These “famine relief” films should be put immediately in production, as tho shortage will apply to all Englishspeaking markets, but there is no absolute guarantee that they will obtain distribution in America, despite the famine there, as there is no evidence that American audiences take kindly to British talkies. All the evidence suggests that they prefer to see their own country’s talkies. No financier should invest money in a British film company without making sure that expenditure is in lhe hands of a first-class production manager, as distinct from the men who call themselves directors. Production managers are business men who are able to budget closely for the cost of a film and, within reasonable limits, to guarantee a, date for completion.