MORE ABOUT FILMS.

Waikato Times, Volume 101, Issue 16947, 9 November 1926, Page 11

MORE ABOUT FILMS.

ALLEGED GERMAN 'JUNK.' HOME PRODUCERS' ATTITUDE. (From a Correspondent.) LONDON, September 22. As was to be expected, strong comments have been expressed by men in the cinema business regarding the statements made by Mr G. Chrystall, described as representing the Southern Internrvtional Film Company of New Zealand, to The Cinema and the Daily Mirror. It will be remembered that among other things he said that prices for English films were so high that he had been obliged to go to Germany for present and future supplies —films for a period of twenty-one years ahead. British producers are not perturbed by Mr Chryslall's experience, but a number of them have expressed their opinions in Cinema, which is the only film newspaper, and is now in its fifteenth year of publication. "Generally," says Cinema, "the attitude of the representative British producers interviewed has been one of dignified protest at the attempt to impose an absurd scale of prices on good films." The editorial comment runs: "British producers have refused to allow themselves to be worried by Mr Chrystall, the Australian buyer's 'treat,' that he will henceforth buy his 'films from Germany. If the British trade is a little angry, it is because producers regard it as something less than courteous to ask them to sell carefully-made productions at junk prices, and because this request should have been made at the point of a pistol that is certainly not likely to harmonise with their sense of patriotism. A Stimulating Fact. "Charles Chrystall's tirade has had the effect of bringing to the fore one very stimulating fact —British producers arc not having any great difficulty in placing their pictures in the colonies. Opinions differ as to whether the prices received are or are not advantageous so far as Australasia is concerned; but the necessity has not yet arisen to see good pictures as junk, or to give them away—so to speak—with a pound of butter. And it is good to be reminded by producer after producer that he really has nothing left to sell. Mr Chrystall's pistol seems to have misfired. "It remains to be seen whether any harm can be done to the existing British trade in Australasia by the competition already operating, and now about to be accelerated. Very much rests upon public opinion. If Australasian audiences are not prepared to see German films, the problem will not arise. On the other hand, if it be true, as Charles Chrystall claims, thai they judge pictures on their relative production merits only, then it would seem that the newly-stimulated activity in favour of German output may ultimately reflect on the British market. Although no one would expect that the German films claimed to be bought for £SO and £IOO are 'supers,' it is reasonable to suppose they may be equal to some British productions, because, as one leader in the British industry observed, the German producers would give their ears for the Australian market. But, after all, no one can blame the British producers for refusing en bio to be stampeded by Mr ChystaU'methods into throwing away a hardearned source of income by enterim into throat-dutting competition will, a country that has nothing to lose am. much to gain by a little preliminai; generosity." What Film Authorities Say.

Mr G. M. Woolf (chairman of W. and P.) . observed that Mr Chrysta'! had not paid tliem a visit, nor did lis wish to see him, as he had no pictures to offer for £-'io or £SO. He was not in the least interested in any pro-fit-sharing scheme, and that it was ■ disgrace to ask any British produce* to sell pictures at the price mentioned Mr Jeffrey Bernerd said that he hat some British films to sell, which wer worth more likely £3OOO than 111 1 price Mr Ghrystall was prepared V pay. Obviously, the price dependet upon the relative merits of the picture. Mr Chrystall was not right in sayiii: : ' that there were trusts in South Africo which would pay no more than £250. as, he, Mr Bernerd had received much more than that for "The Last Days of Pompeii." He wondered if Mr Ghrystall could buy films like "Metropolis," "Faust," "Du Barry,"- "The Golden and "Manon Lcscaut" j'oi £SO each? The pictures Mr Chrystall was buying at the price named wore rubbish.

It was the view of Mr Michael Bal con (Piccadilly Pictures, Ltd.), that ii anybody had asked Mr Ghrystall £150! for a good British picture, he war getting it cheap.' For a good Britisli picture Australasia should be worth •' lot more than that, and he was ciuil' sure that when a big American lini: distributed a picture in Australktsr they got a great deal more than £IS(K; for it. lie expressed surprise at Mi Chrystall's comments, since the laltoi had approached their firm in connection with one picture on which negotiations were even then still pending after he had expressed his opinions I the press. > Fantastic Prices. Mr Gordon Craig (New Era) said people who wanted to buy films for £BO and £IOO would have to go elsewhere for them. "Unfortunately, Mr Chrystall's organisation is unknown to us in Australia," said Mr Craig. "If he is talking about New Zealand, well enough, but if he is talking about Australasia, his price is absurd. Eight times his price would be somewhere near the mark. Wc think our goods arc at least equal to German Alms for showing in Australasia. We have not a foot of unsold films for Australasia among the whole of our product; in fact, we have recently had inquiries from such firms as Famous Players and Fox, and had nothing we could offer them. I can go across to Germany and pay £SO for a film for the English market; but I should be very sorry to put it on the screen in this country; such films are hopeless from the point of view of story value."

Mr Leon Wynbcrgen (foreign sales manager of the same company)—a man with many years' excricncc 'of selling films abroad —observed that i; was entirely against the New Era's policy 1.0 have any dealings-with anybody who spoke along the line of prices suggcslcd by Mr Ghrystall. They had no difficulty in disposing of the whole of their output to the Dominions. At the present time there was not a foot of film which had not been sold all over the Dominions. lis had asked Mr Chrystall to call to discuss future business, but so far had received no reply. Mr T. C. Elder (Stoll Productions) was not inclined lo take Mr Ghrystall 100 seriously. "Ob, Mr Ghrystall?" he said, "lie didn't come to see nic. . - Mr Chrystall is correct in saying that there is a trust ill South Africa, but his state-

ments that we arc asking exorbitant prices is absolute nonsense. It is a common grievance with British producers that WC cannot get anything like a reasonable price from South Africa or Australia. It is absurd Lo say Australia is worth only £2OOO per picture. The 'Ten Commandments' in Australia took an enormous sum — .-umething certainly approaching etoo.ooo." Organisation Needed. Mr Elder pointed out that the great thing British producers lacked in the colonies was organisation; it was there that the Americans scored every Lime. American films were able to offer exhibitors whole programmes. Exhibitors could hardly be bothered Willi small linns coming along and offering single films. . . . What hj3 would desire to see, and what must come sooner or later, was an amalgamation of'British producers lo create an organisation to control distribution. There was no reason why such an organisation should not have the annual disposal of a hundred British pictures. There was already plenty of available studio accommodation for the production of GO or SO films annually in this country. "After all," lie added, "people seem to expect that every British film made should be a super, but how many supers docs America put out in. relation to her programmes? A big picture by one producer here, and another by a producer there, look a lot when taken together, but there are very few big productions lo each \mcrican producing organisation." 'to make a British film pay it was necessary to get 114000 or £SOOO from sources outside great Britain.