BRITISH FILMS IN U.S.A.

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 11, Issue 2, 7 March 1947, Page 6

BRITISH FILMS IN U.S.A.

SEEN BY FEW PEOPLE HOLLYWOOD WON’T PLAY “BALL” During the first ten months of last year England spent £12,000,000 of the precious American Loan on buying films from Hollywood. The sum would have been .much larger had it not been for the tremendous success British films arc enjoying in their own cinemas.

In a properly balanced economy those films should be earning dollars in America to replace that £12,000,000. In fact, we are told that British films will earn about £2,000,000 in the United States this year—and that is an all-time record.

Sir Arthur Jarratt, deputy chairman and managing director of British Lion Films, one of the shrewdest men in the business, has just returned in the Queen Elizabeth from a fact-finding tour of investigation into this strange state of affairs. Suspicions Aroused His suspicious were aroused by the paeans of praise for the new style British films which are reaching England from Hollywood magnates. Sir Arthur is shrewd. “The blunt truth,” he said to a reporter, “is that our films are not getting any sort of proper distribution in America. Only one film, ‘The Seventh Veil,’ has been widely seen in the United States. Everybody liked it. There is no doubt that as a result James Mason, who starred in it, is a big proposition in America now.”

“Caesar and Cleopatra,” Mr Rank’s £1,300,000 epic, on which Hollywood has predicted he will lose £750,000, is getting about, Sir Arthur Jarratt found, but not on a large scale. Most of the other British films are confined to little ‘arty’ cinemas.

Sir Arthur represents the big independent branch of British film production. Associated with him are such experienced people as Sir Alexander Korda, Herbert Wilcox, Carol Reed, Edward Black, and several others.

They will make 12 films this year. Sir Alexander is now in America signing up new stars. His partner, Sir Arthur Jarratt, thinks that they are on the right lines by casting for instance, a new star such as Miss Eileen Herlie to be with Orson Welles in “Salome,” which will be made here early this year.

Mr Welles’ name will sell the film in America to help to make Miss Herlie known there. Paulette Goddard and Cary Grant are two other famous stars whose names will be used in forthcoming British Lion films to introduce British stars to the United States. But this sort of thing should hap-

pen normally, thinks Sir Arthur.. Future Prospects The prime thing is to make films acceptable to British cinema-goers. If the films are good enough, the American market should follow naturally. If it doesn’t, then, says Sir Arthur, the cat will be out of the bag. They shall know that Hollywood does not wish to play ball with them.