MADE IN GERMANY FILMS

Hokitika Guardian, 25 October 1924, Page 4

MADE IN GERMANY FILMS

Almost, coincident with the failure of several British liliii-proilueing firms coin's a big push in Germany in the business of making screen plays. British films, if not actually down and out. are in a pretty poor way; German films are making a marked sjoirl says Hie Eilm Corespondent of the “ Daily Mail.”

In Germany at the present moment there are at least one well-known London producer and several well-known London picture players at work for a German firm. So far as they are ounce rued there scorns to be no reason why they should not do what they are doing; they have just as much right to make films in Germany as some of our music-hall artists have to aceejit to jierfonn there.

The annoying thing is that the Germans should be jumping in where we are —to a considerabl extent—getting out. British films, on the whole, have been, and are, disappointing, but whatever their faults they are less mischievous than German films arc likely to be. The films are extremely dangerous mediums for propaganda because—and it is useless to contest the fact—they mostly attract the uneducated and the unthinking, and great harm can he done by misrepresentation and suggestion. So far ,tho Germans have been very much ltchind in films, hut they have given tho world two or three pictures, notably two dealing with other nations’ history, which have boon “twisted ” to belittle. Tlicro lies the real danger; if tho Germans apply themselves to the making of films these may be exploited for harmful purposes. Such would Ih> a characteristic' German way. American films are often silly, and frequently they present a version of “ mortality ” that does not seems desirable to us, but they are at least peaceful. They are not suspect of rattling swords in the background or subtly designed to ruffle international feathers. There is no saying what bad etlect German mentality may not liave on films, however. The Censor, without having absolute power over what shall and shall not be shown in this country, can more or less keep the Germans in chock here, of course, but there is nothing to stop them, once their production is in full swing, flooding various parts of the Empire with their films.