LURE OF THE MOVIES.

Shannon News, 11 October 1927, Page 4

LURE OF THE MOVIES.

THE "CZAK" OP THE BUSINESS

"When you know that with, a population of 6,000,000 Australian has 150,000,000 people going to the moving picture?; every year, you e*>i realise that those in charge of the ininstry have a tremendous responsibility," said Sir Victor Wilson to an Auckland Star reporter. Head of the Motion Picture Distributors' _\ ssaciation, anl known among his familiars as "The'Movie Czar" of Australia, he arrived by the Niagara on a visit to the Dominion. He pointed out that.the Ausr/alian figures of piciure theatre showed what great influence for good or evil the "mov-io" must*be, and the organisation of which hi was head aimed M the improvement generally of the picture industry, recognising that it was vitally Responsible to the community, in view of the pictures' farreaching effect. His organisation was making pictures and making progress. Of course" everybody had to learn. There were many technical difficulties in the business, and for some of the big pictures his firm had produced it had been found advisable to get some of the principals from the United States, with whom ideas could be exchanged. So far the association's supreme effort to film Australian history had been "For the Term of His Natural Life," which wasHhe biggest thing attempted in this part of the world, the cost running into anything between £40,000 and £50,000. Sir Victor Wilson is making his first visit to New Zealand. He says he has not come over to look for something to film; he has simply come to spy out the land, and get an idea of thecountry. "I have always wanted to come over and have a look at you ever.since I met your late Premier, Mr. Massey, at the 1923-24 Imperial Economic Conference in the Old Country. I was then in politics, and Mr, Massey, with his long experience, was a very great help to me during by visit to that conference. I was very much struck with" him; he was a fine type of man; bluff, good-hearted, and my only regret- is that he is not alive to welcome me. He used to talk a lot about New Zealand, and I was so interested in him that I always meant to come over and see what his country was like."