GOING TO THE MOVIES IN FAR-OFF JAVA

Sun (Auckland), Volume 1, Issue 116, 6 August 1927, Page 23

GOING TO THE MOVIES IN FAR-OFF JAVA

N.Z. MANAGER RETURNS NATIVES LIKE WILD WESTERNS J-T.AST is East, And West is West, But movie tastes the wide world over, are much the same. When Tom Mix or Buck Jones or an\ other exponent of bronchoism

gallops on the screen, rescues the heroine, and carries her off to safety, the Malays can cheer with the best. Wild Westerns are their picture favourites. says Mr. Harry Thomas, formerly of Rotorua, who has just returned after a three years’ sojourn at Surabaya.

o uiauuya. Jn this Japanese centre he directed the interests of Paramount. Mr - - Thomas is returning to Sydney shortly, however, to join the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer staff. The movie picture house in Java is divided into five classes. The masses who demand no more intellectual fare than the wild riders of the west are seated behind the screen. The fact that the titles are upside down makes not the slightest difference to them. Fourth class is just in front of the screen—-in fact, almost beneath it. Then, in turn, the third and fourth divisions are placed behind these rows of eager-eyed picture folk. The balcony, or first class, is generally occupied by the Butch and other European visitors. There is no restriction against natives, however, providing that they have, of course, the price of admission. Very different to Singapore and other parts of the East, where the colour line is more marked than in Java. Bike the French, the Dutch have very little colour prejudice. Therefore the native population, which numbers in the vicinity of 137,000,000, are

not debarred from the picture palaces of the Europeans. The latter do not total more than 120,000. Neither are there any exclusively European picture theatres in Java, as in the case, for instance, at Singapore, and in other British possessions. A new movie theatre at Surabaya, says Mr. Thomas, will be ready for occupation in October. Its seating capacity will be 900. A dancing cabaret on the roof will be in accordance with the latest theatre design. He says it will set a new standard for the East in comfort and modern facilities. Building is not such an expensive mutter in Java. Labour is plentiful

—and cheap! Mr. Thomas declares it is remarkable how soon a building will be completed. He is full of admiration for Hutch concentration upon the construction of good roads. Here again cheap labour has doubtless played a most important part. Excellent roads traverse this exceedingly rich and fertile country from one end to the other. On the whole Mr. Thomas is inclined to the opinion that the Hutch administration has been most successful. Java has not been without her domestic troubles and problems. The germ of Bolshevism found a section of the country ready for infection. The. recent Communist uprising at Batavia was more serious than the outside world was led to believe. Fortunately, says Mr. Thomas, prompt action on