Undue Sentiment Is Not Welcomed by Army Cinema-goers

Taranaki Daily News, 2 September 1942, Page 4

Undue Sentiment Is Not Welcomed by Army Cinema-goers

Soldiers soon get nnovie-minded in camp. In a big North Island camp which quarters the New Zealand Army Tank Brigade and territorial units, provision of screenings seven days a week is one of the major recreational undertakings. Two theatres are in operation, and the larger one, conducted by the Canteen Board, seldom has many of its seats unoccupied at the popular price of sixpence. Profits, as with the proceeds of other Canteen Board activities in the camp, are - distributed through the various regimental funds. When a particularly outstanding show is on — and the camp cinema gets its fair quota of box office successes— long queues and the "house full" sign mark the occasion. The smaller theatre is conducted by the Y.M.C.A. About 270,000 men have passed through the main camp cinema since its inception about a year ag'o. The management has the pick of what the filnt exchanges have to offer, whereas. outside cinemas have a limited connection in this respect. Many films are shown in camp before they make their appearance on suburban and country screens. Plenty of variety is given, there being seven programme changes a fortnight. New plant was recentl.v installed, and there are now four machines available, two as stand-by. Shortly the Canteen Board hopes to open another theatre in the camp to meet the increased demand for movie entertainment. Incidentally, two of the projection machines now in the camp are Ne.w Z.ealand-made, except for the motors. "Big improvements in lighting effects have been made in the proscenium, and the sound system and appointments are well ahead of those provided by most rural cinemas. Soldiers' Reaction. A military audience differs from a civilian one in its reactions to piotion pictures. There is-not, -for instance, any record yet of an over-wrought patron weeping quietly into a- khaki handkerchief in sympathy with a harried heroine. Derision rather than tears greets a surplus of sentiment. Good comedies are always popular. The troops are quick to pick up a false note in a picture — and to express their cynicism vocally. However, taking them generally, the audiences are a steady lot, and of the 270,000 odd who have jatronised the theatre, only three have >een "put on the mat" for creating a disturbance. Films showing the daily activities of the troops themselves meet with a mixed reception. A short depicting the Tank Brigade at manoeuvres was shown recently. First reaction was somewhat derisive — probably self-consciousness— but real interest in the film soon appeared and the reel went through in an appreciative silence. In addition to providing entertainment, the camp cinema plays its part in the training activities of the troops, and several times a week special daytime screenings of military films, new training methods, tactical developments, and up-to-date recordings of army exercises from overseas are shown to parties of officers and men. Supplies of such films are sent to the camp regularly by the army authorities.