FILMS FOR MORALE?

New Zealand Listener, Volume 8, Issue 197, 2 April 1943, Page 13

FILMS FOR MORALE?

Sir,-In view of the usual high standard of your film section and its excellent attitude to cheap film publicity I presume that your recent article on the reaction of Hollywood to the war effort was intended to be provocative. It certainly provoked me. As far as the "star system" is concerned, I suggest that if this war results in its abolition it will be "the healthiest. thing that has happened to the Motion Picture Industry. The "star system" supporting, as it does, a mass of moronish propaganda about what actors eat, wear, do, and say,--is by far the greatest reason why there is so little intelligent appreciation of films as a cultural, educational, and, yes, entertainment medium. Certainly it, keeps attendance figures up, but in such a way that any attempt at education or cultural enlightenment by films is completely clouded. In any case since when has the American Motion Picture Industry been an instrument for instruction and social works? The few attempts on the part of outsiders to make films on social subjects got little encouragement from the industry.’ We saw no Paré Lorentz films here. Furthermore how can this "job of Education in Americanism and human relations" be carried out by an organisation dictated to by a sectarian authority such as the Hays Office? To argue that film actors are necessary to preserve "morale" is no better than arguing that eyery poet, author, artist, maker of candy, goldfish breeder and racehorse trainer would be exempt from military training also. If this was followed up eventually everybody would be essential and we would have the dear old "business as usual" and "profits for all." THREE STRIPES (Christchurch). |