SHALL THY BOUNDS BE SET?

New Zealand Listener, Volume 14, Issue 358, 3 May 1946, Page 28

SHALL THY BOUNDS BE SET?

IDER still and wider grows the empire of J. Arthur Rank. Three weeks ago his irruption into the cinema world of Eire was recorded on this page, and since then our newspapers have contained this cabled account of the ceremonies connected with Mr. Rank’s taking over of the Pinewood Studios in England (at which ceremonies a New Zealander, Colonel R. F. Gambrill, who is our Mr. Kerridge’s representative, officiated). Even before this happened, the British film industry had become almost all Rank and no file, but the acquisition of Pinewood is a particularly significant stage in the process whereby independent producers (that is, producers outside the Rank orbit) are being removed from the scene. For during the war Pinewood was under "Government control, and it was there that the Crown Film Unit, a national organisation working under the Ministry of Information, made films like Target for To-night, Coastal Command, and Western Approaches which, together with shorter documentaries, have done more than anything in recent years to bring fresh lustre and vitality to the British cinema. Does this new move mean then that, with the cessation of war, the Crown Film Unit goes out of existence? I hope it doesn’t; but I am afraid it does. So it is relevant now to recall some of the points made by the New Statesman and Nation in editorial comment on a debate ‘in the House of Commons at the end of last year on the subject of the British film industry. Discussing the crisis ("perhaps the most serious in its history") that has arisen in the industry because of the need to cut down on American imports and so save dollar funds, The New Statesman said it was necessary to consider what action could be ‘taken by the Government to ensure that more British films of acceptable quality were produced and reached the screens rof British theatres, replacing some of those bought from American producers. % % * "\ /HILE we can make more documentaries, in which this country is preeminent, these short films will not fill the gap," said The New Statesman. "Only feature films with adequate boxoffice appeal can do this. One of the main reasons for the lack of British ‘features-apart from the requisitioning of studios, shortage of manpower and materials-has been the decision of Mr. Rank and his associates to produce luxury films, prodigal of time, studio space, materials, and money. We are told that Henry V., which was ‘incredibly costly, was necessary to Mr. Rank’s attempt to break into American markets. So far, none of his big ventures have justified this hope, nor are they likely to do.so ...A Caesar and Cleopatra is not sufficient compensation for the loss of several less extravagant-but not necessarily less attractive-features.

"For the cost of Mr. Rank’s venture has been virtual elimination of independent productions. Now that Ealing Studios have had to reach a distribution agreement with the Rand colossus, British National remains the only producing concern unassociated with the monopoly. The real power of the Rank combine rests upon its control of the distributing and exhibiting end of the industry; there is littlhe permanent capital invested on the production side. Should Mr. Rank see fit, there is little to prevent him from withdrawing from production. The vacuum which would result could only be filled by the multiplication of Ameri-can-financed companies making cheap

films in this country to supply quota requirements, while the cinema circuits would be entirely dependent upon Hollywood for their supply of big features. "While things have not yet reached this pass, the present drift is a serious threat to the creative future of British films. The Government’s task is twofold: (1) to economise dollars and afford protection for British films as a whole, and (2) within the British film industry to assist the development of independent production. The first point could be met by the introduction of an ad valorem tax upon film imports. The number of American films permitted to enter this country might be reduced by restricting them to the difference between the total production of ‘features’ in this country and the minimum number of feature films required to provide a continuous flow for British screens. This suggests the need for the creation of an Import Board, on

which trade representatives as well as Government nominees would sit, to select from the available American films those of the highest quality, and to confine import licences to such pictures, A similar institution, in fact, existed in France and worked well under the Popular Front Government. "The second problem-how to stimulate independent production-is more difficult, A Government spokesman in the House promised that Sir Stafford Cripps would shortly make a statement of Government policy, though he gave no indication how far the Board of Trade has accepted the recommendations of the Films Council Report on the growth of monopoly in the industry. This matter must be tackled at two points. At present Mr. Rank controls nearly all studio space and a large proportion of the cinemas. No independent company can be sure that its films will ever be exhibited, even if it can find studio space on which to make them. We urge, first, that the Government should retain the Pinewood Studios under national control and lease stages, fully ‘serviced,’ to independent producers, Secondly, unless it is prepared to establish by compulsory acquisition a chain of State or municipal cinemas, the Governmént should introduce an internal quota system, By this all distributors would be compelled to include in their programmes a proportion of the films made at Pinewood or elsewhere 7 independent producers." * x * HERE may be a good reason why the _above suggestion about Pinewood, which on the face of it seems eminently reasonable and likely to appeal to Britain’s Labour Government, has not been adopted. But it is clear from the recent cable that it has not been. Pinewood is now Rank property, and the Crown Film Unit will probably soon be only a bright memory. Incidentally, while on this subject, I should mention that it has been pointed out'to me, on good authority, that I paid Mr. Ratik an undeserved tribute when I described the excellent Waterloo Road as one of his efforts. I was misled by the Gainsborough trademark, but I am. informed that this film was one of the last independent productions made by Michael Balcon at Ealing before Mr. Rank took over, about the beginning of last year,