For Young Filmgoers

New Zealand Listener, Volume 17, Issue 423, 1 August 1947, Page 25

For Young Filmgoers

GOING TO THE CINEMA. By Andrew Buchanan. Phoenix House Ltd., London. HIS book is intended primarily for young people, as an aid to better understanding and enjoyment of the cinema. It deals fairly comprehensively and readably with the various departaprste of film production and their rela- » .» to one another; with different types-of features; with documentaries, cartoons, and newsreels; and with such related topics. as film criticism, the star system, and children’s cinema clubs, In the circumstances, the book may be excused for being rather juvenile in its approach, and its. general purpose of developing the critical faculties of young picturegoers can be heartily applauded. But there is a difference between heing juvenile and being puerile, and puerile is what the author comes close to being when he makes such a statement as this: "Sometimes a film appeals to no one, It may be badly acted, and have totally unconWincing situations. Well, you can be sure it as not produced by any of the great film companies either here (in Great Britain) or in America, for they make certain that their productions reach the highest possible standards of entertainment. Absolute rubbish is usually made by small producers who are concerned with footage and not with quality." Perhaps the fact that Mr. Buchanan is himself a film-producer makes him more tolerant concerning some aspects of his subject than he ought to be. L