BY THESE SIGNS....

Radio Record, 1 July 1938, Page 25

BY THESE SIGNS....

Introducing The Mirams System For olloming Film Form .

HIS doesn’t look like the usual "Record" movie page. It isn’t. It’s a revolution. . When you've finished wondering who’s who in the A. S. Paterson cavalcade on this page, turn over and examine the diminutive cartoons on page 26. When next you read a film review in the "Record," by those signs shall ye know just what the "Record" thinks of the show discussed. Ah, you have it? It’s a grading system. Yes, It has all the virtues and all the vices of all such grading systems. But it aims to show form at a glance-to introduce into this film section a fixed and recognisable standard of judgment. We chose racehorses to symbolise film performances for fou rensons, because :-- (1) No one else has. (2) Both racegoers and filmgoers are optimists. (3) At both sports you bet blind, except for what information you can get from the stable. (4) We know nothing about racehorses. And now for a more serious discussion of the idea. Virtues and Vices

Abt systems of grading films are to a certain extent, fallible. They mainly reflect the opinion of the

eritic. But as I said before, they have the advan-

tage of presenting a fixed and recognisable stan-

dard of judgment. Readers very soon come to

know to what extent the critic’s assessmenf

of a certain -tyne of film coincides with

their own-and they can make allow-

ances accordingly.

Paradise he drawings of the different brands of horseflesh together with the captions underneath are, I think, largely self explanatory ; but a little elaboration may

not come amiss at this stage. Highest grading ot all is the "Put-Your-Shirt-on-This." It will mark the

certain winners-the films which, in my opinion, are outstanding entertainment of any type. It is ‘the award for the "Zolas," the "Good Harths" or the

"Awful Truths" of the screen-the kind of films, in fact, which are included among the Academy’s "Men Best" of each year, They may be brilliant dramas, or they may, be brilliant comedy or musical films: but such an award obviously must be made very warily. I can’t afford te have readers going about shirtless on (Gontd. over page,)

my account!’ The "Good Bet" classification is. for the good film of its. class-a ‘picture which should, far more often than not, return a very satisfactory dividend of entertainment... Into this particular quarter of-the Mirams paradise go the

pictures which are not quite strong enough to take the shirt off one’s back. Purgatory A FILM which "shows fair form" is a moderately successful production of its own particular type. One degree lower than "A Good Bet," but

still quite worth seeing-if you like the type. Films of this order are the backbone of screen entertainment. With all the above classifications there is at least some degree of direct recommendation. The fourth classi-

fication, "Take a Chance," is reserved ’ for the borderline cases, You may like these films-or you may not, depending perhaps on your mood and the person who is sitting next to you. Inferno HB films on the other side of the fence carry no recommendation, but an increasing measure of warning. The "Also Rans" will.be films which

start with fair promise, but can’t stay the distance. After that comes "Seratched.!" and finally, the "Dead Horse" brigade. These two distinctly Non-favourable categories need no special explanation-a film thus brand-

ed belongs in the lowest depths of the Mirams hell. Should I find that the "Dead Horse" classification is not strong enough, I. can. always dig.up a

"Decayed Horse, " but -I think'the existing gradings should serve the purpose. Heaven grant me courage to apply . them, and escape my withers being wrung from the fury of the film people. There is, it will be noticed, one special classification reserved for "Dark Horses." In most cases this grading

will be used for films which ‘have very definite intrinsic merit, but very dubious popular appeal, such as "Dead End," "They Won't Forget," and "Winterset." OrI may use it for films about which I can’t quite make up my own mind. Ordinarily, however, I think you can take it that "Dark Horses" will be well worth watching. Are We "Tough"? N introducing this grading system, it seems necessary once again to stress that all honest film criticism must be largely a matter of personal

opinion, because in the past. foyn-wvecks several’ ‘film men have aecused ‘the "Record" of becoming "too tough" and "to sophisticated" in its movie- reviews. That they are. sincere in their, opinion, I have no doubt; but a conflict arises -as it always must-because. they. look .at film reviewing. purely from the angle of the box-office. ‘ Here let me digress to. say that there ate. two. main types. of film reviewing. In one of them the critic ate tempts to estimate how each produection will appeal to the people who like that particular class of « film, . Even though he may know in his that a film is. intrinsically bad, he :must mot say so if he feels also. ‘that. it is going to be popular. How. many. films are like this-films that dre almost entirely lacking in artistic unity," intellectual ‘integrity, and which encourage a completely false sense of yalues-and yet which break’ records at the theatre! And how many really good films there are with. only very small surface appeal, At the other extreme is the critic who expresses: little more than his personal likes and dislikes. Vox Populi I USED to. think that the first type of film reviewing’ was the . only proper kind-that the voice of the boxoffice was.as the voice’ of God, before which criticism should be silenced. ‘ I am‘ not so certain now. For surely a reviewer who presumes to know ‘the public mind so well that ‘he can estimate how any picture is going to appeal to it; is guilty of ag much egotism as . the critic who merely records his’ personal reactions. = ° And yet: these two extremes ‘of crifticism are not, I'think, entirely irreconcilable, even though it: does seem rather like trying to serve both God and Mam--mon. One can acknowledge the-box-office

viewpoint while at the same time ‘disagreeing with it if necessary. The Middle Course N the system of grading which the -"Record" has adopted, an attempt will be made to strike this middie course, For instance, just because a film happens to bea "Western will not automatically debar it’from the. higher gradings. If itis a ‘good Westernthat is; if it does what is expected ‘of it, and at the same time lives up to the best traditions of its kind-it is .as much entitled to praise as ahy more pretentious production. — Logically also, just because a film is pretentious will not save it, from becoming.an "Also Ran" or a "Dead Horse.’ if it.falls below standard. [> fact, the higher a film is, the further it is in danger of falling: the more it claims to be "big," the harder it must work to justify that claim. An.array of star names, super-spectacle, and colossal cost should not be enough toe stifle criticism; even though such criticism may be-and very often’ is-direct-ly contrary to box-office results. With this explanation, the tote is now open!