La Belle et le Bete |
Britain has never been an easy market for non-English-language films,
and the general public has no established tradition of going to the cinema
to see European films.
The obvious reason for this has been the ready acceptance of American production
into commercial cinemas without the need for dubbing or sub-titling. This
volume combined with Britain's own production, proved sufficient for the
needs of the ordinary cinemas, and whatever progress had been made by a few
European countries (most notably France) in penetrating the English market
before the Second World War was not sufficient to promote any real chain
of specialised cinemas (Cinemas d'Art et d'Essai) capable of cashing
in on the interest, after hostilities were over, of a section of the public
which felt deprived of all foreign films for six years. |
The Big Heat |
Additionally, l6mm film had been widely used in Britain during the War,
and 16mm projectors were available from many sources in the country. Quite
small groups of enthusiasts could therefore join together to promote showings
in village halls, adult education centres and seminar rooms, without the
need to hire a cinema.
General cinema audiences had already shown that they did not like to read
sub-titles, and now the kind of audience that joined film societies soon
showed that they would not accept dubbing (which had in any case never been
common in British cinemas). A number of small distributors began to cater
for this market by buying foreign films particularly from European countries
and sub-titling them on 16mm prints. |
Bicycle Thieves |
A few specialised cinemas did develop a reputation for their screenings
of non-English-language films, but these were almost all in the London area.
It could therefore be said in the 1950s and 1960s that anyone living in the
provinces had to join (or form) a film society if they wanted to see European
films. At first the main interest lay in French and Italian productions,
but other countries took their turn in popularity, notably Sweden, Poland
and West Germany. |
Throne of Blood |
The British Federation
From 1948 the British Federation which linked the majority of the film clubs
together began to organise annual weekends of viewings which could be attended
by club secretaries from all parts of the country who wanted help in selecting
their future programmes. These viewings gradually expanded in scope and size.
A booklet on sale at the event contains not only details of the actual films
to be shown but also similar information about other recommended films. These
recommendations are usually reflected in subsequent programmes of the majority
of member societies. |
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There was a fall-off in European recommendations in the eighties because
there had been some reduction in this availability. The reasons were partly
economic. It costs much more to acquire, subtitle and produce 16mm prints
of non-English-language films than of, say American film, and at the same
time a number of alternative outlets which distributors had developed for
16mm film hire have been reduced.
A further development in Britain was the purchasing and televising by the
BBC and later Channel Four of quite a number of European films. Sadly such
prints did not later become available for screening by film clubs. |
Son of Man |
Federation as Distributor?
It has never been the policy of the British Federation to acquire and distribute
European films itself, since there has always been an adequate commercial
machinery to do this. The reduction in the availability of European films
must now make it all the more essential to support the efforts of the British
Film Institute, which is already seeking more product of this kind for screening
in the chain of Regional Film Theatres which it has helped to establish all
over the country. A tie-up between the film societies and this chain could
help the supply of the kind of European films which so many ordinary members
are always hoping to find in their club's programme. |
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Tastes change, of course, from generation to generation. In the 1950's
the film society programme secretaries were seeking French and Italian films
to balance the glossy Hollywood product available in provincial cinemas Today
a younger generation finds much of interest in the kind of independently-produced
American features which relate more closely to the world in which they are
living. This younger generation requires more tempting into appreciation
of current European cinema, in addition to the occasional titles brought
to them by television. The British Federation has therefore actively supported
a whole range of special activities of one kind and another, to provide a
succession of events which open windows on to Cinema in Europe |
Quai des orfevres |
In the first place there are a number of Cultural Institutes in London
and other major cities which have proved to be good friends of the film
societies.
In addition to special screenings and seminars at the French Institute in
London, which regularly invites French film personalities over there, a scheme
for bringing selected French feature films to University audiences has been
expanded so that in the University vacations some use of the prints can be
made by film societies. The French Institute has always maintained a considerable
library of short films available for hire. |
Persepolis |
The Polish Cultural Institute has also a small library of films, and
co-operates with the British Federation in arranging special screenings of
films which are in the country for shorter periods. Film personalities have
also met society members at the Institute on a number of occasions.
The Goethe Institute has become particularly active in promoting the appreciation
of German Cinema, and as there are several branches of this body in Britain
their help to film societies remote from London has been noticeable.
Even where there is no special Cultural Institute, Cultural Attaches at
individual Embassies have often been particularly helpful towards the British
Federation. One example of this occurred immediately after a Cultural Agreement
had been signed between Britain and Finland, which was invoked to assist
with the visit of a Finnish lecturer to Britain with a consignment of films,
which were shown when he visited several film clubs and also at two Regional
Weekends on Finnish Cinema where he was the guest speaker. |
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Sometimes there are opportunities which occur in the sphere of Adult
Education to organise both residential and one day Film Events on the premises
of Education Centres enable the British Federation to promote special studies
on the Cinema of individual European countries. The Course lecturers are
usually British, but if the Centres are near London it is often possible
to bring in speakers from abroad. Pendley Manor in Hertfordshire has been
used frequently for such events, with weekends on the Cinema of Belgium,
Czechoslovakia, Finland, The Netherlands, Poland, Portugal and Switzerland. |
Samia |
In the early postwar period it was the custom for British film societies
to include several short films in most of their programmes, and thanks to
the Embassies and Cultural Institutes a considerable variety of European
short film material was available at minimal cost. Main sources which societies
used at the time were at the French, German, Polish and Swedish Institutes
and the Danish and Dutch Embassies. While in principle these sources are
still available (though in most cases now using commercial distributing agencies)
costs have risen sharply, while the prevalence of much longer running times
for feature films leaves little room for shorts in typical film club programmes. |
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The geographical accident of Britain as an island cut off from Europe
may well have contributed largely to the apparent lack of interest shown
by British audiences in films from other countries. For the British there
were never the same ready crossings of frontiers, the same need to have knowledge
of the languages spoken just across neighbouring borders. Even now in the
days of mass travel, much of this is in a form of packet flight from home
airport to tourist venue where the life of the country visited is something
of a blurred image. |
Pere Noel |
The activities of the British Federation in promoting the screening and
the study of European Cinema are designed to convert this blurred image into
clarity, and to encourage greater understanding of the countries with whom
Britain is now in closer partnership. The recent visit of the officers of
the Cineclub of Calais to their counterparts in Dover Film Society can be
regarded as the cinematic equivalent to the twinning (jumelage) of the two
towns which already exists. |
