The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1925-07-24

LNERDINAND LaSALLE characterize. :
ed the press as new major
power The same can be said of the
film, which, in some countries, has
already achieved a greater sign fic.
ance than the press itself The total
attendance in the movie theaters Of
England, France and the United
States is perhaps even today greater
than the total number of newspaper
readers in those countries.
Even if the press were granted the
greater numerical dissemination, let
it not be forgotten that the film, thru
the medium of the visual picture. in
fluences its patrons far more strongly
and emphatically than does the print
ed word its readers.
He then develops the thot of the
importance of technical progress in
the film world finally convincing the
last opponent of its value and perm
anence.
We must develop the tremendous
cultural possibilities of the motion
picture in revolutionary sense !.
the film must truthfully reflect social
conditions instead of the lies and fab
les with which the bourgeois kind be-
fuddles the workers, etc.
A S in many other instances, the
- working class organizations were
the most timid and most tardy in the
effort to put this new medium to their
use. The time is not so far past when
social-democratic leaders, in common
with bourgeois biologists. in all ser
iousness proposed to boycott the
films because of their competition
with the theater, their fiattening of
public taste and destruction of liter
airy standards. Only after the war
were timid attempts made to put the
film into the service of working class
propaganda. In various countries
workers organizations arranged Bet
ter Movie Nights" in which, besides
the showing of educational and cul-
tural films. criticism of current en-
tertainment films was given. In 1922
in Germany the A. d. G. B. (All Ger
man Federation of Trade Unions)
tried, thru the establishment of a
Peoples Movie" to produce and ex-
hibit socialistic working class pic
lures. The attempt was unsuccess-
full, but it was later repeated by the
A. G. d. B. in the production and dis
| tribution of the film THE Smithy"
which, however, also failed of mass in
auence. In the main the labor organ
izations and even the Communist
Parties and groups have left this
most effective means of propaganda
and agitation unopposedly in the
hands of their enemy.
The bourgeoisie, and especially the
extreme nationalists and militarists
very early recognized the significance
of the film as a propaganda weapon,
and constantly and most extensively
put it to their service Particularly
far-reaching exploitation of the film
took place during the world war par
ticularly by England and France
which spent tremendous sums on film
/ PAOPd6dnud llAc AGulIdl ION-
ers in allied and neutral countries.
Germany tried in vain to beat the op-
ponent at this game, and even created
! 4 special film center for the purpose
If pushing nationalist films to fan
he war spirit. These films received
little distribution outside of Germany
and Austria. But it is beyond argu-
/ ment that the war and incitive films
contributed very heavily to the crea-
ton of the chauvinist insanity in the
war, and the post-period showed con-
tinued use of the films for the pur-
pose.
WHILE in England and France a
w whole row of pictures proclaimed
the military victory, the German pro-
lducers were more concerned with
awakening faith in the possibility OF
1 rebirth of the good old times" OF
Germany's greatness" A typical ex-
ample of this series is the picture
Frederick, The Great" which was
nightly effective along this very line
in petit-bourgeois and "spiessbiirger-
lichen" circles
In considering the development Of
the German film industry 1t is inter
esting to note the reflection of the cur
rent political tendencies. During the
mounting wave Of the monarchist
movement which eliminated openly in
he election of Hindenberg there was
1 decided increase in the product OF
and release Of monarchist and militar-
st films.
| The pictures, "The Kings Grena-