Evening star., 1940-03-24
The Fight for Life,'
U. Film, in Demand
Here and Abroad
Officials CONSIDERING
Releasing Picture
To Highest Bidder
By BLAIR BOLLES.

The extravagant praise accorded
by motion picture critics to the Fed
eral Governments first full-length
movie, "The Fight for Life" has
brought to the United States Film
Service in the Once of Education
requests for distribution rights from
the United Kingdom, France, South
America, Canada and the Philip
pines, as well as from 16 commercial
distributors in the United States,
it was learned yesterday.
The European interest rests on
two considerations: The satisfaction
of European audiences with the
Governments two previous dramati-
Zation films, "The Plow That Broke
the Plains" and THE River" and
the fact that because of blackouts,
the popularity of the motion picture
has increased greatly since the first
two months of the war. In those
two months the movies stock
dropped because the civilians in the
warning nations were still unad-
justed to life with blackouts.
Weigh Distribution Plan.
Seeing the possibility that 1.-The
Fight for Life" may become a steady
source Of revenue for the Govern
ment, the film service is contemplate
ing a suggestion that 1t grant the
American distribution rights to the
highest bidder. This policy has been
followed in the past for foreign dis
tribution. But in the United States
the "Plow" and the River" were
given by the Government to what
ever theaters wished to show them.
Four thousand theaters showed the
River" one theater in New York
City nine times.
While it computed the p6ssible
income the Government could derive
by leasing the Fight for Lite" the
Film Service at the same time faced
the prospect of liquidation on July
l. The House Appropriations Com
mittee recommended against sup
plying $160.00O to keep the q. s.
Film Service going in the next fiscal
year, on the ground that no statu-
tory authority existed for its opera
tions.
Pare Lorentz, the director Of the
service, visited Washington yester-
day from his New York headquar-
ters when he heard Of the Appro-
priations Committee action. He
said that General Counsel Foley Of
the Treasury Department in July,
1899, issued memorandum approx
ing the statutory foundation for the
Film Service and that the memo
randum in turn was approved by
the General Accounting Once. The
service was started under the Re-
settlement Administration, moved
to the National Emergency Council
in 1898 and was transferred to the
Office of Education under the second
reorganization plan last year.
"The Fight for Life" is TO-
minute motion picture Of the strug-
gle to save the lives of the women
and children at childbirth-the
women and children in the "one-
third ill-fed, ill-clad, ill-housed"
group. Mr.. Lorentz wrote it, pro-
duced 1t, and directed 1t. It opened
its run 10 days ago in New York. It
was taken from the book by Paul
de Kruif with the same name.
Built Service Around Music,
1t is expected that within two
weeks the Procurement Division of
the Treasury will issue invitations to
producers in the United States to
bid On the rights to ''The Fight for
Life" While these preparations are
under way, the Films Service has
heard of new reaction to its Sec
ond picture, ''The River" released
in 1887 and still being shown In this
country and in the United Kingdom.
The Rev. Warren S. Stone, pastor
of the Kanawha Presbyterian Church
In Charleston, w. Va, built church
service around music taken from
The River" which dramatizes the
Mississippi and its meaning of the
lives Of those persons along its banks,
from Minnesota to the Gulf of Mex