Evening star., 1949-03-13
British Film
Crisis More
Industry Facing
Basic Reform
Or Shutdown
Bv Alvin Sfeinkonf
BY Alvin Steinkopf
LONDON.

LONDON.
Great Britain's huge motion
picture industry Is ailing and in
the opinion Of many financial
observers 1t Is facing a serious
crisis.
The only way out, some pro-
ducers are saying. is an austerity-
model British picture, a penny.
pinching production carefully SUI
pervised by government planners.
The situation is so serious, ac-
cording to some views, that the
very existence of the industry as
a substantial factor in the worlds
entertainment business is at stake.
There is deep concern in gov
ernmental quarters where British
f1lms-many of high artistic quail
ity-are regarded an advertise
ment abroad to aid the drive to
increase British exports.
A government project to give a
little blood TRANSMISSION, through
operation of an 100000 film
finance corporation, is expected to
be approved by Parliament.
Troubles Are Varied.
Troubles besetting the industry
show most copspicuously in four
ways:
l. More than 1000 of the 5000
British finn studio workers have
lost their jobs in the last five
months and the situation seems
to be getting worse rather than
better.
2. OF 28 top-f flight studios in
Britain, 18 are completely idle and
the remaining 10 are operating at
less than capacity.
3. The banks are refusing more
loans to movies.
4. Hope Of coming anywhere
near this years production target
of about 80 feature films is fading.
The more pessimistic producers
are saying that so pictures would
be a good deal under existing
handicaps.
These are the major symptoms
of what is wrong in complicated
industry.
There are many charges of ex-
travagance in production, of non-
working executives in high places.
of inept script-writing and pro-
duction for foreign markets.
The comparison of postwar and
prewar costs of producing motion
pictures is provided by Producer
Sir Alexander Korda. His prewar
Technicolor pictures, including
1.-The Drum" -Four Feathers"
Thief of Bagdad" and Elephant
Boy" cost less than 100000
($4O0 ,0OO each. A postwar pic
ture in their class. Bonnie Prince
Charlie" cost about s2.000.000.
There's the film crisis, the
difference between 100000 and
$500, ,0Oo," said Sir Alexander.
An executive of the Korda office
drew the conclusions which. &C
cording to labor leaders, should
have been obvious two years ago.
Easy Money Gone.
"The easy money is gone said
the Korda spokesman. I'VE have
had that wartime feeling too long.
In wartime the cinema was the
only form of escapism. The situ-
alton encouraged extravaganza,
made us careless"
The producers. chastened BY
hard lessons of the new era, now
estimate that q million pounds
(s4, 900 ,0OO) is about the best gross
income which may be expected
from a good picture in the United
Kingdom field.
The government entertainment
tax takes one third. Exhibitors
and distributors take big share
of the remainder, and under un-
usually favorable circumstances
there will be 100000 pounds
($SOO,OOO) to cover the producers
costs and provide a profit.
Some say the stars get too much.
Yet. indications were that the star
system will be retained, but that
there will be scaling down
in pay.