Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1958-04-13
BY JAY CARMODY
Star Drama Editor

snow hieS that American ana
Russian moviegoers will see
the other country's films I'M
der the mutual cooperation
program worked out between
the two governments.
These are the best informed
estimates this department
has encountered in its quest
for a progress report on the
effect of the Aim phase Of
the latest . cultural hands
across-the curtain agreement.
At the moment, middlemen,
government and industry, are
looking at each others pic
lures. Procedurally. this pio-
neer process is going along
smoothly with everyone in
volved deeply interested. II
these are also q bit excited
and somewhat wary below
their smiling surfaces. this
is Understandable on the part
Of both.
IT'S Encouraging
This understanding is sig
nificant and encouraging in
view Of the large area Of in
comprehensibility in so many
other aspects Of American
Russian relations.
The moviegoer In Louis
vile and Leningrad, whose
consumer type will ultimately
determine the success Of the
cooperative program on
films, should know that the
exploring parties Of both
countries are doing their
duty diligently. The Rus
slams have submitted q total
Of "a films for selection by
american distributors and
exhibitors. The American
producers. on their part. have
come up with q total Of 100,
which means q great many
more screenings for the RUS
slams to see If they cover the
entire list.
So far, Aleksandr N. Davy-
dov and Gavriil g. Vladiri-
row. representing Sovexport-
film, have seen 40 American
films screened at the Mo-
ton Picture Associations
handsome. small Academia
Theater. They have ex-
pressed an interest in some
dozen Of these, made deals
for a few.
OF interest to their Ameri-
can opposite numbers is the
fact that none of the APP
proved : for Russia pictures
has been Of the message" or
social significance type. In
stead they have run to SPEC.
tacle. the musical and the
comedy, with in one or two
surprising cases films classi-
fied In this country as ro-
mantle dramas.
Not . Commonplace
The latter is not q COM
monplace in Soviet film pro-
duction which. Of course. is
government directed, and
accounts in part for the diff
ference in the "a Russian
Submissions" as compared
to the 100 American.
This Soviet interest in
strictly entertainment films is
not to be interpreted as de-
noting ans absence Of this
type Of picture in Russian
production.
An authority on this is
Turner B. Shelton, director
Of motion picture service.
United States Information
Agency. who negotiated the
purchase-and-sale Of films
agreement with the Russians.
AS one Of the closest and
most deeply interested OBJ
servers Of the agreements
implementation by the Rus
sian officials and the Amer
lean industry, Mr.. Shelton
says:
ITO assume an exclusive
Russian interest IN strictly
purposeful or educational
films is q mistake. Russias
industry is very much alive.
This is indicated. for one
thing. by the fact that 1t has
completed q five-year pro-
gram in three years. BY an
other. that its feature film
output jumped from IS in
1856 to 90 in 1857.
Broader In Theme
There was q time when
Russian cinema ran to the
girl-meets- -girl-loves-
tractor sort Of theme. Not
any more. Their Aims are
as much broader in theme as
they are more attractive in
technique. They are as Wis
IDLY Russian as ours are
American, but that is to be
expected. They are Russian
as Tolstoi's novels we're. and
Chekov's plays. as compared
with their American equiva-
Tents Of the same period.
MANY of today's Russian
films are Of interest outside
their homeland. AS a former
film producer in Hollywood.
and a moviegoer. / myself
have been piqued by some of
these, among them Romeo
and Juliet The Circus The
Forty-first' and The Cranes
Are Flying It Is UP 20 the
A erican moviegoer, OF
course. to form his own opin-
ion Of these. as Of Holly
woods pictures, when the
cultural cooperation pro-
gram goes into effect"
AS a participant in the
augmentation Of the agree
ment he so carefully helped
to formulate. Mr.. Shelton Is
hopeful of its usefulness to