'The Power of the Cinema': Film in the 1920s and 1930s

Extract from a brochure produced by Westminster Photographic Exchange Ltd., a London-based retailer established in 1903. The brochure contains advertisements for essential film equipment for the interested (and wealthy) amateur. The Bell Howard 16mm. "Filmo" camera and projector are featured in the extract below.

Included in a file on 'Hire of films and equipment', 1928-1941, from the archives of the Trades Union Congress; document reference: MSS.292/675.5/3.

The "mobile cinema" was an adapted two ton lorry, which allowed "propaganda films" to be shown across the country. In 1929 a "daylight cinema van" from Thornycroft & Co. Ltd would have cost £896 for the vehicle alone (the cinema apparatus would have cost an additional £350-£400).

The photographs shown here are included with other related documents, including a blueprint plan for a mobile cinema, brochures for suitable lorries, estimates and correspondence. The vans in these publicity photographs were used by the Conservative and Unionist Central Office (the 'Touring Conservative Unionist Cinema') and the Labour Party (the 'Touring Talkie Daylight Cinema Saloon'), possibly as part of the 1929 general election campaign.

Included in a file on 'Film Industry: Cinema Van', from the archives of the Trades Union Congress; document reference: MSS.292/675.5/5.

Promotional leaflet for a book by Huntly Carter. Carter's book contrasted the "planned commercial movement" of the Hollywood film industry with the "unplanned" European movement of "sociological humanism". He argued that the apocalyptic final battle between the two ("the good and evil seed") had begun. Carter's argument that European film is more humanist and morally good is perhaps undermined by his use of a still from 'The Sacred Mountain', a 1926 film featuring Leni Reifenstahl. Reifenstahl is now better known for her production of Nazi propaganda films during the 1930s.

Included in a file on 'Film: Huntly Carter', from the archive of the Trades Union Congress; document reference: MSS.292/674.94/4.

The Film Society in London was established in 1925 to enable "people interested in the cinema an opportunity of seeing films which were not otherwise available to them" through the commercial cinema - what might now be referred to as arthouse films. As well as screenings of European, US and Japanese films, the Society also ran study-groups on aspects of film theory - in the year that this report covers, the guest lecturers had been the pioneering Russian film director Sergei Eisenstein and the German avant-garde artist and experimental film maker Hans Richter.

Included in a file on 'Cinematograph Industry: Propaganda and Education Films', from the archive of the Trades Union Congress; document reference: MSS.292/675.63/2.

The 1927 Cinematograph Film Act required British cinemas to show a set minimum percentage of 'British' films (intended to be incrementally raised from 5% to 20% between 1929-1938), with the intention of encouraging investment into the struggling British film industry. One byproduct of the Act were the 'quota quickies', cheaply produced films which were quickly knocked out to fulfil the requirements (if not the intentions) of the legislation. The Act was repealed in 1960.

This statement was presented by the National Association of Theatrical Employees (NATE) to the 1930 Trades Union Congress (TUC) in support of a resolution to increase the minimum percentage of films "of British character" to at least 50%. NATE's suggested amendment argues that a quota system is needed to combat "iron monopoly", and prevent the majority of takings going to "American Syndicates". It also comments on the unemployment of artistes, orchestra members and stage staff caused by the "innovation and development of the Sound Film" and the decline of variety theatre.

Included in a file on an 'Enquiry into British film industry', 1927-1936, from the archive of the Trades Union Congress; document reference: MSS.292/675.8/2.

The sheet shown below lists the names, wages and shifts of all staff employed by the Palace Cinema, Gateshead, including male and female attendants, chocolate sellers, musicians and the person who pasted up the bill-posters. Statistics relating to rates of pay in 17 movie theatres in the North East of England were compiled for an inquiry into cinema conditions of employment and sent to the Trades Union Congress. The Palace Cinema is notable for the number of its employees - the majority of returns submitted in 1931 record a much smaller staff, likely to have been reduced as a result of the increasing popularity of 'talkies'.

Included in a file on 'Cinematograph Industry: Conditions', 1932-1937, from the archive of the Trades Union Congress; document reference: MSS.292/675.1/1.

Circular which reproduces extracts from a 1931 article by Robert Wagner, editor of the Californian film magazine 'Script', condemning the wholesale slaughter of animals during the production of "jungle" pictures such as 'Trader Horn', filmed in Mexico. The circular was included in correspondence between the Performing and Captive Animals’ Defence League and the BBC - the PCADL had requested radio airtime to talk about cruelty in the film industry, the BBC refused to provide it.

Included in a file on 'Cinematograph Industry: Cruelty in Films', 1931-1932, from the archive of the Trades Union Congress; document reference: MSS.292/675.12/5.

The photograph accompanied copies of correspondence between the Performing and Captive Animals’ Defence League and the British Board of Film Censors. Several films in the "Barkies" series had been banned by the censor due to the cruel methods used to make the dogs perform.

Included in a file on 'Cinematograph Industry: Cruelty in Films', 1931-1932, from the archive of the TUC; document reference: MSS.292/675.12/5.

Letter from James Roberts, Secretary of the New Zealand Alliance of Labour, written after receiving a report of the Trades Union Congress General Council's visit to Elstree film studios. Roberts expresses his appreciation of British pictures, which he argues were better edited, acted and spoken, but suggests "that one of the great difficulties of the British Film Industry will be that the American picture people seem to have control of many of the theatres overseas".

Included in a file on 'Entertainment Industry: Cinematograph Industry', from the archive of the Trades Union Congress; document reference: MSS.292/674.94/3.

The memorandum, to be submitted jointly to the government by the Federation of British Industries (representing British business) and the Trades Union Congress (representing British workers), expresses great concern about "the menace of Americanisation by means of the film". The extract reproduced below argues that Hollywood imports act as a threat to both Britain's financial interests and to "English speech, customs, and cultural standards".

Included in a file on 'Film Industry: Enquiry 1930', from the archive of the Trades Union Congress; document reference: MSS.292/675.8/2. The archives of the Federation of British Industries include minutes of an earlier conference on the crisis of the British film industry - in 1925.

Publicity leaflet for a talk by the sculptor John Skeaping, chaired by the trade union leader (and future Foreign Secretary) Ernest Bevin. An outline of Skeaping's argument is given on the reverse of the leaflet - he argues that "cinema is, in fact, one of the most potent instruments for good or evil that man has invented", "so powerful are the emotional re-actions of the Cinema that it has been said to have driven people to commit suicide, to rob and to murder", therefore, the progressive artist needs to work within film "to release a cultural force of unrivalled possibilities" and create political propaganda.

The talk was illustrated by five documentaries produced by the influential GPO Film Unit - 'Industrial Britain' (Robert Flaherty and John Grierson), 'Weather Forecast' (Evelyn Spice and Alberto Cavalcanti), '6.30 Collection' (Harry Watt), 'Under the City' (Alexander Shaw and Arthur Elton) and 'Post Haste' (Humphrey Jennings).

Included in a file on 'Trades Union Congress and labour movement propaganda films', 1930-1939, from the Trades Union Congress archives; document reference: MSS.292/675.752/4.

This circular was issued jointly by the Labour Party and the Trades Union Congress. It argues that, since the First World War, "film has become a weapon that can affect the minds of the multitude" and "can create bias against which neither reason nor rhetoric can prevail". Therefore, "in the interests of the Labour Movement, and of the working-class generally, it is imperative that Labour should organise its own Film Propaganda without delay", and form local film societies to spread the political message.

Included in a file on 'Trades Union Congress and labour movement propaganda films, 1930-1939', from the Trades Union Congress archives; document reference: MSS.292/675.752/4.

In 1936 the General Secretary of the Amalgamated Society of Wire Drawers and Kindred Workers contacted the Trades Union Congress to request a showing of 'Modern Times' during the annual congress. The film is recommended, not for its comedy value, but for its ideologically sound view of the Bedaux system of labour management - for example "one of the workers, Charlie Chaplin, shows unmistakable signs of distress in the course of his employment and faints away under pressure of the new system".

Included in a file on 'Cinematograph Industry: Propaganda and Education Films', from the archive of the Trades Union Congress; document reference: MSS.292/675.63/2.

These leaflets advertise new films available for hire for private exhibition - an 11 minute reel featuring the popular comedian Will Hay ("with a guaranteed laugh in every ten seconds"); 'Chamberlain the Peacemaker', a 15 minute film about the Munich agreement with Hitler ("the arduous and anxious negotiations that finally culminated in peace instead of war"); a series of new Mickey Mouse cartoons; and a cinematic 'News Review of 1937', featuring events such as the coronation of George VI and the Hindenburg disaster.

Included in Trades Union Congress archive files on 'Cinematograph Industry: Hire of Films & Equipment', 1928-1941, document reference: MSS.292/675.5/3, and 'Films: Hire of Gaumont British Equipment Ltd', 1934-1940, document reference: MSS.292/675.63/1.

'Better Pictures', a Canadian-based campaign group for "clean, moral films" was set up to protect children from the "devastating evil" of crime, underworld and gangster films. These leaflets announce a campaign against the showing of 'crime films' to children and refer to the organisation's plan to create a "film masterpiece... with an economic world peace theme".

Better Pictures' campaign was suspended "owing to the unsettled condition of the world" (i.e. the Second World War), whilst the vast cost of filming the "economic world peace plan" led to the proposed masterpiece being converted into book form ("a service to mankind which may go down in history as the outstanding achievement of the age").

Included in a file on 'Cinematograph Film Industry 1937', from the archive of the Trades Union Congress; document reference: MSS.292/674.94/7.