Page 34 - pg_1955_08

The only disappointing Pathe Gazette was, ironically, that
for September 1939. It dealt with the outbreak of war by
merely showing a series of uninteresting shots depicting the
populace of Britain at their usual tasks. A much better
effort was the now rare 60 footer Call to a Nation which,
together with the virtually unobtainable copies of The General
Line· and Potemkin, was one of the very few Russian 9.5 films
ever released.
The majority of newsreels released during the war are still
in the catalogue, although some of those fascinating 60 and
30 ft. shorts have now been deleted. One of these, The
Atlantic Wall (60 ft.), shows some exceptionally interesting
shots of Rommel inspecting the notorious "Big Bertha"
guns, scenes of which were included in the recent film
Rommel-Desert Fox. Others show scenes of the air-raids on
Malta, an attack on a U-boat, the bombing of Namsos and
the advance of the Red Army after Stalingrad. One can
safely say that almost every major event that occurred in the
second World War is on some film on 9.5.
Nobody interested in the factual film can complain at the
great number of newsreels released on 9.5 after the war,
although people who anxiously scan the "film releases" page
in the current Pathescope magazine may be rather irritated
at finding not a drama but the inevitable film on the
cup-final.
Unfortunately, several of the films mentioned here are
either notched or have been withdrawn from the current
catalogue-and are thus only obtainable from second-hand
dealers. We still have, however, a few good examples of
early material, although the acaent at present is on up-to-date
events. Let us hope that one day Pathe. cop will ·ee their
way to releasing not only interest film · on curr nt topical
events, but also some more exampl · of arly factual film-
making.
STUDIO TALK- Continued
Directing is Michael Anderson, who wa · r spon ible in the
same capacity for "The Dam Busters".
"TALE" PIECE ... Undoubtedly my nebulous silver award
must be shared this time by Diana Dors and J ean Carson,
Donald Sinden and James Robertson Justice, Stanley Holloway
and Roland Culver, and other valiant players at Pinewood,
who, in the cause of comedy, did fall from a collapsing bridge
into an artificial lake full of tame alligators. 'Twas, of course,
all for the sake of "An Alligator Named Daisy". ·
thirty-four