Other formats

    Adobe Portable Document Format file (facsimile images)   TEI XML file   ePub eBook file  

Connect

    mail icontwitter iconBlogspot iconrss icon

Salient. An Organ of Student Opinion at Victoria College, Wellington N.Z. Vol. 11, No. 1. February 27, 1948

[Introduction]

Foreword: Film reviews are intended this year to take their place as a regular ingredient. The inter-relation of cinema and society is so inclusive that it is almost entirely overlooked. Generally it is thought of (if at all) under the head of Entertainment which means the utillation of jaded senses by brainless coquettes like Joan Crawford or by vulgar ape men like Clark Gable (who played Parnell without his beard lest it should mar his manly looks).

It is high time that genuine and fearless film criticism became the function of a university paper. What we read in the commercial press is almost always the reprint of blurbs sent in by the makers of the films themselves. Each company is given a free hand to boost its own goods—provided it pays the newspaper proprietors advertising money. And the review space given is directly proportional to the amount of advertising. No wonder every third-class film is hailed as an outstanding masterpiece.

(Vol. 1. No. 1. P. 3.)

With these promising words J D Freeman launched Salient into the [unclear: reair]. of art criticism, A study of the [unclear: ceuloid] estimates" appearing in Sabent throughout its ten years of publication reflects the general pattern of criticism of other art forms and at the same time shows the diversity of critical standards within the one form. Whatever cause lies behind the bastardired criticism of the daily papers and Mr. Freeman's acensation contains grains of truth we see examples of propagands [unclear: pwffery]. even [unclear: besprinkled] on Salient's academic paces. A delightly student may like to change through the mon-[unclear: srrosaoes] of page 3 of Vol 6. No. S. Hints at lecbery in one [unclear: lariOtac] [unclear: Xteh] are used to sell the picture, and we must, accept the anonymous [unclear: revjpwer'f] openion on the [unclear: ahsorhirig] nature of law Great [unclear: Ue] for he gives no [unclear: iltofitraoam] nor [unclear: prawning] evidence for his [unclear: opabon] The account of [unclear: aaawn] might be passed off as a rood reviewer in that it sketches the plot but the other three scrappy articles cannot even claim that—yet all six are passed off as "Our Opinions," A good review should be informative—what the reader requires is information about the scope and theme of the film, with the reviewer's Judgments a secondary consideration. Ron Meek's account of five biology films is almost perfection of its kind (1938), In two of them, be is informative, but at the same time emphasizes certain ingredients in order to point an underlying principle which he thinks is of significance for his readers.