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Salient. An Organ of Student Opinion at Victoria College, Wellington, N.Z. Vol. 11, No. 4. April 7th, 1948

Film in N.Z

Film in N.Z.

In England and America pleasure has become more and more commercialized, so that it is not surprising that New Zealand, an Infant Buckling from these two mothers, should be Influenced in a like manner.

At present in this country some forms of our pleasure involve rapidly moving our bodies through space, watching organised animals doing so, or sitting in thousands and letting a strip of celluloid do our thinking for us. How the machine is Influencing society could be dealt with at great length, but its influence upon pleasure and thought through the medium of film is what will be most fully considered here. This could best be done by considering briefly why people go to the pictures, the effect of those pictures upon them, types of films, and the films as they could be.

Why People go to the Pictures

Entertainment and escape constitute the two main reasons. In the cinema people can attain comfort, bodily and mental, for very little thought if required—the film has all that attended to. The patron can sit back in comfort and let all cares float away. The mind of a thoughtful person is rarely comfortable.

"But," It has been said, "why point the finger at the cinema! We all find an escape from our environments in some way or other. Reading, painting, and music can all provide escape." The answer to this is that there are two forms: passive and creative.

A search for knowledge can be called an escape because environment can easily be forgotten in the pursuit of an interest. But escape which involves a change from ignorable to knowledge is of far more value to society than the cinematographic form which involves merely an escape from reality into fantasy.

A shopgirl in the cinema associating herself with a beautiful duchess is a less desirable member of society, than a shopgirl studying music or engaged in some other creative work.

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There seems to be a certain amount of truth in the idea that New Zealand culture has largely been imported in circular cans. The more obvious effects such as influence upon fashion and speech habits are easy to point out, but the more deepseated effects are subtle and difficult to demonstrate.

Films certainly have falsified some people's values, but on this point they seem to have become a scapegoat. For example, it is often said that the cinema is making people worship material success, but whether New Zealanders have ever needed instruction in this attitude is extremely doubtful.

Frequent and passive attendance at theatres would tend to produce a person who was mentally lazy, and too busy living to think about life.

A very pronounced effect of the commercial film is the spreading of stereotyped ideas of Nationality. Through films a New Zealander's conception of, sav, an Irishman or a Frenchman has become very fixed. A Frenchman is always excitable, and if there is an Irishman in the cast, it won't be long before a fight or a "begorra" will make their appearance.