A History of the Ministry of Information, 1939-46
MINISTRY OF INFORMATION
Home Intelligence Special Report No. 13
.
23rd March, 1942
First Summary of Films Correspondents' Reports on Newsreels
1. The following summary is based on 183 reports by 80 different Correspondents, received between 1st January and 12th February, 1942.
All the Regions are represented in this summary except Midland and Northern Ireland, but it is hoped that in the next summary all the Regions will be represented.
Films Correspondents have been selected by the Intelligence Officers attached to the R.I.Os., and come from all walks of life (see list, forming appendix to this report). They were asked to give their own opinions, and, in so far as they could assess them, the reactions of the audiences, to any newsreels they happened to see. It has not always been possible to discriminate between Correspondents' opinions and audiences' reactions: for this reason, the report is presented by subjects, though an attempt has been made whenever possible to differentiate between opinions and reactions.
The reason for it being somewhat out of date is that it is the first of these summaries dealing with the newsreels, and there was some difficulty in devising a method of codifying Correspondents' reports. It is hoped that this time-lag will in future be much reduced, and that the weight of evidence in these summaries will gradually be increased.
2. The Prime Minister
56 Correspondents referred to Mr. Churchill's appearances in the reels, (in U.S., Jan 8; in Canada, Jan 19; and on the return journey, Jan 22). Only Correspondents whose reactions differ from those of the majority invariably made it clear which picture they had seen.
The majority reaction of Correspondents was one of strong approval .
Their reactions may be classified as follows:-
Approval : The following reactions were typical:-
“Pleased as ever to see Mr. Churchill looking like Pickwick and pouring out very un-Pickwickian sentiments with regard to the Axis Dictators! This is a constant delight to me”.
“Mr. Churchill seems to be one of the best screen stars of the present day”.
“After the wide publicity given to the Premier's piloting of the plane, it was a happy thought to show him actually at the controls - capable and confident as ever”.
“ Some chicken! Some neck !” 7 Correspondents particularly mentioned having enjoyed hearing this:-
“The highlight of the newsreel was Winston Churchill's “Some chicken! Some neck!” speech. The audience and I were delighted”.
Inconclusive : This includes Correspondents who mentioned having seen one of these reels without saying whether they enjoyed it or not. One Correspondent said he “was rather tired of seeing Churchill and Roosevelt on the screen”; two thought that “the shots of the Prime Minister in his new hat and his new suit seemed very childish”.
Dislike : This was expressed by only two Correspondents, both of whom gave the same reason:-
“This (the Ottawa speech) has very little effect, as I had already heard it so many times on the wireless”.
The majority reaction of audiences also was considered to have been one of strong approval .
Their reactions may be classified as follows:
Approval : 20 of the audiences applauded at the end. The following reactions were typical:-
“The well-known features of Mr. Churchill together with his equally famous cigar, produced the usual burst of applause and affectionate laughter”.
“The audience clapped loudly, stamped and cheered during Churchill's appearance”.
Inconclusive : 4 Correspondents commented on a lack of enthusiasm among audiences. (In Carlisle, Richmond, Bangor and Treherbert.)
This reaction may be quoted as typical:-
“Although the final item was the picture of the Premier, there was complete silence at the close”.
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3. Libyan Sequences
42 Correspondents referred to various sequences containing material from the Libyan front, without always specifying which.
The majority reaction of Correspondents was one of mild approval ,
Their reactions may be classified as follows:-
Approval : The most popular sequences appear to have been those showing the fall of Halfaya and the capture of Bardia, except in the more outlying districts where the arrival of these reels coincided with bad news from Libya (see section 5).
A reaction, typical of the more favourable, is:-
“By far the best shot in the Newsreel was the one dealing with the fall of Bardia. I was very impressed by it, particularly the capitulation of the German general. I thought it excellent, in the views it gave of the captured Germans and Italians. More of this type of action film would in my opinion be greatly appreciated”.
Dislike or boredom : Dislike was expressed chiefly (in 7 cases) because of the dullness of “the eternal Libyan battlefield”. “Am rather tired of pictures of tanks in Libya”.
“Nothing outstanding or particularly interesting in the film, showing solitary armoured cars careering across the desert - singularly uninspiring, as it might be a testing ground anywhere”.
Out of date : (9)
9 Correspondents expressed regret at seeing sequences showing British advances at a time when these had been succeeded by bad news; and this regret was increased by any optimistic note in the commentary.
“I wish that the fall of Bardia could have been shown while our troops were still sweeping all before them in Libya. The contrast between good news of our successes inside and the later reports of defeats outside was tragic”. (Newport, 31/1/42)
“The exultant commentary on the British advance in Libya, heard in contrast to the latest News Bulletins caused me to feel despondent. I felt I would have preferred not to have seen the film, although the photography and the commentary were good”. (Fishguard, 31/1/42)
Audiences' reactions :
The majority reaction of audiences also was considered to have been one of mild approval .
Their reactions may be classified as follows:
Approval : “Most of the audiences seemed to enjoy the newsreel ...most of all they liked the prisoners marching in”.
Disapproval : “There were some impatient comments when the fighting in Libya was shown. It seemed unfortunate to see a record of our last success in Libya when the news of the retreat from Benghazi had been announced”. (Edinburgh, 2/2/42)
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4. The Far East
40 Correspondents referred to various reels dealing with the Far East, without always specifying which.
The majority reaction of Correspondents was one of mild approval .
Their reactions may be classified as follows:-
Approval : Where this is expressed, it is usually because people are glad to see the places that are being mentioned in the news.
For example:-
“The many interesting shots of Malaya were especially welcome at this moment”. (30/1/42).
Disapproval : Where disapproval or indifference was expressed, it was generally for one of the following reasons:-
Lack of action : (5)
“The Far Eastern scenes were dull, and the imminent peril to Singapore seemed far away”. (31/1/42).
“It was a little disappointing in portraying the war in the East, as generally it showed peaceful surroundings”.
Out of date : (8)
“Coming as it did after the fall of Hong Kong[Text Missing], I found the shots of Hong Kong's strength in men and arms depressing, considering we had lost both”.
“What struck me most was the commentary on Singapore and the Far East. It seemed to have come rather late in the proceedings for the wonderful things to happen that were portrayed in this feature. The audience seemed to be of the same mind as myself, one or two actually groaning when Singapore was first mentioned”. (16/2/42)
Audiences reactions
Only 18 Correspondents refer to the audiences' reactions. They may be classified as follows:-
Approval : “Very enthusiastic and followed the film with interest”.
Disapproval : “When we saw all about Malaya, the audience became very restless, which suggested that they were rather annoyed that we hadn't stopped the Japanese”. (Sutton, 3/2/42).
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5. “Out of date” news sequences
17 Correspondents refer to their own - and in many cases to the audiences' - dislike of seeing sequences showing either British successes or preparations for British advances at a time when these have been nullified by subsequent enemy successes (See sections 3 & 4).
9 of these refer to the Libyan campaign:
8 of these refer to the Far East.
Libya : “Little or no enthusiasm; probably in view of the fact that the news was stale, and the audience already knew that since our successes in Libya, we had had several setbacks”.
“One felt that the showing of this film had emphasised the recent news of the British reverses”. (Fishguard 31/1/42)
Far East : (Referring to sequence showing defences of Hong Kong) “Rather spoiled by the news of 25th Dec, which lost the value of the film. Sense of ‘I wonder what's happened to them?’ when we saw the Canadians arriving in Hong Kong.” (The audience) “A feeling of unrest, as though the common thought was, ‘We'd much rather not see this now’”. (Wick).
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6. Russian Sequences
27 Correspondents referred to various reels containing material from the Russian front, but it is not always possible to tell which of these is being referred to; 7 referred specifically to Mr. Eden's visit to Russia.
The majority reaction of Correspondents was one of strong approval.
Their reactions may be classified as follows:-
Approval : The following reaction is typical:-
“I was very interested in this film. It appeared to me to portray very vividly the terrific fight which the Russians are putting up and also the severity of the conditions under which the fighting is taking place. The Moscow street traffic carrying on almost under the noses of the enemy seemed to me a symbol of the Russian determination”. A demand for more reels dealing with the fighting in Russia is made by three Correspondents. For example:- “Why haven't we had more reels from the Russian front? Those were exciting”.
Dislike : This was expressed by only two Correspondents, both of them for the same reason:-
“Some of the scenes showing the dead and decayed bodies in the snow were so horrible I could scarcely look at them”.
The majority reaction of audiences also was considered to have been one of strong approval .
Their reactions may be classified as follows:-
Stalin : 5 Correspondents remarked on the enthusiasm of audiences whenever Stalin is shown on the screen. For example:-
“When Stalin was shown there was a loud and prolonged burst of applause, from an audience containing a large number of Servicemen”.
1 Correspondent referred to Stalin getting a better reception than the Prime Minister - from an audience in Bangor:-
“Stalin had a tremendous applause, and I was surprised to see the difference in the applause when our Prime Minister appeared on the screen; it was very feeble compared to that given to Stalin”.
7. U.S.A.
(a) President Roosevelt
14 Correspondents referred to Mr. Roosevelt's appearances in the reels, without always making it clear to which they referred.
9 Correspondents expressed approval.
5 Correspondents made no comments or said they were not very impressed.
For example; (referring to the Address to Congress):
“Photography blurred and poor. Speech did not seem well synchronised with movements”.
One Correspondent asked if the President couldn't be photographed from a new angle for a change.
(b) U.S. troops arrive in Northern Ireland
15 Correspondents referred to having seen this in the reels.
11 Correspondents expressed approval.
4 Correspondents made no comments or referred to it as “not outstanding”.
Audiences' reactions
The majority reaction of audiences to these sequences appeared to Correspondents to have been one of indifference .
Of the 29 audiences reported as having seen the reels of Mr. Roosevelt or the arrival of the American troops, only 8 were considered to have reacted favourably, and only one of these is reported to have applauded. No unfavourable reactions were reported but this quotation may be taken as typical of 4 others:-
“No applause for Americans - caught only one comment on this, ‘And about time too! We wouldn't have been in this mess if they'd come in long ago’.”
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8. Stirling bomber (5th February)
11 Correspondents refer to the sequence showing the construction of the Stirling bomber.
9 of these Correspondents approved, 6 of them strongly; 2 were indifferent.
“The second part of this reel was very interesting; it showed how these giants of the air are built, and it shows the size of one of these bombers compared with a man”.
“The fact of women mechanics working alongside the men shows how important is the need for more female labour to be called up for war work”.
4 audiences were considered to have approved of this sequence; no reference was made to any signs of disapproval.
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9. Attack on British convoy in the Mediterranean (22nd January)
6 Correspondents referred to this, all with approval.
5 of them considered it very exciting, three of them referring to audiences applauding when the enemy plane was brought down. One Correspondent, however, made an observation which may be significant in accounting for a certain lack of enthusiasm on the part of many people in regard to war sequences in the reels:
“The last two features showed scenes already too familiar. Planes and ships when flying in formation or dodging enemy bombs look the same to film goers, be the planes German and the ships British, or be they of Japanese and American origin”.
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10. India's war effort
5 Correspondents refer to the sequences of this; all were interested.
2 of these 5 Correspondents, however, expressed some reserve:
“... but considering the resources and size of India, the war effort was not made to appear impressive”.
“... was not convinced they had actually been filmed in India. Somehow the lighting was wrong, and the window scene quite unreal. Imagine the factory scenes with Indian workers were also made in England”.
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The above summary is based on reports from the following Correspondents:-