A startling reminder of what Shanghai might suffer, were the open sea nearer than it is, was given at Pathe-Orient's last Friday, at a private view of a two-real film record of Swatow after the recent typhoon. There are views of cemeteries where some of the 50,000 victims have been laid to rest of one another, of a city of lopsided Chinese houses, most of them with half a roof, of fireplaces where once were houses, with everywhere piles of debris and occasional Ladies floating in front of the camera. Despite reports of the wholesale damage to foreign property, most of it shown on this film (taken 12 days after the storm) proves that foreign built residences cun at any rate keep standing under " such devastating weather conditions. Those in more exposed positions like the Japanese factory and a number of godowns have been practically demolished, but these are in the minority.
What will be bound to have no little influence among the faithful is the miraculous escape of two fine temples, in more or less dangerous positions near the shore. One, of which a near view is given of its Picturesque dragons and Taoist rages on the roof and under the eaves, has been transformed into a soup kitchen, where thousands of hungry children are assembled.
At one point the force of the wind proved sufficient to tear up seme light railway track. Elsewhere trees of four feet diameter: Fave been uprooted and tossed in all directions, Two close-ups show graphically what must have been the predicament of those on board the str. Tungshing, lying on a rock, with her propeller looking skywards.
It has not yet been decided when the film will be released locally. The original negative will be sent by the first available ship to America, for distribution of the film ju that country and: Europe.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.