The success of "The Secret Code" at the Grand Theatre where "house full" boards have been freely displayed ives point to Mr. Yao Hsin-nung's feontention in the current issue of "Tien Hsia" that Chinese films show unmistakable signs of progress. Hi article, entitled "Chinese Movies admits that the industry's chief need a greater technical "knowledge. Technical experts are few in number, capital is limited, and s0 the advance not as great a8 the acting talent Javailable and the box-ofice demands [for Rood Chinese plclures clearly re~ quire. Iie welcomes the evidence that the scenario writers are now disposed to prefer good themes to those—formerly "too numerous—which "pander to low Propaganda films of high quality are being, at~ tempted, as In "The Secret Code", in erder 16 develop national. conscious hess and promote social reform, Thus the problem of education is dealt with In' "the. Wondering " Kids", aspirations in "Son of a Slave." More-fever leading Chinese dramatists have taken to scenario writing, such as Tien an, Yang, Wan-sheng, Ouyang Yueehien and others. New talent coming to the fore—Chinese flmgoers* taste Is as fickle as that in other countrles—and no screen "star" here tean afford to rest on his or her laurels. "Beauly is no longer the sole criterion by" which" film" audiences Judge the artist; brains and ability. Use them must be produced. "In~ adequate capital, poor equipment and {echnical immaturity" are. tifeehiet obstacles 10. progress. " The public omand is greater than the output, for Mr, Yao Hsin-nung points out thai despite language barriers most of the 313" fisterun foreign pictures Shanghai 43. of them" American) rude profits and were successes. Naturally. the censorship comes. in for comment as another fly in the: ointment. Foreign exhibitors will be {nterested to note. that. Chinese picture-producers find the censorship procedure at Nanking "exceedingly complicated and dificult", The de-Tieagy of Sino-Japanese relations imports & further uncertainty," Doth the Central Boord at Nanking and: the censors of the International Setttement are. sensitive on that point, Thus "Loyal Souls", passed by the Shanghai apanese censors, was ban ned in Hankow and Chungking. The Seltloment's desire to avert international" misunderstanding is illu rated bythe experience of the firn "AL the Crossroads The Shanhai Municipal Counet! ro-
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.