The first Manchurian Films picture has been completed. The title of it is "The Village Hero" and the story was suggested by the Army and Navy. It is frankly a propaganda film, designed to facilitate recruiting for the Manchoukuo Army.
Two companies have been busy on location at Kwan chengtze, near the transmitters of the broadcasting stations and various wireless telegraph circuits. This quaint old town was the terminus of the southern section of the Russian-owned Chinese Eastern Railway, from the time of the Treaty of Portsmouth, 1905 until the railway was sold to Manchoukuo in 1933, During the last few years of the Russian operation, the colony of citizens of the U.S.S.R., who occupied the foreign-style houses, and thronged the big Railway Club offered material for newsreels which would compare favourably with some of the shots taken at the much publicized new capital a few short miles away, The relief which the Government must have felt when the railway was taken over and this hot-bed of Communist propaganda had no further excuse for existence in the suburbs of the capital can well be imagined.
"A Star is Born" made, they will probably be limited io the errors of opium smokers or the short-comings of those who have not subscribed largely to defence funds and similar activities.
"Crossword Puzzle"
The title of the third picture was translated as "Crossword Puzzle."
The story is said to have been written by a newspaper man. The company has not yet ventured into the newsreel field, but has been negotiating for a tie-up with the Domei newsreel, a subsidiary of the Japanese Governmental News. Monopoly, Domei.
According to the new company's views, the broad fields and rolling plains of Manchoukuo were particularly suitable for exhibition in crowded Japan, where it was hoped that these pictures of the "wide, open spaces," might induce immigrants to come. On the other hand pictures of Japan's hills, and temples were. of great interest' to the natives, and the progress. shown in Japan's teeming cities and bustling industries might spur the ambition of the Manchus or perhaps might convince them that they need look no further for the last word in manufactured articles.
Besides production of pictures and distributing them chiefly in Manchoukuo and perhaps in-North China, the company plans to encourage ex hibitors to start theatres in towns which now have none. For this purpose they are sending a portable projection outfit and films to tour the country and give free shows, The budding film stars have been recruited from office workers and when one notes that a fortunate graduate from a native school can command $70 a month in his first company officials that they fed, ho their companies, and should be considered amount of cash paid cording to reports from outside aspirants for movie honours would prefer to bear their own expenses and receive larger pay.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.