The most complicated problem falls upon Hollywood, and it is largely one of finance. Hollywood has assumed and maintained the leadership of the cinema world because it has been able to attract and control the biggest of big money. Its revenue has come in no small measure from the United Kingdom. In the most favourable years as much as £8,- 000,000 have gone from Britain to the coffers of the American producing companies. Now it is estimated that in any case this revenue will fall by 35 per cent. or 40 per cent. But the Board of Trade is considering the advisability of holding up the export of so much credit. Even if the British annual quota be no more than £4,- 000,000 a year, the actual export of credit may be no more than 20 per cent. of that sum.
The balance will remain as frozen credit until the end of the war. In the meanwhile Hollywood will be handicapped in its expenditure to the extent of two or three million pounds a year, a handicap which may make all the difference between launching an expensive picture with a star cast and cutting down costs all round to turn out something much cheaper and, therefore, possibly Jess attractive in the home market.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.