| Reference Type |
The Argus
web
|
| Title |
You asked for them, so enjoy them! |
| Author(s) | The Argus |
| Town |
Melbourne |
| State |
VIC |
| Country |
Australia |
| Publication Date |
10-11-1952 |
| Citation Date |
02-12-2011 |
| Site URL |
http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/23219723?searchTerm=Savoy%20Theatre&searchLimits=l-title=The+Argus+%28Melbourne%2C...|titleid%3A13 |
| Page Number |
2 |
| Comments |
This article adds a slightly humorous, if not slightly foreboding tone. People had writing to the newspaper complaining that the films 'Cesar' and 'Beauty and the Beast' were not going to be shown at all at the Savoy Theatre. It seems as if the writer had sent several letters to one of the Savoy's exhibitors, Mr. T.W.G. Dawson in relation to the absence of these two films. Begrudgingly, Mr. Dawson agreed to screen them, but not without responding with his own letter that implied that he was responsible for their success. "Yours was the pen that belabored us and poured scorn on our heads for playing this picture," he continues to that they if they agree to go out on a limb to screen 'Beauty and the Beast' "you will hold your peace as regards the potential box-office value of films of artistic merit." Now that is an interesting acknowledgement; 'films of artistic merit' is used synonymously with foreign language films. It interests me that even sixty-one years ago, people were already exhausted by Hollywood's formula, and acknowledged that film as a genre could convey complex emotions and themes, rivaling the established forms of literature at the time.
The writer concludes by encouraging the reader to see these films, otherwise his correspondence to the exhibitors may have appeared to be misguided. I think it was an honourable move to actively defend films with integrity, and it is a clear demonstration that while foreign films were by no means viewed by the majority of Melbourne, there was always a loyal audience that demanded them. |
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