Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954), Tuesday 22 January 1952, page 4


ACTOR

CRITICISES

RULING ON FILMS

The Capital Issues Board has "cut the throat" of the Aus-tralian film industry by classifying film-making as non-essential and re-fusing to allow capital to be raised for making films, Mr. John Goffage ("Chips" Rafferty) said last night.

"It means that Ealing Studios of London, who came here to build up Page-wood, Studios to the tune of £100,000, and who have made Pagewood a fully con-stituted studio, are going home," he said.

"Equipment and cameras, alone worth £40,000, will be just packed up in sawdust and sent back to England.

"I was to malee a film called The Green Opal* at Ealing's Pagewood Studio. The film dealt with immigration, and was to have had Sydney as its background.

"A group of businessmen were prepared to back the

film.

"I have it in black and white from the Associated British Film Distributors that they would have guaranteed world distribution for the film.

DOLLAR EARNER

"It was a national story, and would have done well in England.

"On world distribution the film would have been a dollar

earner.

"We planned to make 13 three-reeler television films, which would have been direct dollar-earners.

"We wanted peí mission to raise £ 120,000-half for the three-reelcrs and half for The Green Opal."

'The Capital Issues Board knocked back the application, citing 'defence preparations' and 'non-essential industry' a« their reasons.

"I appealed and got a curl reply."

Mr. Ken Hall, manager ol Cinesound Productions, said that Ealing Studios of Eng-land took over Pagewood with a plan to make films of an Australian character, and which would be "a little dif-ferent," *?

RISK

"That meant that they would be taking a certain risk," he said.

"They would not lake thil risk alone, and wanted Aus-tralian capital beside theirs. They also wanted the benelil of Australian knowledge of Australian conditions-ihey wanted lo co-opeiate willi Australians in making films

"We planned to make 'Rob bery Under Aims' at Page-wood, and weie prepared io raise two-thirds of the capital needed. .

"The Capital Issues Board refused us permission to rai>>c the money to make the film."

Mr. Charles Chauvel, of Charles Chauvel Productions, Ltd., Sydney, said he could not understand Ealing Studies' decisions to close the Page-wood Studio.

Regardless of Australian activities, Ealing Studios could remain in production in Aus-tralia if they desired.