A HALF-YEARLY SURVEY Half-way through its second year the C.F.S. may claim to have justified its formation as a means of teaching Catholic doctrine and spreading propaganda by films. Membership has nearly doubled. It has attracted attention on the Continent, the Croix, the leading French Catholic paper, and the Maasbode, the well-known Dutch Catholic paper, having published accounts of its activities.
The C.F.S. is also rendering a service by developing the miming film from the stage where it was arrested by the arrival of the talkie.
CATHOLIC FILMS
In addition to the twelve films contributed during 1935 to the film library of the C.T.S., the society now has a number of films on Prayer, Mass and the Sacraments. Its latest production, "The Dominicans of Woodchester," made by Fr. Ferdinand Valentine, 0.P., was shown for the first time at the June display.
These films have formed the main body of the programmes which during the past season have been shown at sixty displays in parish halls and Catholic social clubs in all parts of London, the audiences totalling over 30,000.
Besides the films on doctrine and practice, the programmes have included films on Catholic foreign missions, the Land Movement and institutions such as the Orthopaedic Hospital at Pinner.
DISPLAYS AND OTHER WORK
The displays at Millicent Fawcett Hall every first Wednesday throughout the season have attracted increasing numbers. Among the speakers have been the Bishop of Nottingham, Fr. Valentine, 0.P., Rev. Alfred Pike, 0.P., Mr. Hilary Pepler, Miss Lockett, Mr. Percy Harris and Mr. H. Sewell. The next display takes place on Wednesday, July 1, when the programme will include the Dominican film "Baptism" and a lecture by Mr. T. J. McKinley, "Around the World with a Cine Camera," Tickets as usual from the honorary secretary.
Production and projection classes have been well attended and are still taking place on Monday and Tuesday evenings at the society's rooms.
By the autumn it is hoped to have a number of new films ready, among them "The Dominican Mass," "Holy Matrimony," "The Monks of Caldey Island" and films of certain English cathedrals.