The Quality Of A Film

Letter to the Editor I— ANOTHER woman —was present at the showing in Santo of the film, “Le Grand Jen,” which your corres pondent has so strongly criticised. It did not make me feel any too young to recapture the atmosphere of Morocco, scene of those hectic days of our early Twenties. It may have been an old film in years—but it will live far longer than the criticism which was published. It was not so old that it failed to set in a flutter at least one of our white women “in direct contact with natives through their hus bands’ occupations.”

I should have liked to have sat beside some of those white women during the showing—l might have explained to them that for once Pierre Wilm was not in the role of a play-boy—he was portraying the part of a soldier who chose to return to his duty in the full knowledge of the doom awaiting him.

Our local women were horrified to see white women carried away by Moorish soldiers. But they were not Europeans— they were Berberes from the Atlas Moun tains —genuine African natives with white skins.

If our community, so starved of good films, was not able to understand this production, what possible harmful reac tion could have taken place in the minds of our black servants?

The eminent British critic, Roger Man veil, in his excellent guide, “Film” (1946), includes “Le Grand Jeu” among the clas sics of the art of the film.

I am, etc.,

Port Vila.

Patrice Keruel.

EDITORIAL NOTE—Our correspondent did not question the merit of the film only the wisdom of showing, in a com munity predominantly black, a film which might weaken, in some degree, the respect which native men are expected to display towards white women.