Film Society

and agricultural companies and illustrated his talk by two very interesting colour films which he had made during the visit.

Mr. Knowlson has now retired from the Advisory Committee and the club would like to thank him for all that he has done for them during his eight years' service since the committee was formed. M.C.M.A.

THE FILM SOCIETY

By a coincidence, we have seen two films this term concerned with West Indian islands and made there on location. Each had merit in its own particular class. "The Adventures of Robinson Crusoe" was a splendid adaptation of Defoe's book, if only because there are so few characters in it to argue about. But any film directed by Luis Bunuel is noteworthy for its power and this was no exception, In his hands it became a noteworthy study of loneliness so effective, that when, for instance, Crusoe set over the grave of his dog a cross bearing the date 1673, the poor man seemed lost not only in place but also in time. The lurid colours in which the film was shot added to the effect.

Compared with this, the British film "Virgin Island", directed by Pat Jackson, was much more of a magazine affair, being concerned with the romantic adventures of a young couple in the West Indies. But the romance was kept under reasonable control and the picture was not all gloss; it was in fact a pleasant sunlit film to see on a November evening. The two principal characters were charmingly Played by Virginia Maskell and John Cassavetes. The latter has very recently become something of an "avant-garde" director himself in his film "The Shadows". In the supporting playing there was far too much caricature.

"The Actress" was tedious, I'm afraid. It was very well acted : Spencer Tracy seems incapable of a bad performance. But no ! it was tedious; serving only to illustrate the limitations of movement from which any period story must inevitably suffer.

The young laugh at more things than older people, I suppose, because cliches that are only worth a smile to me come fresh to them. I was unable to do more than smile at "The Mouse that Roared", which seemed heavy-footed and laboured, relieved only by some inventiveness in the intermittent cartoon work. The mouse that actually roared in the titles was to me the funniest bit of the whole film.

Amongst the shorter films presented, very honourable mention must be made of British Transport's film "Journey into Spring". F. J.W.