"The Last Chance" on 15th November suffered much from the fact that the copy we had was in a poor state. Blurred images and blurred sound track did not altogether spoil the effect for those who were seeing it for the first time, but those few who thought one part funny had obviously not realised to the full what this fine and sincere film was about. "Pacific 231" seemed to me better on trains than on music; but I am not really competent to judge the latter, and I suspect that here again we were not well served by the sound track. By a coincidence the film presented at the third showing was also by two directors : "I Believe in You" thoroughly belies its novelettish title : it has a good story, and tells it well; the climax may be a little strained but the film does radiate a warm human sympathy without lapsing into sentimentality and without, I imagine, glossing over the facts. I am additionally grateful to it because it had technical virtues that could be specified. "Our Village" was another Petroleum Board film showing the change that mechanisation is bringing to country life; it was pleasant to watch, pleasant to hear—Mr. Ralph Wightman's voice is always full of character—but the general effect was a little glossy : for one thing the weather throughout was too good, the cloud groupings too picturesque. For the last meeting Donald Duck was in good form and poor Edgar Kennedy not : in this particular short he seemed too limited in both ability and location to be worth reviewing. However, "The Window" was very good value; just as shattering to see a second time when one knew it was going to turn out all right, as it had been the first time, when at least for a moment one began to have agonising doubts whether it would. The merits of this picture are not easy to put one's finger on : the slow, suspenseful, moving of the camera we have had many times before in other thrillers; the playing certainly is beyond reproach; direction, editing, etc., so unobtrusive as never, at the time, to be thought of : no ! it is just a superbly good story, full of dramatic irony : the parents, for instance, take their little boy to apologise to the murderer in a manner that, given the circumstances of the story, seems normal, even inevitable : again, the scene where the murderer with an ironic smile nudges into position with his foot the key that the boy is groping under the door to reach, is quite unforgettable. Thank you, Mr. Tatzlaff, for a near-masterpiece ! F.J.W.
YOUNG FARMERS' CLUB Leader: MR. K. G. COULTHARD. Deputy Leader: D. C. HOLMES. Committee: R. D. WHEATLEY (Chairman), E. W. PEAT (Vice-Chairman), H. C. BULMER (Secretary), M. J. McCALLUM (Treasurer), C. R. G. McNEst (Librarian), J. B. HUZZARD, P. R. B. MEGGINSON.
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