Twentieth Century is Age of Cinema Declares League of Nations Expert--Dr. de Feo Inspects Film Foundation

"The nineteenth century was that of the press; the twentieth century is that of the cinema," declared Dr. Luciano de Feo, Director of the International Educational Cinematography Institute of the League of Nations in a recent interview with the CRIMSON. Dr. de Feo is in the United States for a few weeks attempting to establish an "entente amicale" between his organization and the American film industry and visited Cambridge to inspect the Harvard Film Foundation.

"The educational possibilities of the movies are enormous," he said. "Movies are exceedingly practicable in schools and colleges, for they furnish a means of instruction which does not the the student. The modern era is one of rapidity, and the cinema supplies instruction which conforms to the spirit of the times. Movies will be supplemented by books; books will be illustrated by movies."

Dr. de Feo said that American films have reached technical perfection. "They are changing," he stated, "from mere sources of amusement to sources of education.

"Europe is producing some artistic films, but they are greatly outweighed by the number of good American films. Russian films are extremely interesting because they are done in a new, modernistic spirit; but there is too much "esprit de propagande politique" in them. In Italy educational films are put out under the authority of the government by the Institute National Luce. Mussolini is very much in favor of films done in a realistic manner and sees the cinema as an effective means of international "rapprochement."

Dr. de Feo said that the work being done by the Harvard Film Foundation, though just begun, is most interesting. It has great possibilities, he said, and is fortunate in being connected with the faculty of such an institution as Harvard.

He explained that the Institute with which he is connected has as its aims the promotion of international understanding which will facilitate the quick, easy, and cheap circulation of educational films; the publication in the near future of an international educational film catalogue; and assistance to nations in every sort of cinematographic problem, especially those of the educational branch.