" SHIPYARD "
[To the Editor of THE SPECTATOR.] SIR,--I wish to draw attention to the showing of my docu- mentary film Shipyard at the Monseigneur News Theatre, Piccadilly, London, on July 20th, 21st and 22nd. This film. which in its original version depicts the building of the liner s.S. -Orion' and its relation to the life of the town Barrow-in- 'Furness, and which took over a year to produce, has been mutilated in 'a way which, in my opinion and in the opinion of many people who have seen the film, is unpardonable. Not Only were the credit titles to myself and my technical staff omitted, but whole sequences were cut out, making the story ' 'and the meaning of the film quite incomprehensible. I have no knoledge if this damage was carried out by the theatre show- ing the film or by the firm handling the distribution.
To my knowledge, many people are going to this theatre to see the film :because they associate it with me. The discredit thus done to my ability as a film director is likely to cause great haim to my future work. If several chapters were deleted at random by his publishers from a novel by J. B. Priestley, or if a pahiting by Augustusjolm were partly obliterated with stamp paperby the Hanging Committee of the Royal Academy, public 'opinion would give rise to an outcry and the author or painter would have legal redress. We in the documentary film field are sincerely:trying to' fulfil a 'national purpose by portraying iSpeets of our national life on the screen. We have no redress against such mutilation of our work, except to ask your leave fo publish this protest.—I 'am, Sir, yours, &c.,
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