Looking Back: Film Camera Goes East

From February 1955

Foreign Mission Record of India and Arabia

As a result of the tour of the Foreign Mission camera-man, James Ballantyne, in India, Pakistan and South Arabia, a new series of films of fine quality is coming from the department. They have been seen by a number of film critics who consider that they put Church films on a new level, worthy of comparison with some of the best professional “documentaries”.

The Foreign Mission Department has in circulation sixteen silent films in all, and one sound film, all of 16mm., many of them in colour. Of this new series, two are already available: “Kalimpong” and “Sheikh Othman”.

“Kalimpong” contains some exciting colour photography and is a documentary full of interest. The unparalleled beauty of the foothills of the Himalayan range makes a magnificent background.

For seventy years the Church Of Scotland has been working here. Both the Women’s Guild and the Young Men’s Guild have had a strong stake in Kalimpong. The Women’s Guild interest and support has been loyally sustained and something of its success and present-day requirements can be learned from the film.

The film leaves us with a colourful picture of wooded hillsides and valleys, with the green patches of the terraced rice-fields and always on the distant skyline the snow swept heights which mark the roof of the world. The needs of the people are shown dramatically. They can be seen in the face of the undernourished tubercular mother; in the life of the man in the grip of the opium habit; in the travel stained wanderer; and in the homeless and starving child beggars.  And beyond all these needs is the basic need of the knowledge of God who offers fulness of life through the mission of the Church of His Son.

The film is silent (in three 400ft reels) and is in colour. Running time is 47 minutes.

“Sheikh Othman,” depicting the South Arabian field, in the opinion of many is “the best yet”. It is a film that would stand in any festival of films. Not only has it colour and good camera, but it has an emotional appeal built up by plot and incident.

All Images from 'Sheikh Othman'

One remembers, long after seeing this film, the far-stretching queues, rich and poor, seeking entrance to the hospital, the camel contrasted with the Austin A 40, both delivering patients; the man dying in the street of starvation while others pass by; the fishing boat with the injured cargo making rendezvous with the doctor in his Land Rover.

This is also a silent 16mm film in colour, on three 400ft reels.

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