Letter to Sovkino. 1925

Materials for the play “Red Noise”: theater and cinema

N470. 19/X 1925

TO THE LENINGRAD BRANCH OF “SOVKINO”.

The factory committee and the Party Collective of the Krasny Putilovets plant draw the attention of the Leningrad Department of Sovkino to the abnormality of the release of films for the Firebird cinema theater at the Krasny Putilovets plant, finding. under the jurisdiction of the plant’s Cultural Commission.

I/ The distance of the screen of foreign films is approximately 6-7 screens, already for a workers’ theater, where the visiting spectator is 100% workers considered (indistinguishable) by a separated screen; As for Soviet-produced films, here, too, only one film, “EXECUTIONERS,” received a second screen.

2/ The remoteness of films for the workers' theater at 25% of the gross receipts is high, since the cinema, without pursuing commercial goals in its work, provides, in addition to the picture, divertissement, with a total ticket price of 35 kopecks. and then 70% on credit, and as you know, when issuing tickets on credit, there is always a shortfall when deducting from the worker. In addition, we point out one fact that is extremely undesirable in relation to the workers’ theater: when Comrade. TSEKERMAN, when determining the cost of the painting “ROBIN” GOOD,” indicated a guarantee of 500 rubles. In 6 days, despite the fact that the cinema with a full daily load cannot process this price at 25%, and pay a higher percentage, with an annual work of 25%, and taking into account that Robin Hood goes to the cinema after neighboring cinemas, we consider it “overly commercial” on Sovkino’s part.

Taking into account the above, we ask you to take the necessary measures to eliminate these extremely undesirable phenomena, finding that for a working viewer it is not always possible to be “excessively economical,” and we also ask you to issue the cinema management comrade. Ivanov P. has a pass to view paintings so that he can choose a painting.

/LOA, D. No. 136, - 1925, AOr.-4, f. 1438, St. 59, l.211/