Controversial Priest; Striking Miners; New Camera

‘God hates a hypocrite!’ thunders Catholic priest Father Charles Coughlin in the first story of this March of Time issue, which caused a stir for its portrayal of the maverick but very popular churchman, whose use of radio broadcasts gave him an audience of millions. Featuring a reconstructed sequence showing Coughlin’s disruption of a KKK meeting in the 1920s, the issue does not mention the priest’s anti-semitic views - an omission which led to criticism from some commentators.

This film, which features a selection of stories from the early issues of the US edition, shows the series already establishing its identity. The interest in science is present in the slow-motion cine-camera film. The miners story shows the tendency towards a scattershot (albeit sincere) denunciation of social injustice, without a clear political agenda, which could, and did, lead to confusion. Some critics thought the film too supportive of the workers; others that it was too lenient towards management. Finally the Pacific war games story is the first of many films about the US Navy, reflecting producer Louis de Rochement’s background as an officer and his abiding affection for his time as a seaman.