asked the Minister for External Affairs why the film Ireland produced by Vincent Corcoran was not secured by his Department for showing abroad; whether his Department had any contact with Mr. Corcoran on the production of a general film on Ireland; and, if so, if he will indicate whether any difficulties arose and the nature of those difficulties.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Film on Ireland.
10.
Mr. O'Leary
Early in 1961 my Department opened negotiations with Mr. Vincent Corcoran and Mr. Joseph Mendoza for the making of a film depicting economic progress in Ireland. In 1963 their partnership dissolved and the project had to be abandoned. Mr. Corcoran later secured another partner and submitted a treatment on the same theme which was not acceptable to the Interdepartmental Committee on Publicity Abroad. I accepted the Committee's recommendation not to proceed with the project.
Representatives of my Department have seen an unedited version of the film to which the Deputy refers and I am satisfied that, for a variety of reasons, it would not be possible for my Department to obtain such commercial distribution abroad for this film, or even for a shorter version of it, as would justify the considerable cost involved in its purchase.
Mr. O'Leary
Is it correct to say that it was the nature of the script proposed for this film to which the Minister's Department had objection? Would it be true to say that where Mr. Corcoran wanted to have, say, the script depicting a national school, the Minister's Department would have preferred a secondary school, that because the script was such that it did not give a Cassius Clay picture of modern Ireland, the Minister's Department did not consider it suitable for projection abroad?
The Department did not ask for this film.
Mr. O'Leary
This is considered on of the best films to come from Ireland in recent times and would probably gain a larger circulation abroad than any film sponsored by the Minister's Department.
There is nothing to stop the film being sponsored by a private individual who wants to undertake it. It is not our film. We did not order it.
Mr. O'Leary
Is it not a great pity that £18,000 has been spent on two films, the Yeats film and the Lee Valley film, neither of which will gain anything like general circulation? Although this film is considered generally to be up to the standard of gaining general circulation, the Minister's Department has not got the sponsoring rights of it.
When we are buying a film it is our consideration that counts, not somebody else's.
Has the Minister seen the film?
No, I have not.