• COMMENT SPONSORSHIP
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• On Saturday night, BBC2 showed an advertising movie. It was made using money provided by a manufacturer of a modern product, and featured that product extensively. At the end of the movie, the credits made it perfectly clear that this was the case, and made due acknowledgement to those — such as the background musicians — whose services had been sought with the sponsorship money. It was, by the way, rather a good little film, whose excellence was underlined by the fact that the Saturday night's screening was a repeat. (The sponsor was General Motors.)
Those who tuned in early to watch Ballet Robotique might have seen all or part of another film. This film was also made, initially, with financial help from some of those whose products and services were shown. At the end of the film, credit was given to the scriptwriter, the producer, and all of the scene-shifters, costume ladies et al. No credit was given to those who, far from being paid for their time and effort to make the film, gave them free.
The remarkable controversy surrounding Night Moves has gone on quite long enough, and we have no wish to prolong it. Just for the record, however, here are the names of the organisations which the BBC in its wisdom chose to omit from the film's credits — organisations without whose contributions the film would never have been made: Bandag, Bass, Crane Fruehauf, National Tyre Services, The Road Haulage Association, The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, Petrofina, TNT, Volvo Trucks, Wincanton and Commercial Motor,