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THIS WEEK'S PROGRAMME:
THURSDAY
MUSICAL, TIFFIN-1-2 pm. $1.25 per cover.
SPECIAL
Chicken Pie)
TEA DANSANT-5-7 p.m.
DINNER DANBANT-8-12 midnight. $1.50 par cover.
FRIDAY
MUSICAL TIFFIN-1-2 p.m. SPECIAL (Choucroute Garnie), TEA-DANSANT 5-7 p.m. DINNER DANSANT-8.12 midnight.
$1.25 per cover.
$1.50 per cover,
SATURDAY
MUSICAL TIFFIN-1-2 p.m.
SPECIAL-Bouillabaisset.
TEA DANSANT-5-7. p.m.
81.25 per cover.
CARNIVAL NIGHT
SPECIAL DINNER-83 PER COVER,
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Ho, 1 For Bladder Osterk. No far Mood & Dime. No. 1 for Cheranie Waokszoros, at SMANN VÆRISTE, PERB DE MEBLATA, KA TIK IS CURS. WE DO, HAVSIMECH BAM H.W., Goedbe, os MAI PROM 80, EXHENAR BY NUw Your Car
o 13
UN SALE.
[128
DIFFICULTY ABOUT EMPIRE FILMS.
THEY ARE NOT PROFITABLE.
LITTLE MONEY IN HISTORY OR PATRIOTISM.
HONGKONG STOCK EXCHANGE.
CLOSING QUOTATIONS.
Angrong Banr
Chartered Bank.....
Aroust 25th, 1990.
....$1,100 sel
£116 Dom
Do., London..
klarosatile back, A. a B...........230j
0.213 nom
F.&O. Bank
£9"buy, 351 nom,
Est Asia Bank. Canton Insurance .........................................3535 sol. Obins
Underwriter......
nom..
[AY BIL SIDNEY LOW.), Most of us agree that we ought to have North China Insurance TL. 143. m British Empire films for the British Em-ion Insurance ............. #5285 buy, 258 sel. pire, but there are some practical difficul
Yangtane Insuranc
bay. ties to be surmounted before this idea! China Fire Lusurnace.........$200 buy, can be attained.
Hongkong Fire Dongiast, ma
.......3 buy, H.K, U. & M. Steamboat 20
engkang Tug..... Indo-Chinas (Pista
-(Dois) TT
-Doc-
In the first place i: must be remember- ed that we have not been lett entirely without films dealing with great charac ters and romantic episodes in British bis tory. We have had Nelson, Mary Queen of Scots, Drake, the Mayflower. Crom-Shell Transports well, and others. A Boadicea" is about to be produced, and another "Nel soa picture is in preparation. Two re spectable British companies for some years specialised in British historical and British Empire films; and we have bad travel Alms and educational has of Im perial interest of the highest quality, nit to mention magnificent transcripts of episodes in the inst Great War like
Ypres," and "Armageddon.".
11
Why have we so few of such pictures Why do not British firms produce many more of them! The answer is that they are not profitable. British exhibitors, ap. parently, think that the British film-going public does not want these things. There is no money in historic or patriotic films, or not very much. They can hardly repay their capital expenditure unless they are very economically produced.
Some of the picees mentioned above were virtually subsidised by the naval or military authorities. Others have been made under specially advantageous con- ditions. "Livingstone" was a moderate success commercially because it was pro- duced for a relatively insignificant sum. If it had cost a quarter as much as the average American big feature film its proprietors would have lost money over
it.
Patriotle But Unprofitable,
Star Forries. Waterboats. China Bugars Malabon ougar BangaLS....
a Mining A..... Laugas (comput
1. (angle)...... Shanghai dxplorations, a Loos
Bande ******** Tronoh Mines Ural Caspians H.K. & K. Wharts..
RE&W. Docka .......... Hongkowisatam New Engineerings. Shanghai Docks....
Hotels
пот
41) nom.
„55/- bay,
.300 sal
› *wou fole*
поль
Jila. 23 buy: „Tiɛ. 12) norma..
*M, 5 sel.. คน MOM. 34 дод
74/ bay.. /-nom
..3117 mai..
J661 buy.
TL 174 bay,
T. 6 bay.
... 11 bay, 112 s.
..$10 wel..
Hongkong Lands...........3604 ba7, 604. 04.
Kenitya (1.p.) ..............$?] now.”. Hongkong MK. Tergitoriain ............... ... SOL
$13.50 səl Humphreys Estates..... Prince's Buldangə............. Ewo Catians Orientals
Kural Lands
shaagna Cottons (ou).
Do.
China Buses Hongkong Tramways Peak Trams (old)
(now). Tractions
Da. Singapore TAIN ........
A mavazidata ......
Onton ic
Cement (runtime).
!
20 wa.
Picture-stories, adequately presenting the romance, adventures, victories and tragedies of the British peoples, could not be produced cheaply. If done on the great Hollywood er Lia scale, as in China Lights (combined)
Captain The Birth of a Nation,"
they Blood," and The Nibelungs," might cost anything between fifty thou sand and a hundred thousand pounds. Could a British producer expend even half the former amount with a reasonable prospect of recovering his outlay in the only markets available 1
The picture-houses in the Dominions, even if he got all of them and he would not get all-would not suffice to give him back his money. From America and the Continent he could expect nothing. He would be a very heavy tover unless bis picture were screened, at a good rental, in the majority of the British kisoma theatres. That would not be the case at present. The picture would not be shown by the majority of the English exhibitors unless it were sold to them at a price too "Empire Glos low to be remunerative. will not be profitable until the public and the exbibitors have been trained to think them worth paying for..
Englishmen are as patriotic in essential unatters as other people. But they do not take their patriotism with them when Such appeals to they go to a show. national sentiment-and tradition 23 the German Fredericus Rex or the great Swedish Charles the Twelfth " film would not be commercial successes hero. So at least the trade believes.
Four years ago I proposed to make a film-story out of one of the most striking personalities and most interesting series of events in cur history. I suggested its production to several leading London film-renting companies. They all with one accord began to make excuses. They piece, and " costume said it would be a costume pieces do not attract. Also that most of the exhibitors would not book it, deeming it too beavy for their patrons, and some were candid enough to admit that the large sum required for its pro- duction could be more prostahly expend- ed in importing ready-made reels from America.
German Enterprise,
Soon afterwards 1, was in Berlin, where I came into contact with the directors aad managers and other leading men of the great Ula-Decla Corporation. I hap- pened casually to mention to some of them my proposed great British historical picture. They were at once keenlyin- terested and said they would be glad to consider my synopsis if I would submit it to them. I declined the invitation be- Cause I thought the subject eminently bae for British treatment and production and did not care to see it in foreign hands.
Jo.
I buy. th, 9.85 buy.
bay.
41, 62 bus. 1.27 bay.
„Tis. Le nom. 1824 buju, 249 sel.
...$152 nom.
..$7.60 nom
An
absorbing Romance
3
of
Paris, Italy and the South Seas
FIRST NATIONAL
1
PRESENTS
RICHARD BARTHELMESS
SOUL
IN
FIRE
NINE REELS OF THRILLING EXOTIC DRAMA
AND
FAREWELL PERFORMANCES
1+
OF
Miss GLADYS GARFIELD
WHO WILL SING
VALENCIA.
QUEEN'S
WORLD
TO-DAY Till SATURDAY
AT ALL SHOWS.
TO-DAY
ONLY.
..lu/8 buy., 12/ sel
HAROLD BELL
WRIGHT'S
..nel..
103 buy,
重表
(old)
..si sel.
.819 nom. $13) nom ..810 buy. ..$5.90 EUM.
..šibi sel. "
36 sel. Joi nel
66
355
дощ
శిష్టర sel 410 sel
.35 GL
(old)...... (30%). China Providents old..... Constructions ...... Dairy arms........ Ler Wings ............ Hongkong Electrics ........ Macao Miletries A.K. Hopes (combined)
Do. (old)....................
(40W) Crawforus..........
Lane
Do
Mackintosas.........
pom
Sinceres............... Unea esto Watsons (old) Wewell....................38 nom
Lay-buyers; illers;
BOM Dominai.
RUBBER MARKET. SHARE TRANSACTIONS.
Alessrs. Carroli Bros. have been ad- vised by cable that the final dividend of 1/- declared by the Raub Australian Gold Mining Co., Ltd., is payable on Septem- ber 30th. They also report the following sales of Rubber shaves and dividends:—
Ayer Moleks Glenealies Jerams.... Kedahs
Lunna
..... 2.63* 1.521 4.35
1 £20.
Dividenda 20 per cent. interim pay- able by the Lunas Rubber Estates, Ltd., making 5 per cent. for the year.
Paris
EXCHANGE RATES: * [BRITISH WIRELESS SERVICE.]
BUGBY, August 24th.
1511 2772
Brussels Amsterdam Berlin Copenhagen- Vienna Helsingfors Lisbon Buenos Aires
FAMOUS NOVEL
WHEN A MAN'S
A MAN
"
A FIRST NATIONAL ATTRACTION.,
REPULSE BAY
BAY HOTEL.
CARNIVAL
on Saturday, 28th August, 1926.
Dinner $4 Per Head.
(FANCY OR EVENING DRESS OPTIONAL) LATE BUS TO THE HONGKONG HOTEL-12 30 AM TABLES MAY NOW BE BOOKED
AT THE HONGKONG OR REPULSE BAY 'HOTELS, TELEPHONE C. 2581 AND C. 776.
THE HONGKONG & SHANGHAI HOTELS LED,
12.111
20.39
18.23
34.43
1991
2.17/32
45.5/16
Shanghai
Уоковата
New York
Geneva
2/111 1/11.21/32 4.85.9/18 25.15
Milan Stockholm Oslo Prague Madrid
1492
18.15
22.15
BRUNNER, MOND & CO. (CHINA), LTD.
1834 31.59
Rio
7.18/32
1/8 2/21 29
29/1/18
12, PEDDER STREET.
Bombay
Hongkong Silver (forward) Silver (spot)
talent alone. They bring over Germans, Austrians, Swedes, Danes. Our "Em. pire" syndicate could do the same if it had the requisite resources. First-rate producers of any nationality know their awn market value.
Sir Robert Donald says 'the Empire film industry could be built up. by men of. big ideas" prepared to meet the obliga-E tion of a few years' pioneer work. Quito truc, but let us see what that implies. It means that these men must have not only big ideas" but a big-a very big capital. They will need money enough to produce annually at least twenty, and preferably forty, first-class pictures, at, say, £20,000 apiece, for some 3, 4, or yenra at a loss. When the British public has been at length educated to like films of the right kind handsome pro- Ats may be earned.
In the meanwhile there must be a vast and temporarily non-remunerative ex- penditure. If the enterprise is to succeed a company or wealthy syndicate must be prepared to put down & million sterling, with little or no prospect of "immediate
return
Wealth of Talent. -
That is the prime condition. Can it be fulfilled 1 If it can, the rest. is not easy BARKLY PRESS,
ÞOUND VOLUMES of the HONGKONG certainly, but possible. Good producers
1925
With IXDEX Price-$7,50.-
On sale at the Honakina Dalu Press Office
and
actors,
On the literary and artistic side we should be well equipped. Our
potential dramatists, novelists, scenario-writers are as good as any in the world. But they would have to adapt themselves to the screen and the screen public. This is where capable direction and keen insight into mass psychology will he needed. If we are to have Empire plays which will attract that many-headed multitude of the picture houses they must he prepared by men who know their sub- ject, in collaboration with others who know what the public wants" and even know how to make the public, by judi- cious treatment, want something else.
A man of imaginative genius and or
are to be had, are ganising capacity might be able to it. can be engaged from abroad if suitable terms are forthcoming. The great Ameri- į
at the sereno million must be found first.
1 hoac Sir Robert. Donald knows where
can companies do not depend on native to get it. I do not think he will find it
(Continued on next Column)..
in Whitehall or Downing-street-Daily. Bail...
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