THE HONGKONG TELEGRAPH. FRIDAY, JUNE 9, 1933.
CINEMA" SHOTS" AND "SEQUENCES
When Good Films
A GLARING EXAMPLE AT KING'S THEATRE
AGE-WORN MELO-DRAMATIC
INCIDENTS
WOMAN DIRECTOR ON THE
"ART OF THE SCREEN”
By "CELLULOID"
IT is no new thing to write some free and imaginative acting by "there is a dearth of good certain members of the cast. The opening shots aro splendid forming plots in the cinema to-day". as they do n realistic background for The discovery was made years the central point of the film and ago. The industry recognises accentuating in vivid manner the it; the public realises it; and underlying idea of the picture, that
the
are
Spoilt
Miss Betty Benn concert violinist, wood Hi-Light show at the King's Theatre.
by Poor
"Occasionally, however, one was confronted with 2 film of such startlingly good quality that it was! difficult to maintain one's attitude of Indifference, and it would simply be churlish not to acknowledge one's appreciation of some of the silent Russian Alms and the early German work.
Material
LACANTIKE DOLITAI
YOU CAN SEE THESE
-TO-DAY.
When-London-Sleeps
"Hot Saturday" "It's a King"
"Hells Divers”
King's. ..Queen's. .Central. .Oriental.
to
"Tell England"
World.
"Perhaps I should explain this my remarks refer more particularly the European, rather than the Amerl- can, film because I spend most of my time on the Continent.. I was born in Hungary, grow up in the Transvaal,
and taught and later studied Reinhardt's school in Berlin.
at
"Thus, having seen the pick of the their Continental productions, with amazingly clever camera-work and at times lyrical beauty of treatment, I decided that making a film must be a very exciting business. Farther than that I would not go!
"For, being an actress and producer of pinys, I felt, and atill feel (not the unnaturally perhaps!), that theatre must remain the great mother, the origin, of all these things.
*
+
髀
"This Modern Age"..Star. "Rebecca of Sunnybrook
Farm"
Majestic.
AND THESE ON SUNDAY. "Scarface"
.King's, "Make Me a Star" Queen's, "Symphony of Six
Millions" .Central. "Yes, Mr. Brown" Majestic.
"Here, then, is one distinct ad. vantage of the Bim over the stage. One can go direct to one's locale, and build up the story from bottom in its proper setting, instead
the
by stage artifice. actors must just about while London, and for that matter, appearing in the successful Holly."THE flm is the youngest and most of creating a sense of atmosphere
make an
The rest of the world, is sleep,
fascinating child of the theatre. Good acting is essential to both stage and screen-more essential, I think, than good looks and elegant clothes. Note how the excessively plain uni- ac- Note how the excessively plais
I think it is fresh young faces. centuate the lively enthusiasm of the
on the
"Moreover, one can show screen types of girls too tender and mali to play on the stage. Through the lens of the camera one looks at the world from a how angle. One exciting arquite revolutionary way. sees faces and things in low and
break their hearts over it. In intrigue, fast living, crime, love, fact its repetition seems to have laughter and tears can still be found.
QASED on man's inherent idealism had the effect, not of stimulat-But after that distinctly emotional Band woman's quest for romance, opening. with quick photographic Symphony of Six Million Fannic ing the producers to honest and conscientious search shots of recumbent and aged forms Hurst's sagn of New York's Ghetto
on the banks of the Thames, of Eros which opens at the Central Theatre, intake to show only beautiful faces, to-morrow is a dramatic and tensely for new material or the public gleaming in the dimmed lights of interesting to a social worker |
a young Jewish or at any rate only pretty ones, on the screen. For youth has not the to insist on what one might Piccadilly, of the journalist catching doctor's love almost describe as "rights," but the last (or maybe the first) tram in the slums. Ricardo Corotez, na the monopoly of beauty: a face on which to have intoxicated one and the after "pulting his paper to bed," the doctor who overcomes soclal and eco-flite has painted its lines is beautiful | Snuw's playe. If managers find there: nomic barriers to attain fame, is
filming of these hackneyed plots and stories is doing the cinema no good. It is definitely detracting value from n picture which is otherwise entertaining and worth while. An illustration is when London Steaps, which holds sway at the King's
atmosphere.·
of
is too.
An
VA A
attempt has been made to film
I encouraging to note that an
screen.
is a definite public who enjoy seeing 'Arms and the Man' and other Shaw film glides back into the common given full opportunity to display his "Up to now the film shows other with an air of resignation place. From the reality of London's histrionic talent, while Irene Dunne world which does not exist in reality. films, there is great hope for the future of the intellectual drama' on streets wo are taken to the artificiality make for a sympathetic and delight. For this reason the leglimate stage the screen. to the inevitable.
of the studio, and except for a couple ful sweetheart. Cortez is depleted still remains indispensable, as it pro-
an Bre that these potential platform from which the
must feel of sequences at a touring Fair, we as a dreamer whose sole ambition is vides a
cinemagoers
eternally are still grateful to the enterprising producer ambitious family to give most of his on ile, stage and screen
who enables them to sit, during INFORTUNATELY the continual remain in the midst of that artificial to heal the sick, but forced by realist may speak. In their outlook
time to wealthy patient, he Boon acquires wealth and fame, but loses poles apart, as they are also in the reasonable daylight houre; in a com- means employed to convey ideas to fortable and cosy cinema, listening to the the respect of "his people"-
Shaw's words of wit and wisdom THIS however, is not the chief folks of the slums.
Cortez loses all the audience. Excessive dialogue faith in himself when he is unsuc complaint. (how many thousands of unecessary cessful in an operation upon his aged words are usedl) and a collection of father and shuns all of his former age worn incidents on which to peg friends and gives up his practice un- so-called drama and romance are the til Irene, through her love and under- real deficiencies. Two men carry en standing, shows im the right road.
Afillion in heart very unrealistic fight whilst a house Symphony of S
acted. Cortez is is burning a couple of yards away; stirring and weli a girl, leaps from the roof of the exceptionally good, while Miss Dunn burning domain to the telegraph equals anything he has previously dane, as tho social worker · and wires, when if she criemen would Cortez's sweetheart Others in the couple of seconds the have run up an escape by which aho cant who are worthy of mention aro could have descended to terra Arina Gorory Ratoff, Anna Appel. Nocl decently and naturally. And earlier Madison and Lita Chovret on, a lightweight amateur knocks out a heavyweight professional boxer for the kiss of a girl. It has all been done so often before. The picture iacka freshness.
Irene Dunne and Ricado Cortex a they appear together in "Symphony of Six Million starting at the Cen- tral Theatre to-morrow.
In
#
"For instance, when I undertook the production of the play Gestern which the film, und Heute from Madchen in Uniform, and now the English version of the play, Children in Uniform, was made was told that fifteen girls were the utmost they could grant me, times being what they are.
"THE problem on the stage was
how shall one give a feeling of -space to the school as a whole when the action takes place in only one or two class-rooms? How shall I show the girls whispering in corridors and MUNI is a magnificent actor, as corners, herded together like sheep Also in Vince Barnett, a new-in one rooni? How shall I show the comer who takes the part of headmistres, aloof and scornful of the Camonte's Italian secretary, who can problems of these laughing, in- neither read nor write. He gets any nocent girls?
lambot O'Brien another of the
Lights.
rather than to the fatulties of some lunged gangster-lover, empty-headed 'cutie and her leather-
sympathy there may be going for "Well, these were only a few of the COMING however, to the plant or such a bunch of crooks, and is pon- questions that were eventually solved high spots In the Hollywood. Hi-
something moro stimulating sible for a little comic relief, An in-play was
n success. It I don't think Harold French has been study is contributed, too, by been shown in every capital of seen in Hongkong before, although
Raft as the "little boy,"
few weeks after the Leslie Howard we have seen his Camonte's pal, and as slick a slice of Europe. A
opening in Berlin a film producer double. This young actor has talent, Bowery produce as one could find in charm and a most pleasant voice. He year of gangster pictures. The mo- rang up, asking me to produce it as
a film. is typically English and because of ment when the chief slaver bumps an impressive illustration that cannot fail to prove popular in him
craft this Colony. We dete on our "typical of camera and Ano acting
ing in harmony for an English" acters here, and no small ing
effective
result This in wonder when they can give us shows
itself will be worth admis
feminino of histrionic merit is the cinematle camp.
in
of
The
"The experiment, if successful, "Now, for the first time, I began to opens up new vistas of film-making. seo things optically. Dialogue must it may be the prelude to a great be used sparingly in the film version, intellectual revival via the sercon. I of that has been trained to
listen
Theatre until Sunday. This picture such as that of Harold Frenel. Next sion price to many keen followers for speech is tiresome to an audience myself long to produce plays by the has big possibilities. In some respects order those possibilities are realised. Alexander Field who delineates to element a tough one is competently primarily with its eyes.
and space were at my dis. others they are stunted and denied one's intense delight and satisfaction handled by Ann Dvorak and Karen posai. The building used for the
Morley, and, every booze a bik entirely because of the trileness of the assistant showman with through from a promising opening to in I feel there is need for vast painted with vivid clarity.
in improvement
grent masters. De cinemagoers really want to see such plays? you ask. I don't know. But one can only trum
How is it done?
the vehicle which carries tha pleture) heart and a sense of humour. Once from the highest to the loss of
pre-war Prussian militarism. Ithey have seen "King-Kong", the to-
to
symphony of gan
is n
school, for example, had uner been an is orphanage. It was very large, It was mitunted at Potsdam, in the heart gangster under the English through by a brilliant orchestra a "Now we're all right again" con- actresses. They scent Inck In
become rich and builds himself clusion. The film has the director, dividuality, Rene Ray, who plays the leadership of an inspired conduc-felt like a man who has suddenly that this vivid mansion! Now they told me in the Lesije Hiscott; it enjoys the photo-opposite farold French is a type splurge of sensationalism does
not grapher, Thomas Emmott; it boasts old mannerisms, glycerine tears and theme.
whom one can see anywhere. The mark finis to the gangster na manager's office: 'One hundred girls
are necessary! a competent cutter and it has an dramatic gestures are there complete excellent cast. Put these together and would be very effective it one and the result should be something hadn't seen them so many times right up to standard, if not a little before... out of the ordinary. Actually the picture is neither one nor the other.
·
ን
THERE in an appeal in When
London Sleeps, but it's appen is dependent on one of two individuals IT has its high marks, particularly and much is lost for reasons set out
in the photography line and lul above.
„Stuart' Erwin, who lands' in "Make Me A Star", Sunday's at- iraation at the Queen's Theatre, photographed with June Collyer,
-after-bə“had'sloped with"the"zairela
• **
That is the question asked by in- numerable people in London after feet-high ape in the film story which
was Edgar Wallace's lant work. The ape snatches an aeroplang out of the pwrecks
railways and building apparently, at least, Realy, King- Concentration on the black spots of its national existence can
Kong is only a model and all the horror and terror of his destructive never gain the respect of nations for America, and gangsterdem is the blackest spot of all.
now world was opened up for me acts are created by trick photo- "A und for the majority of my graphy. Each movement which King- young people who were standing When he is shown apparently climb. Kong makes was filmed separately. under these exciting lamps for the c
a skyscraper, he was actually WHEN this film bout the right first time they found themselves, standing on the floor of the studio.
it doesn't forget to go right work in which they found through with it, as so many Holly-in which they could move about as The traffic, the buildings, and the hu- epic productions have done. they liked, was more spacious than man being are real-but the apo, a For thin renson, Scarface in a really any stage could supply. Friendships wonderful model manipulated by wiros superimposed great film, no matter how much one wern formed amongst them as if they was filmed first and then is disgusted by the theme. The had been people, in a real school, on the remainder of the film. Some- moral is heaved at us with the force This was exactly the right atmosphere times as many as seven films were and it comes at Just for a film dealing with school-life. imposed on top of one another to
Howard Hawks puts himself truly inspired Hollywood's directors with this ople of slime. misaca no points, works out his start- ling thome with characteristic vigour, and gets the very best from his whole enst. Paul Munt, as Tony Camonte, ahows the dogo gangster up in all his yellowness, Ile exhibits all the characteristics of the Chicago thug at its basest in such a manner that one never is constrained to feel the alightest symptom of sympathy for Scarface. Which is as it should be, especially in America, if these gangs. tor films are to do good.
of a cannon ont from just the right
the right people.
umong
THE art of the screen, as compared with the stage was interestingly exposed by. Miss Leontine Sagan, the well known woman producer in the London
Observer
Mins In acreon. dom for her direction of Aladchen in Uniform, Miss Sagan stated:
Bagan mado herself famous in
the stage,
in common with others whose training has been mainly derived from
I cannot deny that for long time I bitterly resented the com petition of the film, with_the forms of dramatic art.. I was willing to admit that the claoma, ia
older
un.
an extension-an... 'augmentationimit the stage.
create the final illusion.
Nancy Carrol and Gray Grant, who play opposlie to sack other
"Hot Saturday" a current Queen's Theatre attraction:
IT HAPPENS IN HOLLYWOODI
Movie Classic
Dressing room
SECRETS
Marlene DIETRIC
DIVORCE not me, say
FRANCES
DEE
rice
HEVALIER Personality
SPRINC
HOLLYWOOD 18:
OUTDOORS WITH
where young love and am- bition bravo fame and for- -tunol
GARY COOPE
HEAD
atic.
MAKE ME
STAR
a Paramount Picture........
JOAN
with
BLONDELL
QUEEN'S ERWIN
FROM
SUNDAY
STUART
İZASÙ PITTS. BEN TURKIY
UNHEARD OF
SURPRISE
BARGAINS
PRINTED SILK VOILE
27"
BROAD STRIPED
SPUN CREPE 27"
PRINTED FERGUSON
VOILE 36"
GOVERNMENT CREPE 27"
JERSEY SILK 36"
.50 YD.
58 YP. $1.25 YD .80 YD.
.85 YD.
TAJMAHAL
SILK STORE King's Theatre Building.
M
ASSEUR R. SHIMIDZU FASSEUSE S. KISAKI Recommended for many years by Government Civil Hospital, Poak Hospital, ate, and by all the local doctors, often
24, Wyndham Street, Telephone 24945.