1933-08-29 — Page 6

ASVATADO_1_A

WATSON'S

PRICKLY HEAT

· LOTION

"THE SOVEREIGN REMEDY."

One application gives instant relief 75c. and $1.25.

A. S. WATSON & CO., LTD.

EST. 1841.

You will find lots of Interesting Titles in our latest consignment of "H.M.V." Records ex S.S. "Naldera."

We Offer You

Vocal & Instrumental Selection from the Films

"YES, MR. BROWN.”

"KID FROM SPAIN.

"SOLDIERS Of the king.”

"CAVALCADE."

Further Impersonations By Florence Desmond. Rumbas & Tangos By Azpiazu's Orchestra, First Consignment of Dance Records By John Jackson's Orchestra.

Ask for a Complete List.

S. MOUTRIE & CO., LTD.

York Building.

Chater Road..

Tel. 20527.

RANSOMES

Mowers

England's Finest Lawn Mower.

Four different models stocked regularly, with all spare parts available at a minute's notice.

tomaton

"Countess"

now on disp

HARDWARE DEP

THE HONGKONG TELEGRAPH. TUESDAY, AUGUST 29,† 1933.

BEFORE

YOU

DECIDE

on your NEW CAR you should try out the NEW VAUXHALL LIGHT SIX

ARRIVING 3rd.—SEPTEMBER.

WORTH WAITING

FOR

HONGKONG HOTEL GARAGE

Stubba Road (Showroom) PHONE 27778-9

The

Thongkong Telegraph.

TUESDAY, AUGUST 29, 1933.

NOTES OF THE DAY DIALOGUE AND "STAR"

SYSTEM THE CURSE

KOWLOON WATER SUPPLY

ly.

JAPAN'S BUDGET

0

OF THE CINEMA

WHY PRESENT-DAY FILMS ARE:

́SO DEPLORABLE

(By "CELLULOID")

of vir

conform

The Very Idea!

LOOKING

BACKWARDS

By Edward Kolly. His-story

EVER since we discovered

that we had nothing but water in the brain to write up for to-day's column we have been studying his- tory.

and

We

Kowloon: registers a complaint against water restrictions on the ground that existing supplies are ample and that water will be run- -ning to waste if only an inch of rain falls. The submission is plausible one if only the situation of the moment is to be taken into consideration, but the experiences of the last month must provide

Five years ago the cinema world fed out, the majority of American

its productions are works approval of the Government's

Pete gave us the idea The poslilon we have to face when he called on us yester- side of caution. Government had peaceful pursuits of producing tuosity rather than artistry.

getting ap policy of erring, if at all, on the was rudely awakened from

to-day is that the cinema, rather no intention of imposing restric-films which were

sobbing than being progressive, is re-day afternoon. Pete had tions in Kowloon until the start-preciably nearer the qualities of

cinema by 'the

trogressive,

the hiccoughs. History repeats ling figures showing a consump-true tion of 63,830,000 gallons during monologue of a popular American!

The camera and its mobility is Itself. the week ended August 21. A variety artiste who plaintively

Bound-recording require- History is a wonderful thing. that rate, presuming no rain fell appealed to a boy of tender years retarded by having to in the meantime, Kowloon's reser- to climb up on his kace and pro-with voire would be exhausted in about miso not to stray when he became menta. The use of the close-up, Do you know, for instance, that the scope and properties of which millions of years ago, Love ran first exploited by D.W. wild on this spinning globe of four months. A check had, thero of age.

This was known as the birth were fore, to be applied. If the ingh of rain the correspondent refers of the dialogue film. It was af Griffiths, are constantly being ours.

In those days men were slimy to should fall soon, the position blind, almost desperate, experi- misused, being concentrated on will undoubtedly be reconsidered. ment by Warner Brothers, the the facial expressions of the act In the meantime, Kowloon must American producing company. It ing material instead of used, in creatures resembling a louse, or

earliest men mercially speaking, for exceeded on inanimate objects, to heighten seif. The accept restrictions philosophical-proven in experiment which, com- conjunction with lighting effects, your wife's description. of your- their wildest dreams (that is If dramatic effect. Rhythm obtain-women, who had by new reached they had any). The talking filmed by cutting and editing the film the jolly-fish stage in life, used took four continents by storm, frames, is persistently ruined by to meet under a stone.

This is why we call their era ruined hundreds of actors, caused the adaption of dialogue which

different treatment. the Stone Age. the debacle of a cinema built up demands ex.

For by The sophisticated, but superficial,

our Bubsequent data After Japan's budgetary

to a state hearing perfection years of ceaseless endeavour by studio architecture of Hollywood have read the excellent publica... perience of last year, moro caution was anticipated in the presenta some of the world's finest creative and Elstree invariably bear no retion called Vet to Zym, published by the Encyclopaedia Britannica. tion of departmental estimates minds, and left the industry in lation to the theme or dramatie worse cop content of the scene or sequence.

We now know that the Oyster for the coming financial year. Fatate of "confusion

founded".

Poor scenario writing, the in- In the event, however, Mr. Tasha- with a more

ability of the director to create the Age came right after the original

cut life and right before the soup. kashi is presented

proper atmosphere, Inferior

The Oyster was the first animal difficult problem than ever. In

ting, and careless editing often spite of the urgent need for re-

The lessons of the last trenchment, all the Departments are piling up immense estimates, years, if they are at all to be taken contribute to a montage which falls born with Sex Appeal. The male that if you wanted to get any so that the new expenditure de seriously, tell us in unqualified entirely to stimulate in the minds oyster, with his instinctive know where with a lady oyster, you'd manded is already more than the tones at least two vital things; of the audience the reactions ledge of feminine nature, knew

and EFFICIENCY INSUFFICIENT.

have to give her birthday presonts, total revenue. Perhaps they are that until dialogue is eliminated sought by the theme. only trying to keep pace with the from films, and American

Efficiency is the keynote of So he hit upon the idea of making

the pearls. army, instead of sacrificing them- English producing companies for-

the "star" system, the Hollywood. It has become

This was not the only ingenious selves to the military machine.sake

with cinema, in all its beauty, artistry slogan of Elstree. But emciency That seems to be the case the Metropolitan Police Board at and drama, as expressed a decado in itself is not true cinèma. A thing the Oyster ever did, for any rate, which has a special ex-ago by Elsontein, Pudovkin, Von child who plays penditure budget of five millions Stroheim, Erleh Pommer, Pabst Bonata without a mistake may be even to-day Oysters make excel-.

be described as efficient, but nobody lont stows, cocktails, and patties.

But Oysters were different in. to present: to the Home Office, It and others can never again

would pretend to compare it with a rendering of the same piece by the olden days. The Oyster of wants radio apparatus, aeroplanes, realised,

To Hollywood the cinema world

The one is just to-day is not the Oyster of fifteen and other modern police equip

other million years ago-unless by

chance you go into a ment. The "growing intensiflea- owes a lot. Chief among its debts Padorowiaki. tion of emergency sentiment" la can be numbered the prostitution; mechanical virtuosity, the

by commercialisation, of the real the work of a creative mind, alive any mentioned as a reason for the orgy qualities of the cinema. We owe to the moods of the composition taurant and order some. Then

the necessity of spending, and

it to America that the resources of and suffelently artistic, to give they only taste the same.

The early oyster was known as tho for being armed against

the studio are now greater than expression to those moods.

Oysterolithic Man. Their ever before in the history of the

Fundamentally the cinema to-the bad

an ex-greatest anemles were the Salmon, danger of "collective outrages." Dangerous, thoughts were

industry; we also owe it to Amer-

day is sufferin from ATO

of the im- which were hostile and very cun- aggorated iden enough, but it looks, as though ica that those resources

portance of acting material, ning. patriotic "direct action" is becom abused and misused.

known as "Stars", and the con Salmon used to hide in tina, ing more expenalve.

tinuance of the sound dialogue and came out only on Saturday's, which is diametrically opposed when it was the boy's day.off, and to the requirements of cinematic visitors popped in unexpectedly essentials.

for dinner.

STABILISATION OF CURRENCIES

The visit of Mr. Montagu Norman to the United States has revived rumours of an im- pending stabilisation of the dollar and sterling. It is safer to assume that no definite plane are in the air, that the Governor of the Bank of England is seck- ing a clarification of President Roosevelt's monetary policy with a view to a possible adjustment of British policy thereto. Stabili- sation at some time must, how- ever, be the motive directing such an exchange of views, and it has to be remembered-that-

YOUTH'S CHALLENGE

women

DIALOGUE AND THE STAR SYSTEM.

Live

Beethoven

TCB-

Generally the Salmon could al-

Speaking of beer, we think 'we wayo-be had with raw onions and

beer.

Hollywood, and in its turn Elstree, and quite a number of other European producing concerns. with the box-office complex, have refused to recognise the art of the cinoma; have stimulated: a

America and England, having The International Congress of public taste for sex films and call- President Roosevelt, in spite of Women in Chicago heard much ed it "public demand"; and have accepted the dialogue tots his rejection of the London

sane counsel and many ringing fruitlessly tried to adapt the thing which has come to atay, is of the sound-making no effort to improve their formula, in spite of his other and provocative challenges. Most peculiar demands cryptic utterances, has not of the speeches came naturally dialogue to the real properties of films cinematically. In technical

in the cinema, all the time knowing. production Hollywood still leads have spent enough time already from representative slammed the door leading to

various fields of social endeavour, but refusing to recognise, that the world, with Elstree making on history. The opening of the. stabilisation. At the same time many of them veteran workers. those various requirements

But the delegates were wise. The totally incompatible. the President's first duty is to.

voice of youth too, must be heard, see that nothing handicaps the they agreed, and so they sat and recovery in the United States listened while thirteen college which is now

under way, girls, three young women in although moving slowly and not industry, and one youthful editor

something tried to express yet clear of the reefs. This is their philosophy of life and their not so selfish as it sounds.views of our social ills. It has

are rapid improvements. But they now brewery in Hongkong is n stop hero, and it is still left to the new age. It is known as the New The position to-day is that Russian producers and in a lesser Be-era, the public have actually become degree to the Germans and French educated into acepting as good (dfroctors such as Pabst and Reno cinema, some of the worst, and Clair) to attempt to ovare me the mest inartistic films ever pro-disabilities of a five year-old "fad," duced.

BROTHERLY LOVE

Pete had been calling. every with experiments in true cinema. night in spite of the warnings: Thua we have Pudovkin, now from his lady love about her irate VIRTUOSITY FOR ARTISTRY, among the world's finest directors, father. This particular evening. In their persistent exploitation working out a new theory in they had been cuddled together President Roosevelt had a pro been said that, in the world to- of the Star system, thoir com photography allied with lighting before the fireplace planning their. blem on his hands which de-day, it is youth that is suffering mercially-clouded perspective of effects and cutting, which, ha next move. Only the clock, an its claims, will add much to the nouncing that the witching hour without warning, manded bold and frankly ex-most severely from the social re the film, its properties and

ence. Then, perimental measurea. If he volution through which we are

a thump and a click were heard, obtain technical perfection, the REAL DRAMATIC EXPRESSION, will passing. There is evidence to attractions, and their anxiety to dramatic expression of the cinema, had been reached, broke the sil

the and the room. succeeds,

benefit

was flooded, with the

This convoys nothing "to accrue not only to

the support this point of view. When

are for the most part devoid of the one of these young.speakers said, American and English productions United States, but also to

(Continued on Next Columns.)

stood the old man, glowering and "Youth must be brought out of the

screen. As Paul Rotha has point-

puffing at the terrified caller. all those producers in other parts shock all, individualistic reac-essential qualities of the silver general public. There is no roa-light. Thore, as big as fate, "Whq in hare you?ho bel- of the world who sell their goods tions which the depression has

lowed. Pete gulped, turned pale. to the United States, and who brought about in us and learn the

and appeared on the verge of have been awaiting a revival in zest of doing something,"

fainting. But the colour returned, American demand. Both his reached to the heart of the pro-

to his face suddenly, and he rose. "I'm her brother," he said sim- problem and his measures have blem to-day. To youth cepecially

ply. been appreciated by such expert belong vigour, zest, enthusiasm, foreign observers as Mr. John and the present social maladjust- Maynard Keynes, the Britishment would do its utmost to rob

them of their birthright. economist. But there is tendency as yet on the part of

110

she

us to

other countries to embark on UGLY HEAD OF ADVERSITY anything like the price relation schemes that Mr. Roosevelt has

Another young speaker, re- initiated in the United States. ferring to the enthusiasm of her It is not possible for the Presi-college days for world affaire, dent in these circumstances to plended, "You must help slow down his own ship to the keep our heads above water unt!! pace of the slowest ship in the we see again that vision of inter squadron. Is there any way nationalism." But. In the ugly. out of what seems an impasso? head of adversity a precious jewel There is. Let stabilisation be la often hidden, and it may be that put on ice, save for some kind both those statements give some of exchange control, until Ameri- inkling of the doubly precious can recovery has generated its Jowel that is being offered the own momentum; let other na youth of to-day. For one apeaker, It appears, han learned to classify tions agree to put in practice a "Individuallstic" with "slack and programme of price reflation to "duil," and the other has seen the which they have paid lip serviceision of Internationalism." Are for two years past, a programme not these immeasurably valuable. which would help to sustain lessons? The Pengen" of in- primary prices without too much dividualism, it is clear, la passing, recourse to national racasures; and it is more than possible that and then let the dollar clear-eyed youth is already fant be stabilised in the only mastering the lesson, so dimoult way that it can proper for many of the older generation, that not selfish acquisition, but ly be stabilised, namely

cooperation, Is to be the watche fixed in terms of some

Word of the now and unit Molisiva

allenkosto Mäns individuall

LANE CRAWFORD, LTD, TRIN

Stop us if you've heard this one before,

SHE WAS ONLY--

Wo shot a man to-day. And we'll tell you why. Ho came up to us and said: "She is only an optician's daughter"We pulled Tast the trigger. Then, with a gasp, he called out to us from where he lay, "But just give her a couple of glasses and she'll make

a spectacle of herself."-

son why it should. The public is not concerned with cause, bus with effect. Its interest, should lie exclusively with film produ cors. Dramatic expression is an essential of the cinema, and the more artistic that form of ak- pression the nearer does it got to being a puro cinematic quality,

Dramatie, expression, is not as Hollywood and Elstree try to lead us to believe, best given through istrionto dialogue and/or t

abilities for sex app

A more subtle treat