1948-12-04 — Page 2

2

SHOWING

ど TO-DAY

Special Timos: At 2.30, 5.00,

Queen's

7.15 & 9.30 p.m.

SWINGERKAAR VERIGLITE OF THE TEN BEST PICTURES OF THERING

Paramount

Presenie VEAN

ARTHUR

MARLENE

DIETRICH

JOHN

LUND

A Foreign AFFAIR

- MILLARD ASITCHELL ~

**** CHARLES BRACKETT

EILLY WILDER

SUNDAY MORNING SHOW

AT 11.30 A.M. ONLY

BOB HOPE

VIRGINIA MAY

"PRINCESS AND THE PIRATE"

BOOKINGS

In Technicolour-An RKO Radio Picture AT REDUCED PRICES

NOW OPEN!

QUEEN'S

BOOKINGS

NOW OPEN!

THE HONGKONG TELEGRAPH, SATURDAY, DECEMBER 4, 1948.

A SEAT IN THE STALL'S

BRITISH STUDIOS ARE MAKING MORE FILMS

CTOBER 1 was a decisivé date for Britain's film in- dustry; for from that day onwards the law decrees that 45 out of every 100 first-feature films shown in the cinemas of the country must be British.

This

drastie constitutes a

de parture from the past-a venture which is bound to affect not only all Industry, sections of Britain's film but also the International film situn- tion. So far, the general Impres sian is that the production in Britain is showing a steady Improvement,

At present, the cinemas in the British Isles con book 104 first feature Drilisl: quota films. The figure excludes any minor pictures,

second 50-called

features or featurettes. In addition, there are 62 British re-issues available-best films of past years-selected by the

By H. H. WOLLENBERG

Board of Trade's Flims Council and answer, making a coreful check on given a 12 months' extended quota the work planned between now and fe. That makes a total of 250 Arst December 31, is that British studios

hnve completed feature films available immediately. will

02 first Australian--and

Tula

ls is the present rather reassur- features-plus one in situation na regards the supply 12 second features. This compares for the five firm theatres in Britain, with 58 major films music in 1947. As for other countries, Their Six of the 1948 Sims are in Techni- prospects of supply with new British colour.

As to further prospects, the ques- pictures, now so popular in many

flon will arise, how many pictures lands, are no less encouraging.

There are 42 first features in the should the British studios be able to

make? have, not corn-

The total above total, which

production pleted, or are about to start, their facilities are now 24 studios with 72 first runs in London.

sound stages. These figures

com-

FUTURE PROSPECTS NEW flims will be reaching is

tributors from the studios at the rate of five new first features per month, with a possiblity of six new first features per month being avail able from June 1940,

Friends

screencraft want to know how many British features will be made this year. The

of British

My Experiments In Film Technique

THE moving pie-

ture is only 58 years old and it is still in the process of evolving its technique. When D. W. Griffith thought of shooting close-ups he was told

GALA PREMIERE on TUESDAY at 9.30 P.M. that audiences would

AJ. ARTHUR BANK ENTERPRISE

Liver

Laurence Olivier

presents

HAMLET William Shakespeare

Starring Laurence Olivier

Jean Simmons

Basil Sydney

COMMENCES WEDNESDAY-3 SHOWS DAILY

AT 2.30. 5.30 & 9.00 P.M.

ALHAMBRANATHEATRE

SHOWING TO-DAY AT 2.30, 5.15, 7.15 & 9.15 P.M.

HE

CRASH DIVES ON

A GERMAN AIRCRAFT CARRIER

! SHE

ON

BEST TEN

BOJES A

JAPANESE

MUNITION DUMP

A GUY NAMED JOE

ACY

DUNNE

TO-DAY

ONLY

·

Gollim Maver

WILLIAMS JOHNSON

Cathay

!

AT 2.30, 5.20,

7.30 & 9.30 P.M.

FIRST TIME SHOWING IN HONGKONG

Mighty Monster Running Amok! Inhuman Beast Raging with Fury!

•

All-Now Thrills....In the Strangest Battlo Ever Filmed!

FRANKENSTEIN miesto

THE WOLF MAN

1larring

with

HONA MASSEY PATRIC KNOWLES BELA LUGOSI LIONEL ATWIA MARIA OUSPENSKAYA

and

LON CHANEY

* TO-MORROW * Eddio Cantor in "IF YOU KNEW SUSIE"

Sunday Extra Performance •

not Recept photo- graphs of faces with-

out their bodies. They

did. Later, audiences

were introduced to

BY

David Lean

prise only these studios where t would be possible to make major some pictures: they do not include

second smaller studios where many features and sequences have been past few produced during the

The months.

facilities present

sufflelent provide should at lenst studla space for producing 120 major

ins a year.

During 1948, uncertainty about the new Film Act, plus lack of working capital, has prevented Independent producers from making their full contribution towards this

target.

In spite of this, employment figures show that more people are employed in the studios: last March the operating total was 7,618 people. This month there are 7,601 people working in the studios.

As for the future, the facta In- The new a piece of Information diente a steady progress. but she falls back dead which to built up an economically Films Act provides a foundation on before she can get it out, sound production industry, In addi I cut straight back to the

tion, the Board of Trade announced scene in the present and

11s decision to form a Film Finance the man Monks says to Corporation. During its next session the matron, "It's a lie. Parliament will be naked for a five She sold more

matran

The million pound Treasury loan to pro answers, "Shc

SBC vide capital.

dildn't utter another

Meanwhile, however, a provisional

word-but it

It was then set-up, called the Film Finance that it

Compuny, has started operating and its first Joan has been made,

"What?" What?"

snyk

POINT OF INTEREST

TNING back to current produc-

tion, a point of some interest is

SHOWING

TO-DAY

KING'S

SHOWINGS

TO-DAY

SPECIAL TIMES: 2.30, 5.00, 7.15 & 9.30 P.M.

ONLY A WOMAN COULD TAME THIS

MAN WHO CONQUERED MOUNTAINS!

Soft creature of luxury, she braves his brawling world... in RKO's great spectacleiodventure of confilet and thrills in the world's biggest setting!

ERKO

JOHN LARAINE

WAYNE

•

DAY..

TYCOON

COLOR BY TECHNICOLOR,

weith

SIR CEDRIC HARDWICKE - JUDITH ANDERSON JAMES GLEASON - ANTHONY QUINH

Produced by STEPHEN AMES Directed-by RICHARD WALLACE Screen Play by BORDEN CHASE ANG JONH TWIT

TO-MORROW MORNING AT 11.30 A.M. ONLY

•

Rits HAYWORTH Larry PARKS in "DOWN TO EARTH”

how the total 1948 output of 82 major Colour by Technicolour A Columbia Picture * At Reducod Prices

Aims is shared between the different studlos or production groups,

pks Actother straight cut into the past. The pauper is lying dead bed, the matron rises and starts to the fade in und fade unclasp the dead

woman's hand out. and their use became from her oin. A ploce of paper flutters down onto the. beri. generally accepted symbols of a Another straight cut into the present time lapse. If present-day au- and Monks says, "A piven of paper. ganisation will have diences were not acquainted with the fade in and fade out, they would almost certainly, on seeing it for the first time, think that something had gone wrong with the projector.

Similarly, the lash hack has now begume acceptable to audiences. You show a close-up of a man thinking, and by means of a dissolve and the use of the man's voice saying. "I saw her first ten years ago....... you show pictures on the screet which the audience accept as hup- penings in the past.

I think

What is the next move?

ís the showing of people's thoughts in pletures, for so far the einema has been greatly handicap-

with ped by its inability io cope this, and I think that it is only matter of time before audiences will accept this as new technical con vention-but they will have to be

-cased-into-it-very-slowly.

An Expansion

7

A girl is saying goodbye to a man

The man steps into

speed-

boat which Cours off across a luke. They wave to each other. Watching them from above is the girl's hus- band. He has appeared unexpected- ly. He knows that his wife and time the other man, were at one tovers. Jealousy surges up in him- he turns towards camera-big clos^~

close- up flashes on the screen-a

up of the wife and the man in the speedboat in a passionate kiss-the Jusband turns away and tries blot nut the thought.

Will an audience understand this? Will they understanil that the close-

What was it?" The matron tells

him.

This experiment proved that one cash backwards and forwards at will between the past and the pre- sent. If one can also eut from the present to people's thoughts, maybe the cinema will have advanced an- other luchi along its road to

maturity.

Tip For

Top Ten

AMERICA'S theatre show- mcn, through the Motion Picture Herald, have chosen Ten Stars of To-

morrow.

Do you agree with their -list?

Jane Powell, Cyd Charisse, Ann Blyth, Celeste Holm, Robert Ryan, Angela Lansbury, Jean Peters, Mona Freeman, Eleanor Parker and

Doris Day.

Moviestar Parade Maga- zine predicts that Mont- gomery Clift will be Tomorrow's Top Star,

According to the maga zine, Clift combines the appeal of Humphrey Bogart, Cary Cooper, and Tyrone Power.

The

studios of the J. Arthur Rank Or

completed 30 features by the end of the year, in- Studios' Australian

clurling Ealingslaekade," plus a

subject,

group of five second features. Lost year the Hank group was responsible for a total of 29 pictures,

Some of the 1948 production have already caught international atten- flon, filins such as "Hamlet," "Oliver Twist." "The Red Shoes." Coming productions tikve "Christopher Columbus," "Scott of the Antarc- tle" and others are no less engerly nwalted.

It looks as though eight pictures will be completed by the London Film Studios at Isleworth and Shep- perton this year. This la where the group of independent producers around Sir Alexander Korda works. Two brillant films, he Fallen Idol" and "The Winslow Boy" had a highly promising stort. This year and next, this group wili produce! three times us many Amns as last

year,

OTHER PRODUCERS CONSTELLATION Films, Anthony A—Havelock-Allan's—independent company, has a programme of three pictures lined up. At least four films are being prepared by Herbert Wil- cox Productions. Pilgrim Pictures and John Stafford Productions have started Joention work for thetr respective

ms, while some

other

RIENTAL

AIR CONDITIONED

TAKE ANY EASTERN TRAM CAR OR HAPPY VALLEY BUS

SHOWING TO-DAY: 2.30-5.15-7.20 & 9.20 P.M. THE THRILLINGLY TENDER DRAMA OF THE DEATHLESS A BOND THAT BOND BETWEEN A BOY AND A DOGI... STARTED A BITTER MOUNTAIN FEUD!

SPORE!

DIENDA

NOKES JOYCE SHAYNE

*

and SHAGGY

AR SHAGGY

in Cinecolor!

SPECIAL SUNDAY MORNING SHOW AT 12.30

companies have Alms in various "THE GUADALCANAL DIARY" A Fox Film

stages of preparation.

All the evidence indicates that the new quota regulation now in force can benefit Britain's lin industry and everyone overseas who appre- ciates its contribution to the world's film programme. There

is every renson why production should in- crense: there is Government legil and financial support: studio space Is available and last but not least-- there are plenty of men with skill and idens.

up of the lovers embracing is the MARLENE'S SECOND 'BLUE ANGEL'

Jentous imagination of the husband,

I

or will they think that a piece of film has got in at the wrong place? hope they understand it. This is a

"The Pas scene in my last alm slonate Friends," and is an expan- sion of my first experiment in this direction which was made in "Oliver Twist. In that Him I only did it once in the scene where Bill Siken sila in his room with the body of the woman he has Just murdered. After showing his conscience playing upon him I cut from a big close-up of Sikes to n shot of him striking down the man who had incited him

I to the murder. In other words, hoped that audiences would under- stand that he was wishing he had killed Faglu and not Nancy.

Straight Cuts

IN "The Passionate Friends" I did

am very 'it several times and anxious to see the results with an audience.

In "Oliver Twist" I made another experiment, and I am going to ex- pand its technique in my next pic- ture, "Madelaine Smith." for this I know works with an audience. It is an expansion of the flashback prin- ciple.

.

1

The scene In "Oliver Twist" was one between the workhouse matron and n

man named Monks. The matron is describing what took place ten years before when she attended a dying pauper. The accepted method of doing such a scene would be the dissolve back into the past with the matron's volce continuing over the pictures, but instead of dis- solving I made a straight cut-the

nudience is watching a scene which pauper is gathering up all “THE GREAT WALTZ took place in the pant. The dying

hor

strength In order to tell the matron

MARLENE DIETRICH first attracted the attention of Amigoers oul- side Germany by her performance as a cafe enterialner in "The Blue Angel," in which she played opposite Emil Jauntings. In her again night club latest picture, "A Foreign Affale," she #inger this line in postwar, ocoupled Berlin, John Lund plays the part of an American afleer who falls for lier elarms, and Jean Arthur, as a Congresswoman on four, is the third part of the triangle. At the Queen's Theatre today.

SHOWING

TO-DAY

AT 2.30, 5.20,

MAJESTICA

7.20 & 9.20 P.M.

BETTY GRABLE

DICK HAYMES in

THE Shocking

MISS PILGRIM

in TECHNICOLOR,

Written for the Screen and Directed by GEORGE SEATON

NEXT CHANGE BY SPECIAL REQUEST

"THE SOUL OF CHINA

PRESS PHOTOGRAPHS

They

Answered

the Call

Have You?

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the HONGKONG

WAR

MEMORIAL

FUND

Hon. Treasurora Lowo, Bingham & Matthews Mercantile Bank Bldg.

Copics of photographs taken by the South China Morning Post and Hong Kong Telograph

Staff Photographors are on view

in the

Morning Post Building.

ORDERS BOOKED.