AUDIENCE REACTIONS.

Auckland Star, Volume LX, Issue 272, 16 November 1929, Page 5 (Supplement)

AUDIENCE REACTIONS.

THE "TALKING" VOGUE. WHAT OF THE FUTURE ? PRICE OF ADMISSION. : (By a Hollywood Observer.) If there is a flaw in modern audience reactions it lies in the apathy of sound enthusiasts. Not only do these followers of _ the latest movie invention maintain a dignified silence when their entertainment is attacked, "but they often couple the declaration of their adherence to sound films with a spirited denouncement of recording as released at present. On the other hand, silent picture fans who are neither deaf —and therefore cut off from talkie enjoyment —nor too far along in years to move with the times and assimilate the changes—are loudly 1 demanding better audible dialogue and sound effects. There will be of necessity a return to 6 ilent films for the audience which will not attend the talkies. But this doesn t mean the defeat of audible film manufacture. Musical comedy never did away with a demand for grand opera, nor has the publication of magazines killed off the supply of novels. k America will be thoroughly divided in its taste for celluloid entertainment. The majority will, I think, prefer talkies. The younger group, not sensitive to noise as are the more matured audiences, will not be harassed by the lack of quiet imposed by sound films. A Matter of Course. These accept talkies as a matter of course and-a part of progress—accept them unquestioningly with their faults and their virtues. The silent adherents are of sufficient number to earn consideration. Wellmade films without sound tracks will 'be turned out for their benefit. Such farseeing producers as Winfield Sheehan, most progressive leader in the industry, has ordered a silent version to be made of all the Fox studio output. It remains for a silent theatre to be established in each city—or even more than one, according to the size of the locale —to make' everyone happy. In Hollywood we have one theatre equipped with earphones for the hard of hearing. There will be two rows of these seats, which may -be reserved

in advance. It is Interesting to note that out of hundreds'of letters received by me on this subject the deaf have been in the minority. _ Judging by the quality, of the letters they come in the main from intelligent and in a large majority from obviously cultured people. Their objections carry several points that are repeated innumerable times. They complain of bad recording—of loud, raucous noises having no resemblance to human voices. - • Badly Written Dialogue. Dialogue is badly written, they assert. Quite often this is true. While a great portion of the best dramatists in the country have been brought to Hollywood, they have not always had their own way in framing the dialogue for the pictures to which they have , been assigned. Movie lords have not turned over to them complete handling of the sound script. There is a marked disillusionment on the part of fans when they hear the voices of beauties whom they have endowed, in their imagination, with dulcet tones and exquisite inflections. After all most of these ladies come from the rank and file of life. Fate doesn't always bestow beauty where it gives intelligence or wealth. Some of these girls .will never acquire a pleasing infection—the other thing is too deeply rooted. Instances have been quoted of famous players and the hideousness of their voices. It would be unkind to print these judgments; what one person believes to be charming is flouted by another.

Much of tie unconvincing quality of dialogue is due to the prevalent trick of promoting title writers to dialogue experts. These "writers, trained in a vastly different medium, take a group of three or four people and drop title? from their mouths. The result is flat and dispiriting. Dialogue should lie in conflict —it is a matter of more than mere words. "Canned" prologues and the tendency of talkies to eliminate all human tcucli from the stage of the movie theatre is another bitterly mentioned item. If part of the entertainment is to be "canned," why point out its artificiality ■by preceding it with a good orchestra ■ You can clearly see the psychology of this.