KINEMATOGRAPHY.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 406, 15 January 1909, Page 8

KINEMATOGRAPHY.

THE CALL OF THE WILD. WHAT THE OPERATORS GO THROUCH. A HUGE BUSINESS. . _ Not even those, who make a weekly practice of attending a kinematograph show can imagine what an enormous and fascinating industry has been created by the invention of the-kinematograph, andthoughit is develop'ingin giant 'strides no one can foretell what' uses, it may bo put to 'intho future. It is i heartily .'enjoyable to visit's theatre and scd flashed upon the screen the gems' of' scenery in all parts of the' world, the strangepeople of stranger countries engaged in in- ■ 'dustries the results of which we'may sometimes find in. the corner grocer's shop,'and' the modes of 'life, national' customs, dances, ceremonials, etc., of nations kin and foreign to ourselves; but one seldom' thinks of the , great enterprise, thought, and labour that He.behind the attractive animations at the': ,' end of .'the' hall., Some; idea of 'what if' all. means was obtained yesterday from M. Leo- ; Sutto, .the manager of an expedition' titted'.out by. Pathe Freres, of Paris, pro- . ducers of:■ the highest-class kinematogjaph films in the world, which was, commissioned , to exploit the more remote, islands of the; South Seas. The expedition is only one of ; , many, sent out:'to; every part ; of the world, at enormous cost,.the whole of which is con-, trolled by the Expedition Department, .which in turn., is only a section of the, enormous, business of Pathe Freres, whose' sign bird, the rooster rampant,.crows with the. setting sun every hour of the twenty-four, all .the civi-; hsed world over. Some'idea of the amazing • capacity, of this big-business will be gathered, from'the fact.that the: firm employs 3500 : people, it-has large estates and parks in the : ; north and south of France, and three theatres, in Paris, where the story and,play : pictures'- . are' enaqted under the .all-seeing eye of the, . kinematograph camera. - .■-.- .": '■ . A New Departure. ', f .';. , M. Sutto, who. at"present is making ■ the round trip from Sydney to Melbourne for the ; sake, of his health, says that his firm-last t . year contracted with the Comedie Francais—' the-national theatre of France—to-have soma' of its performances kinematographed," and' to.-may before long.have the,great pleasure: ■ of seeing Bernhardt Coquelin. and; the, brilV j 'liant coterie of artiste of the finest company 1 m the world give, performances of the great- > estof classical ■and.-modem plays. -We aro !• sure to see thesg pictures later, as M. Sutto :■ states that Mr. T. J. ;AVest has paid : the.sum' [ ;pf £2000 for the, sok right of , exhibiting t rthem.'m Australasia.-. This,' again, is 'only a. i section, .of the work; undertaken.. .If there is ;. ;a_ meeting .of Kings. somewhero on the other i ,side;.of the, world, , a./big-^navaLreview-,-:a*, i railway smash, a great'horse race or athletic" , event,, representatives of Pathe Freres are on f tlie ■ spot, whirring ; round , the* little - ; wheel,"at , ' the 'camera,- that makes the inci-' .dent;. episode;:or 'function the co'minon pro-: .; 'perty.;of ,the world.'-. 1 •'.-.. -.'•.:'■■ , ; ■:-'.■■ . ' -.. ■ ■';.- •■' In tjTJQ Soibnions. f ' '■■■% s : .'.' ;': ; ;'' ; ,,< : :.^:'\''. ..;..M: Sutto came to.Australia ; with" a 'definite' l <■■ .idea.;-Armed' with" credentials /and a letter'of ■ •credit for £8000, and supported by'a couple •' : of expert operators, he was to visit , the less* V known'of the South Sea Isliindsiorthe enter-' ' tjimmeufc; and; education of'the masses'over' ; ;tho soas.. He succeeded beyond his -highest l ; iexpeotations.. -His- first' objective 'was ''the' ; > ■Splpmon./.Grbtip.-vin- some parts of' which civilisation; as-.we .understand it- is" yet iiri-"-dreamt, of, and a price is 'placed upon tho ;■ head/of a white man;; The. party'proceeded■j from-'Sydney.vto; Tulaga (where two housest and-the'-same .number of officials, represent - British:.Government),:and- there -fitted- ' 'out;an expedition consisting.of ! -three or'four t -whites, off the'rubber j and : three boats,, and.proceeded '.on the Guad--J -alcanar and into, the anterior ; (by river):'forj- somo; distance,' until it became unsafe'to'proi ceed- any,., further. : ■ There the ■ Solomon - ,- Islander was located in all, "his primitivot glory,: his dress (if-any) being an..apron; andi f " '■ a stick/thrust through that: part -of the nose v '.that; divides.the nostrils.';•'■; Proceeding- -.up- -- ,'-*A9 '.jfre'r^as,?n{itself a,hazardous,business,! ■ for beautiful' as: was the :scenety .and-igor- ), geously exotic, the vegetation,-, there' was -- a : y '.continual menace in.the air.' It was, fbr-in--t -stance,' admitted.'by the white men resident! - on ;the island, that it-would not be safe'.to woceed far -into the .forest,' as •.-.', the',. bush• tribes wero very, treacherous,:,and.therewere the germs of'-. malaria" everywhere > rising;' ' through ;the steamy ; .atmosphere., Now andt again .they, would', have to wade up-to the middle in - tho. rivor Vfco pull', the :boat: over, .■.rapids, and;then sit in their"wet clothes in , ! tho broiling:sun. ."..- ■'. - ■.-, .; • ■ .. [ /-•Despite all. drawbacks,' M. '.. Sutto -state's , :that, the,results were worth' all they had to 3 endure. .-They secured the ,, "'native , - at his , 1 wildest,, at his dances,.his food>-in costume 3 land , , out -of it,, armed with-the weapons :of ■ :-• ivar and with the implements-of'peaeo-(very- / vt'ewof these), andengaged-jri fishing and the'. ' ; few native pursuits necessary for the support j.. 'ofiife.''.':.■'■;'. '..'. ;,■:.:.:,.:.: ,--:/■• ,". .; • y: -"Wh'en he,returned.-to:Tulaga,. : -he.arranged;- -■ 'a "fakoV attack.;on a'-white-, man's . camp.'- ' -The liatives creep on ,the'-hut, fire it, and> though; the : imnates make.-a,gallant defence, ■ they are all.speared to -death: in'the' course of a , demoniacal• scene.' • M. : .Sutto' was assured ■ bythenativos that .the method , adopted was 1 . just .they do. perform suclv , deeds ; ini a , ;reality. It made his flesh/creep: to hear it/ >■• ;and all through he ; kept any islanders: in/ '' his/vicinity in.front of him. It, was good 1 8 -advice, never to ,let a Solomon Islander get ■ behind you. '■.:■.-. ; ' , / •-•'.■■ • ■•■ .: a .'■'. ■,-.' ■.';....' ".■,■■.-.■■ -. ..- ~. : 'i. ■ .-,-•:, : '.■.-.: ■' 1 Jsck London as an Actor.: . '-.'. - ,i ' "I- was'fortunato vto be'.'at ■ the Solomons -.. when -Mr.- Jack - London, the' novelist,. was' 1 " said M.; Sutto. ; ' "He 'had' a' terrible' . timo at, Malaita,. where his -boat was:thi'own- ":, up_on.tho reef.; While in-that^perilous-po-' > sition the,natives swarmed, down. to - : the' Z beach from the .'mountains'"eager..to, get: something -.out of "the , wreck. 'London 'and' j' his: wife; armed with loaded revolvers; and ■ never, dreaming-but -that''their end- ■ hadr come, managed; to hold out until relieved by; >; the arrival of a.trader's'yesEol; Mr.; London ' and' his-wife .proved charming; sjm'panions,' *and-'.when< we acted, our littlo- tragedy at' Tulaga,. ,he. was - one of; tho actors ■ who ''de- ,: fended the 'hut and: gallantly fell,-',mortally. ; wounded by a poisoned'spear. Ifrho: hadn't I been -a. great book-writer,;, he would have made a 'fine actor." r '■:.,-.: ... ;• -: ~- ; The Commonwealth. Government were alive' - ;to.the.presence.of a Patho .representative in '■'■ Australia, ;l and .after making full ■inquiries "'■ resolved to spend. £2200 with Pathe: Freress; for'a series of, views. -■"Wβ: haverearned'.'a :- good name for our pictures by studying their e composition. Anyone can,go. out with' a 1 camera aud."take,a moving is ": nothing in that. Wo study our. subject from 't every standpoint—light/weather, atmosphere, s; background, detail, and exercise' the. , . tion that comes with experience as to when '•, to.stop and when to begin again./JAn, .in-.-j p; dustrial film, for instance, has; to be caroO; fully;, thought'.out beforehand,' so,, as the y t .photograph _ will show exactly ' and. clearly n' What is desired to be shown. 'Our training d teaches, us , :,to consider all the finer points ! * the finished picture—that makes « theTathe predominant. Some films that the- '.'; public might .imagine were taken in -a few ■o minutes might take a fortnight to com-' w plete/'-'as tho process of. film-joining 'and « manufacture at pur works;in Parisjis a very ;' delicato one." -. .;. ' ■ s-' ' ''■'■■ '■-'■ ' '- : - '.:• -■ ".' •■" .' ■ y : ,"■ ■ '■" >-. To the Ends of the Earth. n , "Bui, it is not so much our good work ■ ' which has_ made Pathe our sysv tem of distributing films, which has helped to make: the firm bigger than.: all '.others in 'the world put, togother. A , man may take ;! a picture , and exhibit it here and elsewhere ', in Now Zealand—then l what becomes of. it? With.us.it is different. Wo turn, out 500,- ■ 000 feet of film a week, and the show.firms ' ■ in all the leading-cities of the world engage under an; agreement •to take. and exhibit that programme. Then when they are done s, . with them, the films aro passed on to the in next: larger cities, then to the towns, until io they _are being shown-in the villages, and ll " that is going on in every country in ■ the lcl world." ''' ■.-'''■ .-''-. . : ' ?j M;. Sutto intends to send'his'operators, , 'Messieurs.'Horault- and -Theyer,.-to Now Zealg -landto got three or fotir films of Maori life, 3r and if inducement is offered may take a few it- pictures :on behalf of tho Government,-as are doing in, Australia, ,