HOPES FADING

Evening Post, Volume CX, Issue 134, 4 December 1930, Page 27

HOPES FADING

mO YEA&S OP TALKIES

INHERE THEY FAILED

'JSmenoga. Voices have boomed so noisSy. at iss jrom.the screen that it is surprising in looking back over two years jof talkies, to .see that even at the- start the siitl small -Foicis of British films ysras making itself heard. British talkios opened two nights before Al Jolson's '''The Jazz Singer" was shown on 2Sth Ssptember, 1928, and this time last year the British "Blackmail" was still the beat talkie that had been made. is now a good successor and ynff lead the way in.multi-lingual production, writes/'B;H." in the "Manchester Guardian." Nevertheless, despite all that lias been said, there have been some very good American films shown during the last ye^r. ; The. average, seems, indeed, to have, been higher, for the need for novelty has caused, promoters to open out in new,'directions, and many stars have revealed increased scope as talking actors. Thus, "The Virginian" took the microphone outdoors and made the human voice take its place with the sounds of. Nature in- building up a sound picture equivalent to tho visual images Itvh'icb compose a film. Sound gave new interest to the Which were an excellent field in which to experiment with mobile microphones, and "The Virginian," along with "The Love Parade," must be remembered for restoring speed and action to iilms. ''Hallelujah," continning this, used a new subject in tho »egro race, and "All Quiet on the Western Front'.?-capped all war films and talkies anct":surprised the world. jC) -TRAGEDY. I'hesseiJJstftwft films diived to touch tragedy; and-it is to be noticed that we hays been'; allowed, with the increased reality.lof j'sourid, the reality of stories that .jjbiiftt always end happily. "Condenitted,# i:"Journey's End," "Atlantic,'" and "The Blue Angel" may be quoted, and it may be doubted if we should have had these in tho silent days. "All Quiet" surpassed "Tho Virginian" arid "The liove Parade" in evolving a form for the talkie, a now tech- . nique of short scenes which the literary writer cannot grasp, and a recognition that dialogue is not all-important. This was also Carried on in "The King of Jazz," which is the nearest approach to a real screen revnc, and Alfred Hitchcock's "Murder," technically the most advanced we have seen, though two foreign films, Pabst's "West Front" and Clair's "Sous les Toites do Paris," «re:\re]}uted ,to be at least its equals in souii'd''manipulation and better as ifilms.. ~ -Byithe/eiid oftbis year most of the 4>sg stars have beon heard and speech £tas mad* H'«ss«si§ Ide&d, Buster Keatoii,

Jannings, Marlene Dietrich, Greta Garbo, and Gary Cooper more interesting than before. Entertainment: vaiaes, in short, have improved, but the talkies have not taken advantage of .what may be called their aesthetic opportunities, and it seems that they havo done little better commercially. ' . " ... • AMEEICANS TIEED. The Awieriean public, fed on Ainorican pictures, is losing interest, American firms are cutting down expenditure, and this great new medium which was to sweep tho world has "not-fulfilled its hopes. In England all may seem well, but England is a Email part of the world market, and there are still thousands of cinemas unwired. / American films which could once draw on all the world for their xe-tm-ns, are now limited to one or two countries, and though foreign versions' are made-, this»adds to expense. Other countries are also making their own films. We have seen already the German "Love Waltz" and "The Blue Angel," one of the very best talkies. We have had a Swedish sound film and a French talkie, and German and French studios are going ahead. In London six of the leading' cinemas are showing • British talkies, which few could have foreseen two years ago, and though Maurice Chevalier may have replaced Al Jolson, and be, in his own words, ".sitting on top of tho world," it perhaps expresses tho American view of what was to be the world entertainment that the new cinema at Victoria is designed as being under water. If America cannot make the talkies pay, it is doubtful if she will let anyone else, and colour, wide screen, and stereoscopy will have to bo called in to bridge the time between now and television.