THE TALKIES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20366, 21 September 1929, Page 1 (Supplement)

THE TALKIES.

OPINIONS OF SANDY.

BV KOTAEK.

Sandy has been unusually stirred by the coming of tho talkies. Ho seems to havo been accumulating information all ovor America and in Great Britain. I had long considered him a man who had early spent most of tho advocate element in him, and who had for so many years cultivated tho judicial faculty that it was almost impossible for him to take sides. 1 think that ho began as an, instinctive defender of lost causes. He found that in most matters there was nearly as much to be said for as against, and at last ho deliberately refused to condemn on any evidence available. If he has any slogan it is that to know all is to pardon all.

And since 1 havo known hiiu ho has only onco or twice spoken with any vohomenco, cither in praise or in condemnation. In fact, I have used liiui, I am sorry to say, to find out what could be urged against any position, that 1 had taken up strongly. 1 was anxious to learn what bis general impressions were of the new world with which ho had been associating during tho last two years, but ho was cagor to unload what ho bad gathered on tho latest form of public entertainment, and as usual I sat back and listened.

" I spoilt some time in Hollywood, and met, too, somo of tho leading critics in New York and in London. It seems the general opiuion that tho change-over has been made too rapidly. You see, when ouo big producer decided to go in for tho talkies, all tho rest were afraid of being left in the lurch. There was something of a stampodo into tho now paddock. Everyono was so eager not to bo behind his rivals that tho old territory was abandoned and tho new occupied boforo it was ascertained whether there was any suitable faro to offer the public, and whether the public was prepared to stand for the now conditions. The Change,

" In addition there was tliis very human sido of it: No man has power in his hands without being tempted to use it. Tho millions throughout tho world that have mado tho movies tho people's entertainment havo always been wholly dependent on tho small group of producers in Hollywood. What a satisfying revelation of the power in their hands if they could overnight make tho world accept a new form of entertainment. You cannot blame them. If you havo power you like to seo peoplo in tho hollow of your hand, to mako them feel who is master and accept your fiat. " But I found in America, after the first novelty had worn off and tho critical faculty was beginning to assert itself, the opinion was growing that tho possibilities of the new medium wcro extraordiuanly limited. What was going to happen noxt ? To begin with tho public was quite satisfied to accept tho renash of stage successes and tho ( recrudescence of primitivo melodrama and prottv-pretty stuff drenched with sentiment, "But tho new movement could not live as a super-advertisement for a certain type of gramophone record. " One New York man told mo that from tho plays in hand the world was doomed for a year at least to A course of secondrato musical comedy. Whether anything elso was possible no one could say vet. He had his doubts. Tho amazing technique of tho movies had to bo scrapped. They might develop tho talkies on their own lines to a similar stato of perfection and power of public appeal, but ho did not think so. Ho was frankly pessimistic. Anyway, time alono can show that. He thought that before long there would bo a great revival of tho theatre. The movies wcro a separate art. Tho silent pictures won through on their appeal to the evo alono. Tho legitimate stago was for both eye and ear. Each had its pUce and the rivalry that had been freely predicted actually did not appear. But tho talkies definitely challenge tho very existence of tho ordinary spoken drama. My New York friend thought that the talkies wcro bound to lose tho fight Comedy.

"I am not going to prophesy. As I said, tho talkies were submitted to a world which was accustomed to the technical perfection of tho older medium before their possibilities had been adequately explored and their effect on tho public properly considered. Hero is one matter that was much discussed both in London and in New York. Tho movies naturally doal extensively with the comic. I always thought their "development of this side of the stago was their greatest achievement. With no words spoken tho exuberant member of the crowd'could roar his head off with laughter when tho comedy got home; it did not affect the play on tlio screen and his follow spectators were not inconvenienced.

" A movio fan was a bit of a nuisance at an ordinary stago performance; his vociferous braying over .nil appreciated joke made the play inaudible for a minuto or two to tho peoplo around him. Imagine the trouble with a really humorous talkie. The screen action and tho tinned voices must, go straight on while the audience shrieks and simmers down. Tho speech will come through in shreds and patches. Either tho audience must bo commanded not to givo vocal expression to its mirth or plays must be selected that are not too funny. " That's a queer situation for you. Iho comedian must not bo as funnv as he can. lie must play for tho smile and the chuckle; but the loud laugh is taboo. The only way out seems 6ither to put all comedy on in tho old silent way or to educate the audience not to laugh. That is ono of tho reasons why the early plays are so weepful. Audiences make less noiso crying than they do when they aro enjoying themselves in more conventional ways.

Speech.

" Tlio effect of the speech of the actors on the speech of peoples that do not admire oither the American accent or the American voico is another matter. It is alleged that many teachers of Knglish Liavo been rushed to the Hollywood front. I ha'e ma doots. The American finds English cultured speech even more ciistnsteful than wo find the true Amorican twang. Ileaveu help the talkies in America if they corrupt the native American speech. Every patriot from Atlantic to Pacific and from the Canadian border to the Gulf of Mexico will be on the warpath. You can imagine what Big Bill Thompson will say about English propaganda. " If we are to have talkies, let us have English talkies; England led in picture production before the war. Hollywood and the American pre-eminence on the screen world were the diro result of our war difficulties. The talkies may give us our chanco to do a little patriotic discrimination on our own account, and holp to make good one of the losses we incurred during the war.

" If' the talkies succeed, as they very well may, they have struck a fatal blow at our musical standards. There are fow enough people now that acquire tho mastery of an instrument. With all outlet for tho musician's special talent closed in tho theatre, with tho gramophone closing another outlet, tho numbers learning music will certainly decreaso till only the few enthusiastic amateurs occupy tho field. This would bo disastrous. " Music is about the only art, left to us to save our souls from commercialism, and for the love of beauty. Drive that out, make us all listeners and none of us plaverb, and you will have gone far on the road to absolute Philistinism »n<J materialiMb''- "