GIGANTIC UNDERTAKING

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXX, Issue 21462, 8 April 1933, Page 11 (Supplement)

GIGANTIC UNDERTAKING

FILMING OF " CAVALCADE " TRIUMPH OF RECONSTRUCTION No film event in London has ever been more eagerly anticipated than the presentation of Cavalcade," remarks a writer in the Daily Express. As a stage play, " Cavalcade " was an instantaneous success iat the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. It ran as a serial in the Daily Mail. As a talking picture, it has been acclaimed in New York as the greatest drama the film world has ever seen.

Winfield Sheehan bought the film rights of " Cavalcade " for £.30,000 when nobody else in Holywood believed in it. When Winfield Sheehan spent six months in. preparation for a film tc cost £300,000 Holywood renamed "Cavalcade." They called it "Sheelian's Folly." In looking at these production schedules, one's most outstanding impression is admiration for the man who inspired its making. During the six months spent in preparation for the actual, photography <of " Cavalcade " the "props" collected included 50 guns and caissons, 'SO hansom cabs, 200 motor-cars of various ages, 1000 horses, 8000 rifles, 25,000 costumes, four troop trains, an ocean liner, Hyde Park, Trafalgar Square, Victoria Station, St. Paul's Church-yard, the Caledonian Market, fifteen assorted London streets and the docks at Southampton.

Six acres of land at Movietone City were occupied by the " Cavalcade " sets. They cost £20,000 to build. Most of them were built so solidly that they are retained as permanent structures. There are 40 featured players in " Cavalcade," and 150 speaking parts. The technical staff numbered 200. Altogether more than 15,000 people were engaged at one time or another on the making of this film. Trafalgar Square was built in complete detail as it appeared on Armistice Day, the eye of the camera looking from the north-east corner by St. Martin's Church, across to the Admiralty Arch. The only piece of trick photography in this set is the Nelson Column. The base was built in exact replica, but the column itself and the statue of Nelson were added by trick photography.

Hard by Trafalgar Square in Movietone City is St. Paul's Churchyard, seen in the film as the background of a typical New Year celebration. For this set a number of London street lamps were specially imported. Victoria Station, with English trains steaming in and out, was reproduced in complete detail. A typical West End square was built complete, with central garden, iron railings, with English flowers and trees, with houses on three sides and with an English cab-rank. These things were easy compared with the reconstruction of Southampton Docks. For this set it was necessary to have a real dock, with a real ocean liner lying alongside. Therefore the Wilmington Dock at Los Angeles was hired. The dock buildings were completely costumed in English brick. Charabancs were used to transport 2500 players to and from the location. This location is the setting for men of the C.I.V. leaving for South Africa. One small item needed for this scene was 2000 moustaches, because there are no moustaches in Hollywood. Thousands of photographs of London taken in the years between 1900 and the present day, were used to secure accuracy of detail. Every conceivable sort of article was sent from London to Movietone City. Perhaps the most extraordinary consignment was the entire interior furnishings of an East End public-house of twenty-five years ago.

The " pub " owned by the butler, Bridges, in the film is not any specific London public-house. The exterior is a composite of a number of such houses as they existed 25 years ago, but the interior fittings aro the real Mackay down to the pewter tankards and the dummy bottles used to fill up odd corners. This set is true to its original in everything but spirit. It is a 'remarkable circumstance that, even regarding outstanding events, memory is treacherous. Whon details were sought in Movietone City, of Bleriot's flight across the English Channel the 19 mon who remembered it clearly gave 19 completely different accounts. The matter was finally settled by a cable to the Daily Mail asking for copies of the reports which appeared at the time. In all, wo shall see, or hear 15,000 civilians, 10,000 soldiers, 5000 singers, 1000 musicians and 500 dancers.