FUNNY BRITISH LIFE IN U.S.A. FILMS.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLVII, Issue 15223, 22 May 1920, Page 8

FUNNY BRITISH LIFE IN U.S.A. FILMS.

NEW YORK, April 3.— Faced apparently by ft dearth of good plots 'from -other sources,, motion-picture producers are turning more and more 4o the works of modern, novelists for their new productions {writes our special correspondent). * • . v ■:. It "may De ' accident ' or design , but ' an increasing number of these film plays have the;r scenes laid m England, or else contain cine or more English characters; Adapted -by v Americans, played and .directed by > Americans/ aoid ire?, .quently photogfttphed m America, altfaough the scene is : supposed to be iv England, the results, are 1 often ,so j funny that .the. appearance of these films on English •screens would eertaijnly> create tho finest opportunity for .-. the ■ Britiaii film- that the latter will ever have had. j - The other day -I- saw what was supposed to be: an English family at breakfast. The meal :was • served m 'a Californiian sun porch and the family was soen eating grape fruit./ The clotnes of the men stamped them oeyond-a shadow of doubt a& Americans, and the last straw was -the departure of "father" for ther stiatipnT— in an unmistakably Ameridah' mbtoi'-oaT. i „ --..■.*, But these are mere details compared with' the blunders, seen -m films which attempt to portray -life 1 m the British upper classes. JReoehtly 'one of the ■leading. -<jompanieß 'produced* on vßroadwtty a weli-khown play^ by a famous English dramatist • One of the leading men, whom we willi call Lord' Fitzßa'ttleaxe,' was seen arriving at a dinn«r party-' at' his fiancee's house atessedrin what looked like a black velvet dinner jacket, worn with. a white waistcoat. >. His iair b^dly ■*, needed 'the attentions of tjio..-barbei", and fell m untidy . ringlets on. his coat collar. Some of the diners wore double collars and madcap ties! ••-- - v .-•-•'. .' : ■•*."»■•■.*' ;j ••. On the following morning Lord' EitzBati;leaxe, called, pn Liidy Ermyntrude and. kissed her .Kipturb'usfy iiiihe presence of. the 'butler. , 'The couple then raatie themselves > comfortable ,ph a lounge, 1 girl'a head resting .contentedly on her no/blo, lover's shoulder. . The butler re-entered With a tray coh.Wining b'ottlea, 1 glasses,' fane} «t 'cocktail mixer. - Without changing her . position Lady Ermyntrude gave the butler some instructions, whereupon the funckiona% mixed two .drinks, her ladyship taking one.. The tinte, one gathered, w.as.abo.ut H.o'clbGk. m -the. morning. ,, .... .■ t • Whenever, by the, way, the American actor or producer impersonates an aristocrat, all ■h© conceives ia'.-, to adopt an -air of boredom, to wear a jnohdele, aiid tcurse the Servants; ' And this i© a point worth noting that, so far as the * kineiria is s concerned, Americans are absolutely ignorant of English life ;. if '.they. have. 'any. lone idea it is, ..'.unfortunately,- a', very, distorted Ahe. •> One wonders, very much why some British, wproducing^company cannot film a good play, showing ■: something of our English' country life, and acted by real jErtglish people < < who know ■ • something about the people they are impersonating. There must' be any /number of ex-officers 'and-girU- r of good- family who; are on the look-out for a remunerative profession, out of. whose jianks.a really good com\pany: of- filnx' players could be ; formed with distinct 'advantage' to the British producer's ppeket. as well as to our prestige abroad.-^DailyMail. [ : : '■ ■■ ...•'.:■.. t .,-.- ~, '■; -|