The World of Motion Pictures

Southland Times, Issue 21179, 4 September 1930, Page 15

The World of Motion Pictures

M-G-M’s highly popular White and Myers dog comedies are soon to be released in New Zealand; These films can be readily issued in any language, and in Paris they are featured at the top of the various cinema programmes. The M-G-M studios have a regular department devoted to the making of these amusing two-reelers, with special scenery built to measure, and a whole series of dressing-rooms ranging from the special ones for star performers down to the large group quarters for extras. Each dog has a special stool Io sit on when not at work. The wardrobe department is most elaborate, and each costume must be renovated after each performance, since no dog wilt wear his neighbour s vestments. A supervisor is constantly present during shooting hours to see that no force is used to make the dogs go. through their tasks. These four-footed troupers are now busy barking through a new version of M-G-al s “The Broadway Melody," with all the tunes that Charles King and Anita Page sang transposed to suit, the context. Needless to say it will be known as "The Dogway Melody.”

Youth, acting ability, exceptional good looks, and a splendid voice— a combination sought by every motion picture producer since the introduction of sound —is claimed for Edwin Barlett, who has just been signed to a Fox Film contract by \ icePresident and General Manager Winfield Sheehan. Mr Barlett is an attractive young American type, a twenty-six. years old Princeton Graduate, who trained for the Opera both in America and abroad. His acting experience has been limited to school and college theatricals, but he is said, to have a charm and ease of manner which, Mr Sheehan predicts, will quickly make him one of the foremost stars of the Movietone screen. His camera and Movietone tests have given satisfactory results. At Princeton Mr Barlett was a member of the Triangle Club and Glee Club. Following graduation he went to Italy to study music and remained there for three years. He made his first public appearances in Grand Opera during 1929. singing at Gorizia, Rome, Milan and Turin. His first appearance before Roman society was several months ago when he sang at a reception given by Mrs George Wurts in honour of Princess' Mafalda, daughter of the King of Italy.

An interesting meeting look place last month when some of the members of the cast of “The Birth of a Nation.” the old D. W. Griffith film, came together at the Breakfast Club in Hollywood. The absentees included Lillian Gish, who is abroad, and Wallace Reid and George Siegman, who are dead. At the meeting were Mae Marsh, who has resigned from film work; Mary Alden (the mulatto girl), now a concert singer; Donald Crisp (General Grant), now a Pathe director; Spottiswood Aiken (Colonel Cameron), now in Pasadena; Joseph Henaberry (Abraham Lincoln), now an independent producer; Henry Walthall (the Little Colonel), who is still in pictures; Walter Long (Gits, the coloured soldier), now with RKO; Ralph Lewis (the elder Stoneman), now with Paramount; Marion Cooper (Flora Stoneman), still in pictures, and Elmer Clifton (young Stoneman), now a director for a Hollywood film company. “The Birth of a Nation” is being revised at the Metropolitan Studio by Triangle Film Corporation. It is being synchronized with music and sound effects. A special prologue and epilogue have been prepared and will be included in the new presentation. The original picture was begun sixteen years ago and still is being shown in many parts of the United States.

The Daily Chronicle (London) airs a grievance, or a series of grievances, during its comment on the new film censorship: “If Mr Hays has viewed the moral tone of some past American pictures through dark glasses, he makes up for it all by his vigilance as far as British films are concerned. He pounces with a burst of puritanical indignation on the slightest suggestion of the not-quite-proper. Did he not signify his grave displeasure at White Cargo, which he effectively banned even in face of opposition from the American Press, which is generally far from friendly to British pictures? Now another British film has been banned—this time by the board of censors of two States—New York and Pennsylvania. The picture is High Treason, and it was banned because it was insidious British propaganda. But the two censorship boards responsible for this stupid ban have not escaped uncriticised. They have drawn upon themselves the wrath of one of their own kind, the National Board of Review, who, in a strong protest, state High Treason is a picture against which no possible objection could be brought, and censoring it denies to the screen the right to speak on war and peace. According to one authority the ban may have been partially due to militarist influences who objected to the pacifist leanings of the plot. It is significant, however, that no objections were raised to the violent pacifism of the Ameri-can-made “What Price Glory.” Certainly, if British picture production ever becomes successful, it will not be the fault of the Americans.