The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-06-04
FILM FAVOR|TESOF
 AMERICA ]EERED
Declared to Be Too Fat to
 Suit England
OBJECT TO LONG HAIR
Business Men, However, Are Strong for American Product-War on American Productions Started by
 London Evening Newspaper

London, May S-(Special.)-Fo many weeks there has been under way in Lon don a vigorous battle against American films. It has been conducted principally bv the Evening News, one of Lord North cliffe's papers, which has made all sorts of allegations against the product of the American cinema studios. 'Rubbishy films which portray life and manners ana customs unintelligible to our people. That is one of the criticisms Of American picture plays. It is argued that British people want British films, that the enor- nous influx of American films takes money out of the country when It IS so very much needed here, ruins home m dustry is bad for the intellectual We'll being of the race. and that altogether the government should prohibit the im- portation of the American product. The Evening News has obtained some follow ing. One or two men of distinction have resorted to the time-honored custom of writing letters to the papers about American films They are called vulgar, and it is pointed out that 'twould be far better to have purely British productions presented to the British people than to have picture plays showing cowboys, In dians sherffs posses, gun and toma- hawks '
 BUSINESS MEN OBJECT
 The picture trade however, the men who make the films, those who sell them and those who exhibit them, is against any such prohibition and their reasons talS good that it does not seem possible that the government will be moved to take any action against the American output. It has been shown by the Evening News that films to the value of $lO,o0o,ooO are each year imported into this country rom America. Consequently that much money goes to the United States, and, says the Evening News, that money should be kept at home. What is entirely ignored is the fact that a very large percentage of the total is made up of payments Tor raw products. The importatlons cover the raw stock film, the best in the world of which comes from America British importers may, for instance, buy nega- tive of one picture play. That comes to England and here it is reproduced. Pos sibly 10 or 15 copies will be made Of It for use here and in other parts Of the world British industry, therefore, profits
 But it is the proprietors of theatres who
 
 placed upon the importation of American films. They need them in their business. The Evening News may not approve or Ame.ican films, but it appears that the peor1e of the country do, and they freely and gladly pay their money to see them. It iH agreed by the experts that if the Am>rsran supply were cut off it would mean ruination to the vast majority of the 5000 moving picture houses in the United Kingdom. The British producers simply could not produce the pictures to keep them going. If importations were prohibited the houses would simply have to use up all the old stock on hand and then, as the public wearied of repetitions, close up shop.
 It is estimated that 30 per cent of the pictures now shown in England come from America. This includes the topical budgets which are mostly composed, of course, of war pictures which couldn't be had from the United States in any circumstances. That fact makes the pre- dominance of Americn films all the more striking. The American preponderance is largely due to the character and excel fence of the films which are produced but another consideration is that since the outbreak of the war the French have practically ceased producing, while the Germans naturally now have no market here at all
 
 Even Charlie Chaplin is called vulgar over here, and there are a few intrepid critics who say that he isn't funny. He manages, however, to fill the theatres and his pictures have a large sale. His popularity is made more palatable, how ever, by the fact that he is an English man.
 The American comics go well on this side but they are subjected to far more rigid censorship than in America. The Censors here are very strict and the re- suit generally is that the movie shows one sees are almost invariable clean and refreshing.
 In certain things there is vast differ ence between the demands of the Ameri- can and the British public. Take one of Pineros plays, for instance usually about high society life in England. An English audience would not stand for the play being performed by an American com pany American actors simply couldn' t depict the life of society" as the Eng fish know it. I talked with an expert about the difference and was amazed to learn that the ordinary hero of an Amer 1can nlm drama is over here considered too fat The Englishman's hero must be slender, clean-cut, wiry chap, appa- rently, and American actors are declared too fat to meet the ideal Neither do the English go in for the long hair which appears so popular amongst Amer lcan stars The hair here is cut short The American girl star, however, is well liked on this side and such stars as Mary Pickford are most popular.
 DON'T KNOW THE GAME
 It is declared that the trouble over here is that the producers are not up to much They do not know the game as do the Americans and the result has been the recent importa tion of several American producers. With their assistance it is be- lived that the nrnduction of R1.itis fiI,,,S