Rock Island Argus., 1920-01-03

THE PEACE TREATY AND THE MOVIES

which brought them billions Of dol
lars. England alone, says ons
movie authority, ''has been known
to pay 500, 900 for one of our big
pictures. Thirty theusand dollars
is common price, The continent
is good for $50, 900 per picture. The
total income Of one concern Tor
one year during the war. when the
European trade was only half alive,
was nearly three million dollars." "
So, you see, the American movie
industry was unprepared when the
war suddenly ended and the foreign
exchange began to interfere with
business. The exchange situation
makes American fllm cost the
European something like twice the
money it used to. The price IL pro-
hibitive. Although the foreign pub
lie is as mad for NamuSement as
ever, and new picture houses a:e
springing up all over Europe, the
,, American product is now practic-
ally barred, in some cases by gov
ernment embargoes Germany and
Italy have both placed strict en-
bargoes on the importation OF
American film.
! Meantime, the European moving
picture manufacturers are making
haste to take advantage Of this con-
! dition, working hard to recover the
business they lost during the war.
Today, England, for the first time,
is not only supplying its own do
m:nions with film, but is shipping
films to this country. British pro-
ducers are importing American
stars and American directors to
! work in England studios, in some
cases featuring an American lead
ing woman with British leading
man and vice versa. London
which lost its hold upon the expor-
tation of film to the British posses
sions during the war, is now rapidly
regaining 1t.
No wonder the American produc.
ers are sore at the senate. The Sit
uation in the movie world, is, ia
deed, critical. How do you sup
pose," one movie producer demand
ed the other day, as he nervous!>
chewed a prodigious cigar, 1--WE
are going to continue to buy $2s,-
900 stories for our business; pay oul
artists and directors tremendous
salaries. and advertise their pic.
lures at an enormous cost withou'
our European velvet? 1t can't bt
done, unless-snd here is what il
going to happen-the production
+, costs are passed on to the ex
/, hibitor.
Either we will have to lowe,
the standard of the pictures We ar
; producing, which will hurt the ex
hibitor through a decreased patron
age at his theatre, or we win has
to charge higher rentals for on
films. The higher rentals. in turr
viii. of course be passed on to tn
: public in the form Of a higher ad
: mission price"
;, In considering this problem fac
> ing the movie industry, the pre-
: ducers contend, It. must be borne |
| mind that pictures are dtherer
y from other export commodities. Tn
: closing of the foreign market doe
: / not tend to glut the market on thi
side. as might occur in .he case {
. foodstuffs or other manufacture
-, goods, thus reducing the pric
" There will be no more picture
= here than there were before, b.
q cause the manufacturers will mer'
10 ly cease making extra prints. B'
% the cost Of pictures, whether t!
European market takes them {
!. not, remains the same. The on
" alternative, therefore, will be to r
:. duca the cost or to charge mo
5 for the product.
nj It is encouraging to note, hoy
st ever, that the producers are n
placidly accepting present cond
r tiors without a valiant struggl
l. Some of them have moved the
at entire equipment, Including furr
ID ture as we'll as players and came
E. men to Europe, where they C;
m stage the whole production In fo
II. eign money and thereby escape t
Mt embarrassment OF exchange dlt
ed culties. Others are attempting
G. make an arrangement whereby t
ty foreign exhibitors shall pay I
a American films in merchandise
at stead OF money. Still others a
ed extending long-term credits un
or the rate of exchange comes hat
ly But all are united In working
e. what they believe will be the sol
ton of all their tragic difficulties
C. the ratification Of the peace trea