Evening journal., 1921-03-22
ITALY LIKES
AMERICANFILMS
Get Many Thrills From
Heroes, Seen in Ameri-
can Movies
POOR PAY FOR
HOMELAND STARS
BY HENRY WOOD,

AChiN'b AAtoo ohaA 1oiItoptnutnl.l ,
ROME, CBy Mail l)-There are no
heroes in Italian fllm-land. Neither
does the ideal lover exist there.
The American girl movie-fan
whose one thrill in life is 10 see her
favorite film star on the screen
would die Of emotional inanition
in twenty-four hours in Italy.
What complicates the situation
is that the "ideal lover" in Italian
hlm-land "aint" In fact he's
everything TO the contrary. He is
always a chap who having won the
love OF heroine OF the film prompt
ly falls in love with No. 2 Tin the
event he wasn't already in love with
her before he married the heroine)
and such a lover as that would
never go down the throats Of fair
American film fans. On the other
hand any other kind wouldn't go
down the throats OF Italian lady film
worshippers.
Nevertheless, the "inematografo."
as it Is unabreviately known in
Italy has become one OF the biggest
of Italian modern industries. At
mospheric conditions which all but
rival those OF California for picture
taking. as we'll as an inexhaustable
field OF historic back grounds and
settings, have contributed much 20
the success OF the Italian industry
The three principal movie produc-
ing centers in Italy are Rome, Turin
and Milan, although both Naples
and Sicily have producing houses.
Rome alone boasts OF twenty pro-
ducing houses, the best known one
OF which are Cines, Cesar. Tiber,
Ouirines, Risnascimento, Lucio
d'Ambra. De-Re-Mi and Polidor.
They employ a total OF 1000 people.
inclding both artists. operators and
workmen. About fifty moving pic
ture houses are conTtantly open at
Rome.
As producing center Turin
comes next with fifteen producing
houses. They employ 5000 artists
and workmen, while Turin has also
forty movie houses Milan has ten
producing houses. There are also
fifty more houses at Milan for show
ing films italian films average
from two thousand to three thous-
anu lAlun anu AA0 AAaAAAAAAA NANAAN
Of the fifty odd houses Is from one
TO two films a day or about 500
films a year.
Despite the fact that Italians en-
Joy In the extreme degree humorous
films, only one house has succeeded
in making a speciality OF producing
these, and that is Polidor. His
comics run from 500 to 700 yards
He is his own proprietor. his own
director, his own play writer. and
together with his wife comes pretty
near being all the cast himself. His
real name is FREDERICK Guillaume
and in Italy he is what Charlie
Chaplin Is in America
Altogether FINLAND In Italy en-
ploys about 1000 people. including
500 actors and actresses. about 100
directors and mounters and an
equal number OF operators.
The average pay for the average
actors and actresses is forty francs
. a day, while the leading stars have
succeeded in attaining salaries that
according to Italian standards are
. fully as extraordinary as those Of
| the American top-notchers. The
F lesser stars draw from 1000 %
10000 lire a month. while Fran
cesca Bertini pulls down two million
francs a year.
For the time being the Italian
4 movie industry Is undergoing a hard
+ crisis, due TO various causes. and in
\ order TO eliminate rulnous compe-
& tltion the leading italian houses
have organized a trust known as
( the Unione Cinematografica-
American films are at all times
n the most sought after IN Italy The
II Triangle. Famous Players Corpora
Ition and Transatlantic productions
are the most popular but are now
meeting with a certain serious COM
i petition in the German films being
I put out by the ~. S. A."