Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1921-07-08
MENTAL PROCESSES
MAY SOON BE
SHOWN ON SCREEN
BY PAUL BERN
Director Of Goldwyn Pictures


THERE has been much discussion
i recently as to the advisability Of
following novels and plays implicitly
when making screen versions. The
principal opponents Of the idea of fol-
lowing the original closely base their
arguments on the fact that pages Of
thought. of psychological characteriza-
tion mean nothing on the screen, where
thought might be translated into action.
The idea here Is that the thought of the
individual must express itself in love
or hate. in movement with relation to
the other characters of the picture, in
action or reaction.
This is perfectly true at present. But
il is my belief that the next great i'm.
provement in pictures will be the visual
translation of thought or the screen.
At present il We wish to show a
mans love for n woman. 1t is done
predominantly in three Ways
First. Through physical action. She
is in trouble and at risk of life and
limb, he rescues her.
Second. Through the machinery com.
monty associated with the expression OF
love; through embraces, kisses.
Third. Through pantomime, the
physical expressions of his face and
eyes, dreaminess, gentleness, kindness.
ALL of these are the true vehicles
n through which men, from time i'm
memorial. have shown their love Tor
women. But greater than all these is
the love thought which really is the
basis for the visual expression.
Spcctacle has physical limitations.
Thought and imagination ere illimit-
able. The probability Is that Wagner,
who would have been a genius at any
of the arts, turned to music because
through it he could give illimitable ex-
preston to a powerful imagination.
The big development in pictures
then. to my mind, is the field of ex-
PRESSING thought. To some degree this
Is beinS done already. / saw n picture
a day or two ago, showing a man be-
coming angry. The director cut in
strip of film showing molten lava,
colored red. We knew Immediately that
this man was seeing red
TN MY opinion Booth Harrington il
i reaching out for this same thing by
| his use Oh piNluiSS 'h"'
dissolve in and show what relation GER
tain people have to other people in the
picture.
Take. for example, Mr.. Tarkington's
Edgar stories. Edgar, in his mind. see:
his father doing certain things in 9
way to conform to his (Edgar's,
opinion of him, although the audience
sees the father from an unbiased view
point and knows that Edgar's impres
sion is quite false. Or Mr.. Harrington
will use a number of 'dissolves" t.
show how man expects his Owl
career to be developed. This i
psychology, pure and simple.
In conversation with DR.. S. p
Goodhart, one of New York's mos
famous alenists and specialists il
mental diseases, on this very subject
we discussed the fact that when though
reaches a stage where it is cntirel
uninhibitcd and freed Of any check, /
takes visual form-namely, in dreams
The dream, as pointed out by Freud
Is series of pictures, fantastic
Kaleidoscope, mysterious, with grea
emphasis on the essentials and rathe
frightening to our cOnSciences. DIR
Goodhart thought that if the screen ca
ever portray a dream as it really oc
ours mot, as we do today, simply con