Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-11-24
'Cxs Daily Movie Magazine
THE MOVIE FANS
LETTERBOX
nv HENRY NJ. NNELY

Movie news Of interest, culled from
,sr,ous sources, can be summarized
Nus: .
amin today. Connie will attend the
Srst showing of her EAST IL West
:, n New York theatre on Sunday.
Eric von Stroheim, bless his dear
A.ort. has signed contract to direct
and oct for the GoIdwyn Company.
rhc same organization has signed up
irnc Mathis, who wrote the scenario
=. "rhc Four Horsemen' and who
~, So. directly responsible for the en-.
socin. of Kodolph Valentino for that
~ Warren Kcrrigan will return to
,be screen in n picture called 1.-The
Cnyercd Wagon" with Lois Wilson
ss the leading lady. .,,
" barbara Bedford and Al Roscoe were
warricd recently in California and are
now in the East.
Ccri, Dc Mile comes I, the defense
AZ tho "closc-up' in an exceedingly
sle,r article he has written. Here's
sL,t hc saws about this much dis.
susscd phnsc Of the movies:
II could make any story in the world
IN twelve days If ! stayed twenty feet
away from my players.
"rbot statement. ! think. epitomizcs
the change that has taken place In d.
,ecting practice during the last decade,
. decade that has led us from a crude
relation of incidents to a period where
We are now putting throug on the
screen something early techniclans be-
iievcd impossible. ,.
"It's the close. up that has length.
encd the time necessary TO make pic.
tures and made them better.
"Nnc years ago I directed In seven
DAYS picture that had only seventy.
nine scenes. Today l am making
Adams Rib Il story by Jennie MDr,
nhcrson. which will have some 900
script scenes. And my recent pictures
,such as 'Manslaughter, Saturday
Wight and Fools Paradise have all
run int" this length.
"Why?
"Bccuusc modern pictures grip
through the power of their psychology.
thc close and intimate interplay OF hu.
man emotions. And only the human
face can get over these subtlctics. In
the old days We would have shot a
struggle scene in long shot. showing
perhaps two men fighting on the hOor
with n woman mt one side. In the
long shot we could not get a sugges.
ton Of the emotions being experienced.
Tho physical action, yes. but the soul
action. the reaction of the mentnlities
concerned. the surging of love, hate.
fear up from the heart and into the
expressive muscles of the face. the light
q; the eyes. that. indeed is something
sou can only get by II flash to close
up or II closeup.
"tnd, of course. at twenty frct nway !;
from the camera you cannot get those
fine s'ndin.H and distinction of light !
ing that makes the modern picture dit. |
fer from tho ancient as n Rembrandt !
painting stands ;bOvc the lithograph on |
Signhoard.
Scenes twenty fcct away from the
camera can be taken quickly. They are
lar""'y action: they are the least Of Il
diro"tnr'H Il worries.
But the striving for the CLINT Of an
eye tha. may register JOY. sorrow or
hate. the rchoarsing and rchearsing to
get just the proper rise or fall Of an
eyebrow. the exact relation of the mus
cular movement to the emotion ex-
pressed, that's something that carries a
picture from two to eight, ten, twelve
weeks.
"Drccting has changed. And it Is Il
change that has changed the motion
picture from mere panoramic device
to 4 "r"nt moral and ethical influence.
perhaps the greatest in the world.
pictures take longer to make, but
the avcrng" is growing steadily better
rs more directors learn to bring their
cameras closer than twenty feet. learn
that the enduring things Of the motion
picture must be filmed in manner
that will lead direct tn the hearts Of
those who see them on the screen"
Ginger writes: "Would you be kind
enough to tell US what this talk Is of
Hodolrh Valentines returning to Flu.
rope, and of some Frcnchman or other
taking his place?
"Now, please be serious, and don't
give me any silly answer, such as this
information appeared in this column
three days ago. because I haven't any
old papers and l am asking you so az
to find Que and not for any sentimental
reasons"
li'ought to be taken out and shot
At sunrise. This information appeared
In this column
1, AL right; I'll summarize briefly,
!!hongh the papers and fan magazines
nave told 1t Il dozen times:
Valentino refuses to continue contrnct
Gl'h Famous l.nsky. Sues to be freed.
court upholds contract. Valentino