The Washington times., 1922-10-26
FOREIGN FILMS
NEGATIVE IN
VALUE I
Screen Author, Altar Tour OF
European sudios. Says
American Producers Need
Have No Fear Of Strong
Competition From Abroad.
BY HAROLD PHILLIPS.

roIIN EMERSON, q screen au-
thor Of parts and husband Of
- Anita Loos. has finished a tour
Of motionpicture studios in
France. England. Germany and
Austria Hungary. His findings
should reassure and encourage
American film producers. %
Foreign films haven't the re-
hottest qualification TO compete
with American-made films" says
Mr.. Emerson in effect.
The Pola Negri pictures. made In
Germany, especially Passion" and
deception" had qualities SO s,i-
perior to the average foreign film
that producers here were alarmed
over q prospective invasion Of
pictures above ordinary Ameri-
can standards.
BE at ease" says Mr.. Emerson.
"The Europeans are making al.
most no progress at all In the mat
ter OF photoplay writing. and ac-
tiyities In foreign studios the past
year have knocked the pins from
under the assumption that foreign
competition couldn't be met"
He continues: pictures In Eurpoe
today are quite generally made In
this wise: Somebody gets together
money enough to make one picture.
He then engages a director and
turns him loose. The director then
either conceives himself. or buys
fro5p some f6urth.rate author. an
idea which would be the last in
the world ID tnterest an American
audience. AMI the irony OF II IL
that an Of them are aiming directly
at America, the greatest or all film
markets. We, saw one company
making, amid whole artificial cities.
q famous story OF sex perversion.
ofywhich not n single frame could
possibly have been shown in an
American theater: and that picture
had taken two years Of time and
$4,000 In German; money, which
is equivalent to q half million dollar
production 4n this country. They
simply cannot understand our
tastes. any more than we can
understand theirs;s and. although
they have many brilliant noyelists
and playwrights, they win not offer
sufficient financial inducements to
bring them into the movies"
To continue-"Tte director, as a
rule, writes no scenario. In this
country we have come to see that
the scenario, the adaptation, ID
,.~<.xa y>Ixy kIxe xxxraf - ~ 81 n ola
factor In the making of a picture.
low from eix weeks to three months
for the writing of 1t. The foreign
director jots down a few ideas on
his cuff and then films the picture
just as we used to do twelve or
fifteen years ago with the one-reel
'westerns.ss, !, ..- ttl \
t"Casting is usually done Under
the spoils system. 1t Is the direc.
tors perquisite to cast his wife
or sweetheart for the leading role.
whether she be old or young. lean
or fat. Now. physical perfection
IL rare on the continent from a
screen standpoint. And when
added to this dearth Of material
you are casting only friends OF the
director ana producer, the result Is
horrific.
Then. too, the business invent.
ed for characterization is quite be-
yond American comprehension. In
one large production, just finished,
the main love scene is played in n
moving. convincing manner amid
colossal and effective settings.
until q slap-stick comedian dressed
In exaggerated suit with checks
three inches square saunters in
and, for no reason at all, drinks
beer out Of his hat, directly be-
hind the leading man and woman"
In another picture, Emerson
says several comedy touches were
striven for by thrustihg red-hot
irons into q cageful of monkeys.
In another, the leading figure
ennbalmed his executed enemies
and, every night before retiring,
sla mad their un1mmfffed faces.