Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-01-05
'Che Daily Movie Magazine
HER EUROPEAN TRIP
REMOVES FEAR
OF FOREIGN FILMS

TvHE oft-repeatcd cry of German
= Invasion" so frequently heard in
aim circles following the tremendous
reception given to Passion. "Dccep-
don" and other pictures made IN
Germany" is sQuelchcd most effectively
BY Beulah Livingstone in an article In
February Filmplay entitled. Trailing
the Movies Through Europe" Miss
Livingstone, who has just rcturncG
from an exhaustive investigation oi
In the interests of Norma and Con.
stance Talmsdge. says In part
"Sbortly before crossing the perma
nenu marcel waves of the Atlantic
Ocean went TO sec Passion Doctor
Caligari,' Deception and Gypsy
Blood and with the possible eHcep.
ton of Deception these much talked
about. highly auded German pictures
seemed to me so superior to the average
film that ] joined forces with the cN
cited alarmiSts who talked loudly about
the invasion Of foreign films being a
menace of gigantic proportions 10 our
home industry.
"It was all right, We said. 10 talk
about healthy competition, but If i
war-ridden, frightfully Impoverished
country could turn out pictures like
these at one sixth the cost of our own
productions. before long there wouldu t
be any competition The foreigners,
cinematographicaIly speaking. would
simply hold the movie situation in the
palms of their hands.
ftTN THIS state of mind, went
i abroad expecting 70 sec wonder.
fully artistic and technically perfect
productions, but after ton weeks
jaunt through England. France. SWitz-
erland and Italy. from which | nave
hut recently returned. all the fuss about
the dangers OF the foreign competition
seems to me. now, hardly more than
joke.
''I soon found that these few splendid
German pictures Rrc IN no sense typl-
cal OF the average foreign production.
On the contrary. they are the few great
exceptions. and one might a. we'll judge
all Italian pictures by that real master
piece. 'Cablria. or all the French pic
tures by the interesting j Accuse, as
10 think that all German pictures are
On par with Passion or The Golcm.
ffTF WE had never shown any pic
Il lures abroad except Intolerance,
Way Down East. The Miracle Man.
Broken Blossoms and The Three
Musketeers.' our overseas cousins
would think that oil our photoplays
reached this same high standard. We
have Judged Germany by the cream Of
hsr entire output. She may excel in
big spectacular productions, but her
lesser or program pictures are so vastly
inferior to our everyday average cine
mas that they would be hooted of the
screen IL an exhibitor we're stupid
enough TO try showing them in the
States.
''The heroines of these average Ger
nan pictures are fat, ponderous and
dowdy. They wear cotton stockings
and their gowns would be scoffed at BY
Elsie Fergson's maid. They sauntcr
into obviously painted drawing rooms
where the sets fairly reek of cheap,
second hand furniture. The stories
are often disgustingly vulgar or lurid
and tawdry The clean, domestic
dramas, the healthy boy and girl love
stories which are so dear to the Ameri-
cans, are considered sentimental pifiie
by our Germans and French cousins.
Their point of view on matters Of sex
u entirely different.