Evening star., 1927-11-13
Trade Reports Of Government Re-
veal Romance of Invasion of Foreign
Lands by Most Influential Peace-Time
Enterprise-Other Nations Are Taking
Steps Intended to Meet Problem of Pro-
tectine Their Own Producers.

ton. with Nate D. Golden as assistant.
and there is, furthermore. a special
representative of the department,
George r. Canty, who, under the
title of trade commissioner, Is making
important Investigations of the Euro
pean markets.
The motion picture section is very
much alive and kicking. 1t aims to
serve the industry in every legitimate
way in maintaining and developing
the exhibition Of our films in foreign
markets. To this end information In
the shape of reports and trade notes
Is received from the 81 foreign offices
in the department in the chief cap
itals and commercial centers Of the
world and also from the some 400
consular offices of the Department OF
State stationed abroad. These reports
are distributed throughout the trade
through the appropriate associations
and through the motion picture trade
press.
GERMANY and Great Britain, which
~ have come pretty much to the
fore in motion picture production
since the war. are trying valiantly to
solve the problem of how to make
film entertaining. Far be it for any
American. naturally somewhat biased.
to say whether or not they are suc-
ceeding. However. let us turn to
Germany and see what kind OF fllms
the people seem to like, or, rather,
what kind of pictures are being pro-
duced AS for the features, in gen.
eral they are highly impressionist1c,
or at least fantastic, and to Ameri-
cans tend to become rather monoto-
nous, for they have little or no COM
edy relief. Nor are the short pictures
often fraught with capers which we
would regard as side-splitting. Most
Of the shorts seem to be highly cul'
tured in nature, for the Germans are
strong for educating the masses re-
Sarding matters dear to the native
heath
They are exceedingly original, to say
the least, and achieve startling TWISTS
and remarkable camera shots. One re-
cent fantastic production, picturiza-
ton of the insect world, was replete
with niGhtmarish constructions. The
scenes presented are said to be or
such an unusual character and so
cleverly photographed that the spec
tator Is lost in amazement at the ap-
parently uncanny enactment. For
Z; fully half this feature the entire ac-
, ton takes place in a city of ants ana
grasshoppers, these insects being the
only actors. They are shown eating
and drinking. and even dancing and
| working"
With a measure of success heralded
in their own country, at least, the
Germans have ventured upon the deli
cate ground of psychoanalysis. Wit
ness Secrets of the Soul" a sensa-
tional drama based on Prof. Freud's
theories. 1t depicts in striking fashion
| the irregular, fantastic and strangely
distorted pictures that pass through
the mind of a sleeping patient.
Regarding unique orchestral accom-
| panimentS, the Germans, like the
| Americans, are masters of the art
One such device accelerates strikinely
! the suspense Of a film situation-the
swinging pendulum of clock Is i'm.
posed on two tense figures facing
! each other.
Turning a cinema eye to England
we find that their products are model
! ed on very much the same lines as
our own, dues no doubts to the fact