Evening star., 1927-11-17

1t is rather an unpleasant coinci.
dence that on the same day. in the
same city, but at different dinners, two
very distinguished Ambassadors should
find it necessary to utter public re-
Dukes of American ignorance regard
ing their nationals and their respective
countries as manifested in motion pic
lures made in America"
In New York last Tuesday Ambassa-
dor Claudel of France, speaking at
dinner given in his honor by the AS.
sociation of Foreign Press Correspond
ents, told of his recent visit to Holly
wood, where he saw certain pictures
in the making. He commented as fol-
lows:
Il saw or 7 was told that in those
pictures colonial wars of France, Afrl-
can wars Of France, are quite the
fashion, and generally French soldiers
and French officers are represented IN
a way which Is not at all fiattering. l.
know that it takes much time 10
change a type which has caught once
the eye and the fancy of the public.
Il know also that the movie drama
cannot do without villains, and as 1t
is difficult to find villains among ones
own countrymen it seems better to
choose them among people of other
l.
and, / have here as witnesses people
who have seen French soldiers and
officers under every latitude, that they
are not what the film producers judge
proper to show to the American pub
lie and to the public of all nations in
the world, since there is no nation
where American films are not seen
and enjoyed. The French soldiers and
officers are exactly the same In lndo-
China and Africa as they were at the
Marne and in Verdun.''
In further protest, Ambassador
Claudel added:
some people seem in America to
entertain the foolish idea that French-
men have a natural taste for war. that
they positively cherish war-makins,
that they are always ready TO MAKE
war Just for the fun of the thing.
II Is inst the same as if you said that
South Americans were fond of yellow
fever and japanese of earthquakes.
No people in the world suffered more
from war than France in the last CEN
tury. and nobody but a mailman can
imagine that a nation which has just
emerged from the horrors or the last
conflict ia not decided-and, IL may
say, frantically decided-to do every.
thing in its power to avert new
catastrophe.
Even while the French Ambassador
was uttering his we'll merited protest.
the Ambassador from Brazil was
speaking at another New York dinner
where the Bankers Club was organiZ'
ing a BraZilian-American Association
and dining the Ambassador IN ceie'
bration Of the anniversary or the CON
stitution of the republic Oh bfaZii'
adopted November Is, 1889.
Ambassador $. Gurgel do Amarai'
after praising the great civlliZatioii
and commercial development or the
United States, and referring TO the
organization Of the BraZilian-Amerlcan
Association. said:
"To augment the friendship and
good will Of our republics, to stimulate
the interchange OF ideas and to am
plify commercial expansion, the
Brazilian American Association has
been formed. The organization of this
association foreshadows an era of in
ternational cooperation"
Then he spoke of the need of In.
tellieent cooperation even in the mo-
ton pictures, citing a film which has
recently been shown depicting Brazil
as IL Spanish country, and It's beau
tiful city of Rio de JanerO represented
as dismal sordid. squalid village.
with inhabitants having no other oc'
cupation than playing and dancing
tango at all hours. day or night, while
our Portuguese language seems to be
entirely unknown in BRAZIL
The Amba ssador stated that he had
written his protest Ito a gentleman OF
high attainments in mind and heart,
who is always striving to hold the
moving picture films in the heights OF
| perfection, beauty and decorum." and
| he had received letter of thanks.
In the Amba ssador's letter, he said:
Perhaps ~ producing company.