Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-09-30

x
THE more a thoughtful observer
sees and endeavors to listen
to the talking movie, the more dis
posed he feels to believe that in
the search for something unique
a big industry went OFF hall
cooked, to use a trite cOllOqulallSm
There is no desire here to bellttle
devices that will doubtless come
in time to make the talking movie
less of a jar to the nerves OF the
overSensitive. The great progress
made in this respect augurS well
for fine results later on. But TAX
ing things as they are right now,
the best that can be said OF the
talkie is that it is bowling sue
cess. Youth, it must be confessed,
is very partial to lights, laughter,
rhythmic clamor and, above all,
Noise. But the folks who are mel
lowing with age and who, 1t is be-
lieved, are still in the majority, at
least so far as the paying patron
age goes, are very, very fond OF
quiet moments and OF the silent
motion picture, when at It's best.
Disregarding the terms III tech
nique and other fantastic eXpla-
nations to account for something
you like, the fact remains that the
silent picture had a charm that
has vanished from the noisy one
and that the latter has not offset
with it's noise. Already the pro-
ducers are beginning to realize
that while sound in motion pic
lures may have It's place, it does
not belong in all pictures. More
over. it is quite apparent this
early in the game that the more
sound you put into picture the
more humanity you take out Of it,
for even with dialogue voices be-
yond criticism and other sounds
absolutely unmistakable the pic
tured men and women seem less
what they should be to make a
perfect coordination in SubSti-
tute for human entertainment
provided by human beings them
selves instead of their pictured
forms. The silent picture fitted
across the screen, told its story,
effected its purpose as entertain
ment and was gone. The talkie
numbers along with unnatural
voices and even when the voice
sounds natural its quality Or it's
tempo registers palpablo nliSflt.
It may be that some day the
shadowy forms Of silent drama
may be imbued with speaking life
that approximateS what humanity
is accustomed to in conventional
conversation, but that day seems
far off now, and a lot of water will
flow under the bridge before that
day arrives. Meanwhile, the
unanimous jump of moViedom into
sound pictures is going to cost
somebody dearly.
X X X X
THE picture bill for the past
week presented a fine collec-
ton of motion picture endeavor
and yet, almost without exception.
individual criticism of pictures of
which the industry has boosted.
even when most favor? lie, always
had it's but" This. it is certain,
is not due to sound defects alone,
but to what appears to be a
greater or less degree of poor pic
ture production. Before the adj
vent of sound, pictures developed
impressive silent drama and beau
tiful and effective scenic effects.
In the straining after perfect
sound effects there has been let
up along other lines to a point
that, at times, seems gross indlf-
ference and neglect. If the pic
ture maker who has long Striven
to make a masterpiece of silent
photography, dramatic or other
wise, can infuSe into it sound that
is natural and that adds to its
realism, we'll and good. But woe
be unto the producer that sacri-
fees, for sound effect, the perfec-
ton of his motion pictures that
heretofore brought him wealth
and rank in the production field.
Sound with poorer pictures will
not successfully displace what has
preceded it. The science, art, in
dustry and general intelligence
that heretofore united in the
creation of the motion picture at
tanned great heights in the result,
which the experiment with sound
should never be permitted to
jeopardize. Above all else let us
have picture perfection-and
sound afterWard, if sound can be
harnesSed to fit the perfect pic
ture; otherwise it were far better
to give up sound entirely, save
only in musical accompaniment.
X y x x
A ND while Sound seems upper
most as the theme of this
column, it should not be forgotten
that there are other dangers
hidden in its working than that
of spelling good photoplays. II
was not long after the Jump Of
the picture industry into sounc
that it dawned upon the jumper!
that, with the injection of SOUND
into silent drama, the human
voice might be an element to b.
reckoned with. At once the Scin.
tillating stars of the screen were
subjected to sound tests and thu
discovery was made that there
was something amisS with nan1
voices. One Of the creates
charms of the stage that has beer
called Legitimate" has been thu
culture of the speaking voice On
needs only to think for momen
or two to recall the gorgeous voice
of the theater of old. But tn
movie producer found he hadn'
SO many of those gorgeous voice
in his stock of stars, and at ono