Evening star., 1928-05-06
FLASHES

the limit. The Withdrawal
OF American photoplayS from tn
French cinema theaterS will leav,
the French producers in the fielC
as victorS Of a commercial battle
but 1t will not afford consistent
high-grade products for tht
amusement of the picture loving
public of the French republic.
The writer has Just returned
from a trip through France, Bel.
gium and Holland. where he was
in touch with present film cond.-
tionS, The European studios are
not producing nearly enough films
to supply the trade and demand
OF the theaterS: their products
With a few exceptions, are not OF
the class produced by the Holly
wood directors: the pictures will
not have the appeal Hollywood
has established itself as the mo-
tion picture center of the world
European competition cannot
show such high grade work. nor
can 1t follow the progress of the
California studios.
The withdrawal of American
films from the French theaterS
will leave void which cannot be
filed in MANY years TO come.
American film favorites have also
become favoriteS with the French
movieeoerS, as is especially the
case with Charlie Chaplin. known
as Chariot" The latter'S pic
tureS are always in great demand
by the cinema magnateS. for 2
Chaplin Aim means a long run
and crowded houses.
NHnE France and England
w have practically banned
Dawn" the Edith Cavell pic
ture, it has been allowed free play
in Belgium. where for months II
has been drawing enormous
crowds. The picture has been
denounced in both Germany and
England. while France feels that
il should not be screened on ac-
count of the feeling it may stir
up in the minds of the people.
Dawn" is attracting most at
tention in Brussels and Antwerp,
where throngS gather about TIE
theaterS early in the morning and
await the opening Of the doocs.
The fronts of the theaters are lib
orally plaStered with stills" frou
the photoplay. so the customers
spend their waiting hours in criti-
cally examining the photographs.
The Aim itself details the trial
and shooting Of Nurse Edith
Cavell. one of the incidents of the
first months Of the World War.
IN Toulon, Southern France. the
1 posters announce the showing
OF Chariot Chaplin's Newest
Picture, The Kid and when the
writer passed by there was iiGe
OF several hundred people waiting
for the afternoon show to begin
On another street in the same
French town Charles truly new
est effort, The Circus" was draw
ing large crowds. All titles of the
American pictures being exhibited
In France have been changed TO
the language of the country. In
many of the Belgian theaters the
titles are thrown on the screen IN
Flemish and Dutch-and the Eng
lish customers have to figure them
out the best they can.
JOHN GALSWORTHY. the Eng
J ISh novelist, writing in the
London Daily News and West
minister Gazette, states that he is
much concerned about the in
creaSing number of war films,
many Of which are the outpour-
tngS from Hollywood.
When the war was ended"
says GalSworthy, "and for some
time afterward, no adults wanted
TO hear Of war again, because
they knew what it was-from be-
ginning to end hideons and
bloody nightmare: thing neither
glorious nor sporting; one long
confusion Of suspense, hardship.
sacrifice and horror When il
ended, relief was such that strong
men wept And now we have war
films supported by the govern
ments that were at war. / have
not seen any Of these films. but
report says that they are staged
and censored so as not TO shock
the susceptibilities of the public.
Reproduction Of one -milliontf1
part OF the horror and misery
which every day of the war
brought would be enough 10 in
sure the utter failure Of any Of
these films. They are, therefore.
In no sense educational. for they
cannot tell anything even remote
ly like the truth. Indeed, 10 tell
the truth about war in a film
would be quite impossible.
What, in short, Is the exact
object Of official aid 10 war films
at q time when statesmen, ac-
cording TO their repeated assur-
anceg, are doing their best 10 re-
pair the ravageG Of war and TO
make war unlikely in the future?"
It would seem, in looking at
the war picture from a plain
matter -of-fact viewpoint. that
Mr. Galsworthy has gone very
deeply into a subject in search
for a solution when this same
solution LIS plainly visible TO the
naked eye. The war picture, al
the present time-i0 years after
the guns Of battle-is q profitable
venture The first two or three
of them. manufactured in this
country. brought big box Office
returns for the producers and ex-
hiDitors. Thus was created q
vogue for the war picture. They
were not produced through spe-
clsl Government action, out
simply with the aid Of the Gov
ernment's land and sea forces