Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-08-05

CiSport themselves upon the Pa
cific sands, the heroes" and hero
ineS"-many of them, at least
are spending q few months in the
Paris shops, and even the pres
agents are suffering from innocu-
Gus deSuetude. During dog days
the producing end of the movie
game slows up like a fiivver short
of gas, and there is nothing tC
look forward to but the first
frosty days of Autumn.
About the only item of interest
is the invention from the Eastman
studios. up at Rochester, N. Y.
by the use Of which the colored
movie may become practical. The
film manufacturing company
claims TO have solved the problem
of taking colored pictures, They
have a film which records objects
in their natural colorS. according
TO tests already made Hereto
fore, colored movies have been
made, in most instances, with a
brush. That is, the pictures have
been colored on film itself by skill
full workers. Now. with the latest
invention this will not be neces-
Sary.
What effect the invention may
have upon the photoplay is prob
lematical at this time. AS has
been mentioned before, the real
problem Of the colored movie is
the tangled masses of color. The
tableau, photographed as a still"
can be effective and altogether
beautiful, the participants dressed
IN gorgeous colorS. But when
these same players move about,
there is a claShing of colorS-a re-
suit which is not only inartiStic,
but painful to the eye of the be-
holder
So, the big problem Of the col
ored movies is not in the manu-
facture of a film which will show
the natural colorS, but in the di-
rection Of the picture itself. With
colored movies. the directors will
have to be artists. who understand
colorS-men and women who have
a knowledge Of the spectrum. And
the c0lored movie-aSide from the
few attempts that have already
been made-appears far in the
future.
IGNORING the weather, the
corner stone of the new Doug
Fairbanks picture. THE Iron
Mask" has been laid with appro-
pirate ceremony. The event took
place a few days ago in Holly
wood. Doug and his brother,
Robert, who is the stars general
manager, officiating. The first set
of the picture represents the
palace at St. German and sec
ton of the street, and it is said
TO be one of the most elaborate
ever attempted on a movie lot.
Lawrence Irving, a London
painter, and Maurice LeLoir, a
French authority on seventeenth
century art and architecture, are
assisting the technical staff of the
Fairbanks studio. The actual
shooting" of the picture is sched-
uled to start August Is.
The Fairbanks story may be
termed a sequel to The Three
MuSketeerS." The scenes are laid
in the reign Of Louis XIII, and, of
course, the leading character will
be D'Artagnan, played by Doug.
Others in the cast win be Mar-
guerite De La Motto, Dorothy
Revier, UIrich Haupt. William
BaSewell, Otto MatieSen, Stanley
Sanford, Rolfe Sedan, Lon Poff
and the original Athos, Leon Barry,
who came from Paris to take the
part.
THE new sound pictures promise
TO be very hard upon the
confirmed title reader" The
chap who loves to hear his own
voice TO such an extent that he
takes upon himself the duties of
a little master Of ceremonieS"
will be at a loss. He must pass
into the well known discard.
PUT the talking movies already
~ exhibited and heard in Wash
ington. one must confess. have
not been of such character that
they would form an interesting
topic for the letter 10 the home
folks. Il is true that THE Lion
and the Mouse" turns out to be a
personal triumph for Lionel
Barrymore, but what more is
there to say? Others in the cast,
with the probable exception OF
Alec Francis. certainly do not
show 70 advantage.
We are waiting, anxiouSly, for
the real triumph Of the talking
nlovie-not the triumph Of a
single actor, or even two Or three
Of the picture players.
With the musical scores, things
are altogether different Grand
and gorgeous music is scored fol-
the various new pictures, and this
reproduced by the music ma
chimes, is all that could be ex-
pected Of it.
And, as far as the news reels
90, there is a question as To
whether they are really benefited
by the noise attachments Ir
some instances, the noise may
help, in others, not so. You prob
ably have your own special opin.
ions regarding these matters.
There is no getting away from
the fact that the sound picture
must be more than a novelty. Il
must have more 10 recommend Il
IN order 20 make IL successful
Novelty wears off, as has beer
mentioned off and on through tn
ages, and the sound movie mus
have quality above the silen
drama in order that 1t may fint
a place in the palaces. "
THE big exhibitors are gradual,
taking over the Nations mo
ton picture houses. and tn
newest feature Is the purchase 0
the Poll chain Of 20 New England