Evening star., 1928-10-07
FLASHES

Wv not, there is no dounf
concerning the quality
of the newest product from the
HOLLYWOOD studios. There is, in
deed, a vast improvement in the
Fall motion picture styles; they
fit the ideas of the theatergoer
and they are fashioned in man
ner to start off the Winter sea-
son with a rush. Washington has
already seen a number of the best
pictures, and others are scheduled
for early showing at the local the
aterS.
If the great rush and disturb
ance over sound pictures has had
no greater result than improving
the general quality, the expense
of getting them before the public
is certainly justified. 1t does not
matter in the least whether the
noisy" has come to stay or
whether it is only a passing fad,
for it has had the effect of rous-
ing the producers from a lethargy
which threatened the motion pic
ture industry.
It is not often that city has
the opportunity of seeing such
pictures as Wings" "The Singing
Fool" "Fazil' and THE Patriot"
all in a single week. But, accord
ing to the bookings of the various
motion picture palaces, there will
be other weeks of the same sort
ahead for the lovers of really good
pictures.
x X X X
EMH JANNINGS reaches the
IL pinnacle of his motion picture
work in THE Patriot" He is one
of the very few foreign artists
who have arrived on our shores
after building up a reputation for
fine work abroad, and then pro-
ceeded to hold up this very repu-
tation-and, indeed, climb higher
I'D the ladder of motion picture
fame. Of course, a great deal OF
the Jannings triumph comes
through his being cast in suitable
stories, and also through the ex-
pert direction which has been ac-
corded him. The star was unable
to speak English when he landed
in New York: the direction of his
work was, therefore, a gigantic
problem for the director and his
assistants.
Other foreign stars have not
succeeded 81 -'N'l in this country.
mainly becp hey were rushed
into picture and given poor
stories. TIL oSt glaring ex-
ample of this the case of Poia
Negri, who h~s gone back to her
home land. With such direction
nS given JanEi-7gs, and with good
stories. she Id be one of the
leading St the motion pic
ture Wor. :. There is no
doubt al ability, her will
ingneSs t n the ideas of the
American producers; she was
simply victim of American rush
in production, without thought of
the present or future.
X x K
THIS writer is of the opinion
L. that the sound news reel Is
not what it should be. For the
first few. weeks it was novelty.
Whether one derived any special
thrill from seeing a picture of
pigs and hearing them grunt-
well, the thing was new, and, OF
course, had its attraction. Now,
with the novelty wearing off,
there seems to be something very
artificial and useless about the
greater number of sound news
reels. That is, many of the sub
jects exhibited would be more at
tractive if the sound were elimi-
mated. Foot ball practice, with its
attendant shouts, does not add to
the reality of the thing; a forest
or oil we'll fire, with a Kissing
noise to represent the blaze, cer-
tainly adds nothing to the general
scheme. And, in many of the
different "sllots." one is given the
impression that the noise is
studio ingredient, fixed up to con-
form with the picture by the new
artists of the sound laboratories.
"A few news pictures may be i'm
proved by the sound attachments,
but not many of them are made
more attractive to the theatergoer
bv gruntS. squealS and Kisses.
While it may be clasSed as the
forerunner in sound. the news
reel and it's noise could easily go
back to the old dayS-the old days
Of a wear or more ago-and pre-
rcnt dignified news views without
,-Nice.