Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-07-21
BY JOAN LITTLEFIELD.

DA JOAIN IA = AASE
(@tan Correspondent Of The Star and the
North American Newspaper Alliance)
LONDON, July 20.-One Of the new
est though by no means largest film
studios in England Is that belonging
to British Institutional Films at We'll
wyn Garden City, nine miles northeast
Of Elstree.
Welwyn is new, pleasant community
Of red bungalows and graSs-bordered
roads It has its own theater, its own
shops and its own factories. 1t is de-
cidedly a place with a future, and 1t
is likely that before long 1t will become
a miniature Hollywood. The air Is
good, the atmosphere as clear as one
cen expect in England, and the sur
r5unding country pretty. undulating
bud well wooded.
Exitish Institutional Films is prob
ably the most Enthusiastically Eng
lish of all the producing companies IN
this country. It was created by Bruce
Wolfe in 1919, and its first picture
was "Jutland," made entirely from
models.
For a time Mr.. Wolfe concentrated
on war pictures, and "YpreS, "Arma-
geddon," Mons and The Battles Of
Coronel and Falkland Islands" were all
made by his company. British In
structional Films is also celebrated for
its series Of short pictures, now exceed
ing 100, and called Secrets OF Ma
ture." They deal with plant, animal
and microscopic life.
Recent Successes.
It Is only recently the company has
begun story films: The first was An,
thony Asquith's Shooting Stars" and
among its recent successes are Under
ground" "Shiraz" an all-Indian film
telling the story of Tai Mahal; Boil
bar" and THE Lost Patrol"
Mr.. Wolfe. big. genial man with
CRAVING hair and keen, dark eyes, took
me to Welwyn to see his studio. He Is
justly proud of the organization he has
built and of the fact that every mem
Der Of its directorate and staff and
every penny of its capital is British.
"Our policy is to produce pictures
British In spirit and as far as possible
in direction, cast and technique" he
said. I'VE have no use for screen con-
ventions. Our intention is to evolve a
technique as Enthusiastically British as
that of the pictures from Hollywood or
New Babelburg is American or Ger
man."
Mr.. Wolfe, like every other film
magnate in Wardour street, Is ex-
tremely interested In the future OF the
talkies. Personally he does not like
them. He believes they are detrimental
to the art of the cinema and that their
popularity will be short lived.
At present his company is not think
ing of making talkies, but 1t has ar
ranged to have sound synchronization
for all the pictures it is making now.
This Is essential" said Mr.. Wolfe,
"for no silent pictures are being booked.
Nevertheless, our policy is to 60 slow
and await developments"
Shown Over Studio.
At Welwyn I was handed over to q
young university man. who showed me
over the studio. British Institutional
Films is essentially q company in which
youth predominates. It is stated largely
by young men of varsity type, whose
enthusiasm and ideas should assure
an extremely interesting future for the
organization.
The production manager is Paul Ma
deux, a young Swiss educated in Eng
land, who had five yeats experience m
the Fairbanks studio at Hollywood.
The most famous of the directors is
Anthony Asquith, SON of Lady oxford
and the most talked Of and most bril-
liant young man in British films.
Mr.. Asquith Is hard worker and
pays minute attention to detail He
goes about the studio in an old tweed
suit, and is popular with every one.
His latest film is "A Cottage on Dart
moor" and for this he has had most
elaborate hairdreSSer's shop built in the
studio. The cottage is there, too, and
the escape of the convict should prove
one of the most thrilling incidents in
this film. The stars are Norah Barring,
young English actress who scored a
success in Underground; Uno Hen
ming, Swedish star, and Hans Schlettow,
German actor, who is paying his first
visit to England. Mr.. Schlettow is tall,
dark, handsome and muscular, and has
fallen deperately in love with England.
THE, British Museum, found 1t so
marvellous I wanted to stay there
week." he said. And your National
Gallery, what wonderful place. and
the tombs of the kings in Westminster
Abbey! We have nothing like them IN
Berlin!"
Defends L0wbrows.
At one time it was thought Mr.. As
quith would attempt to inf1ict high
brow ideas on the film industry, but re-
Gently he has been vigorously defending
the 1owbrows.
He compares the cinema with the
EIZabethan theater, when every au-
thor, whether a genius or nonentity,
was writing for the same audience"
and he says that in this respect the
Cucuid 10 IAc oi1y Jul fA'1AA6 PoPoAoA
art
Another important member of the
star is Frank Wells, talented son of
H. q. Wells, who has gained consider
able position as an art director. Mr..
Wells Is fair, with blue eyes. He wears
his hair rather long and, of course, af-
fects the tweeds and pullover that seem
de rigueur at Welwyn.
The studio is a steel frame building
of Al 600 SQUARE feet The floor space
is ZOO feet long by 100 feet wide and
80 feet high. The general layout Is de-
signed to localize the departments. On
the right of the main hall are all the
ofices of the administrative depart
ment, on the left the process rooms,
the projection theater and the still
rooms, all intercommunicating but en-
tirely separated from any other part
OF the building, and giving adequate
admission to the studio floor.
A feature Of the studio is the three
mess rooms, in which 200 or 800 peo-
pie can be accommodated.
Sunk in the floor at the east end
ia. tank 40 feet long, 80 feet wide
and feet deep which can be filled
with water Back Of this Is a large
roller shutter door capable of giving
a clear view outside This is so feet
wide and 80 feet high.
Air Conditioning Important.
Air conditioning is an important fea-
taire in studio construction in this
country and the main studio at Welwyn,
which has q capacity of 100000 cubic
feet, is provided with q large heating
and ventilating plant of two complete
units, each consisting of filter, washer,
heating battery and motor-driven ian.
special attention Is given the filtration