Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-01-27


M David Wark Griffith comes
" out with a statement that
within 80 years the silent
photoplay will be an antique. The
silent picture is as dead as door
nail" says the man who directed
1.-THE Birth of a Nation" land the
talking picture has caused 1t. II
the motion picture is to live, II
must depend upon dialogue. II
we cannot find the right way to
use dialogue in motion pictures
then motion pictures as enter
tainment must die.
Right now many of my friends,
conservative people not connected
with the industry, tell me they do
not like the few talking pictures
they have seen. When they tell
me this. I ask them if they have
seen a good silent picture recently.
They invariably answer that they
have not. The present condition
means this to me: The talking
picture has ruined the silent pic
ture for the patron 1t offers so
much more than the silent picture
that the patron can no longer be
satisfied with the silent picture.
We have not yet found the true
medium for dialogue, and this is
the reason why the patron is not
satisfied with the present talking
picture. Some people say the
dialogue is too slow. They are
right. The pictures already made
are entirely too slow. Imitation
of stage technique Will Kill the
talking picture if it is continued.
A new medium for dialogue must
be found. I believe I know how
to do it, and in another year I
believe I will be able to demon
strate it. We must continue to
use motion picture technique, the
technique which has made motion
pictures what they are today. and
add the dialogue. The talking
picture can only succeed, I believe,
when the dialogue picture IS
essentially a silent picture with
the addition of dialogue. When
this is accomplished successfully,
you will see the greatest entertain
ment the world has ever witnessed.
I'VE must preserve all the
speed, action, swirl, life and tempo
of the motion picture of today.
When dialogue is added to this,
we will have the people standing
In their seats and cheering"
Mr.. Griffith was then asked
what sort OF a story was most
suitable for such picture of the
future.
ut will take a story with action"
replied the director.
could you work such plans into
such a picture as The Birth of a
Nations"
I'm afraid could never do that
again. There is no one today who
could play the part of the Little
Colonel as Henry Walthall did.
But what a picture it would have
made with dialogue! How the
people would have cheered to hear
those old-time warriors! I know
what want to do. It will be a
story revolving around one of his
tory's most famous battles. No, I
have no story yet, but will find it,
Then will put the dialogue into
1t. with all the tempo of the silent
picture, and I feel sure that this
will become a StupendouS enter
tainment."
This interview with writer for
the Exhibitors Herald World pic
lures Mr.. Griffith for the Snowman
that he Is. But his talk seems to
be lacking in the usual press
agentry. He Is a man with ideals,
a maker of great pictures, and a
director from whom we are to ex-
pect big things in the days to
come. He has a wonderful faith
in the motion picture as an art
and a means of entertainment,
and he is one of the pioneer work.
ers i'm a field which is only 80
years old.
THERE has always been more or
less discussion as to just what
makes a motion picture star of
the weaker sex, and along this
line the comment of Fred Niblo,
director of Greta Carlo, Joan
Crawford and others, is interest
ing. According to Fred, the mouth
is the all important feature of the
beautiful motion picture star. He
says: eff a woman has a beauti-
full, expressive mouth, the rest of
her features can be quite out of
proportion, and still people will
cali her marvellous Pretty hands
and pretty feet, if one woman has
both, generally guarantee real
beauty. The face and the figure
will, usually, be satisfactory"
Beauty is all in the eyes," says
Cecil De Mile. "A woman'S hands
may be too large, her nose several
degrees apart from perfection.
She may walk ungracefully-and
you will forget all these things if
she has beauty in her eyes.
Certainly in picking screen beauty
I look at girls eyes first, and her
other physical qualifications are
entirely secondary. So much of
beauty, of personality, of soul,
shines through the eyes that they,
to me, are always the final stand
ard with which to Judge woman's
charm"
And now you know what makes
a movie star.
X y y
John GILBERT note: He has
just completed Thirst" an
African adventure story, and he
will be starred in Way for a