Evening star., 1930-05-04

This is 1ndeeQ dlScouraglng SlCuaClon 1Or
the American producers, because for some years
Germany has been one of the greatest Euro
pean markets for our silent films.
FRANCE is far behind Germany and Great
Britain in the matter of making talkieS
Last year, of some So films produced, only four
were sound films. It win be many months, we
are told by Trade Commissioner George r.
Comfy, Paris. before France will be able to
produce satisfactory dialogue films in her own
studies However, the wiring of studios for
sound recording is well under way, with one
important studio already taken care Of in this
connection and the others apparently ready 70
fall in line.
So far as American commercial interests are
concerned, the situation is not so bad Besides
the American companies, no company seems to
have made any great progress in theater install.
lation. Of the 165 theaters lately wired for
sound. 90 are using Yankee equipment, while
most of the others are French.
Besides the regulation synchronized sets there
are now synchronous sound machines used for
production of mechanical music in accompani-
ment of silent films. This, incidentally. has
given rise to various abuses, as small exhibitors
using such sets endeavor to capitalize the nov
city of sound pictures and offer their patrons
only canned music which, moreover, is often
of a low quality. Prices go up at the same time
in order to pay for the outlay, with the result
that the public is dissatisfied. The Importance of
this situation may be judged from the fact
that, according to certain French press state
ments about 500 cinemas have dismissed their
orchestras in France and adopted mechanical
music. Even though this figure is probably
strongly exaggerated, the fact still remains that
there is an important number of non-
synchronous equipments in use and that much
may possibly be done to compromise the future
success of high-class sound and talking films.
Competent American observers have summed
like this: THE French directors make many
Of the mistakes so characteristic Of the English
films, particularly in the matter of transferring
play bodily to the screen without proper
regard for the fact that the two mediums of
entertainment have certain essential differences.
Moreover. the light touch in q French film is
virtually unknown, most Of the films being
morose and morbid. Perhaps the detail is
achieved with excellent fidelity, but usually
there are far too many reels showing poignant
suffering that, to the American viewpoint, Is
very much exaggerated"
Spain IS casting an interested eye on the
talkies. but thus far very little has been
achieved in producing them. OF the 20 films
produced last year. we are told by Trade Com
missioner Julian c. Greenup, Madrid only
were synchronized. and these were not overly
successful, due to the inexperience of the
directors in handling sound equipment.
However, the American exhibitors are yery
100 of our talkies in that country during the
past year, record far exceeding that of any
other country. Then too, of the something
like 18 Spanish theaters equipped for sound
most of the machinery is of American manu-
facture.
A LTHOUGH Japan is the only one Of the
nations in the Far East which have devel-
oped domestic industry which comes near
to meeting the requirements of its own terri
tory the foreign talkies are being well adver-
tised. While Japan herself has no less than l6
producers OF motion pictures now actively en-
gagged in domestic production, not q one has
the facilities for making sound films.
However, word has just come from Nippon
announcing the completion OF . great talkie
house, the Kobe Shochikuza, In Kobe Hailed
as one of the most modern movie theaters I'm
tine world, 1t covers ground area of about
10,206 square feet.
There is seating capacity of s3s persons
and the building Is entirely earthquakezproof,
being made Of reinforced concrete mostly with
colored tiles plastered ON the outside to give q
good appearance. 1t Is artiicially cooled and
heated with steam The cooling system il
taken care of by q deep wen dug under the
theater and by forcing compressed air down
into 1t the cold air around the water is forced
up to the top of the theater, where it In let
out.
Four projecting cameras have been installed
In the camera pit behind the theater Two OF
these are for the sound and talkie picture.
while the other two are for the silent films.
The silent cameras were built by the Simplex
Co. Of the United States.
A most interesting and important feature in
the exhibition Of motion pictures in Japan is
the interpreter, or interlocutor, who explains
the action and meaning of production 10 the
audience This unique profession was created
when movies were first introduced into Japap.
since all the early films were foreign produc-
lions and the gestures, actions and properties
shown were unintelligible to most of the
spectators Consequently it was important to
employ interpreters to read titles and 10 explain
the subject matter of