Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-10-21

Every once in q while we get letter
! from some one asking us to express an
opinion a. to the effect of the "talkies'
on the now old-fashioned silent movies
and the chances which the so-called
| legitimate stage has Of surviving.
There is little question, we believe
that the talking pictures have made
the straight films without sound back
numbers, except for scientific work and
as home entertainment.
Just as Of recent years no one cared
| to sit through q motion picture show
! with only the sound of a piano, as ont
used to do in the nickelodeonS, so to-
| day the silent drama" seems strange
even though our experience with the
"talkieS" has been phenomenally brief.
The human voice always was what
tn motion pictures lacked and now
that they have found 1t, it is scarcely
believable that they will ever give ii
up. The experts seem divided as to
the part which color Is to play in the
films of the future.
The critical opinion is, we believe
that color scarcely will play the same
role as sound, but that it seems essen
tial for certain types Of pictures, par
ucularly the. musical comedy f1lmings
ing its huge vogue for q few months
would seem now TO be definitely slack.
enire In popular appeal. Whether the
new third dimension pictures, will re-
verse this situation remains to Be seen.
AS for the fate Of the legitimate
drama, our opinion, for what it Il
worth, Is this: That the stage IL toe
old and has occupied too sure place
| in human affections for Il to be ousted
| by any inventive work of man.
The films are founded on two thing:
science and human nature. OF these
| two the latter seems the surer, be-
| cause the older and less changing
! Science is built on change. Expert
ment follows experiment, improvement
upon improvement. Every one who
has attempted to keep up" with radio
sets knows how impossible the thing is
unless one Is willing to Junk good Sci
to get q better one time after time.
The stage is perennial because it II
based simply upon human nature. Il
demands no inventive skill, no science
| It has no laboratory behind it, CALI
for no trained scientists to be giver
scholarships for its benefit.
Any man who can do it--a most i'm.
portant Qualification-can sit down Ii
a garnet and turn out a play which viii
thrill thousands of hearts, stir thou.
sands of minds. It Is the old triumph
of the human brain, the mind dealing
with the elemental things Of life.
Science is complex. Begin to lool
into the quantity of things which maj
be made from coal tar If you doubt thu
completely of science.
Life, once q man makes up his minc
to accept It as it is, is simple enough
at least In the elemental emotions anc
thoughts which arise from the mere
| living. Ali Of US understand them. We
need no scientists to resolve them into
their atoms, to point out that two partt
Of heart united to two of brain equa
jealousy.
AS a matter Of fact, we cannot b.
sure that they do; for in the science oil
| life an inflniteSimal portion OF honor
suddenly introduced into the mixture
| perhaps by q mere word or q scent OF
perfume, may change jealousy into love
4
These elements Of living, as distin-
| glished from the chemical elements
need the human voice to give them
body and life, to present their inner
spirit. Motion pictures with the human
voice introduced take q large bound
forward. There can be no doubt in