Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-07-27
Flashes From the Screen
Bye. E. Nelson.

ducers and exhibitors, announce:
the 10 best directors of the pas
year-1929 and 1890. Conclusions
were reached through a Nation
wide poll of newspaper writers
who pay particular attention tt
the photop1ay, and, naturally, the
result hinges largely upon the best
pictures of the year. That is, the
10 best directors are selected on
account of one or two pictures
which were made during the last
IL months-not upon the work OF
other years, nor upon promises fol-
the future If a director, by this
nHeJIoi or voting, has turned out
only one good picture during his
career, and that one during the
past year, he had an excellent
chance of being named among
the 10 best directors of the year.
This may seem bit unfair to the
average person, but, after all, it is
ABOUT the only way to determine
the outstanding work OF the year.
Heading the list of the 10 best
Is Alfred E. Green, who directed
'DiSraeli," Green Goddess" and
''The Man From Blankley's." He
is closely followed by King Vidor,
who directed "Hallelujah" and
''Not So Dumb" Clarence Brown
comes next with Anna Christie, "
wonder of Women" and Navy
Blues" followed by Lionel Barry
more with Madame x" ''Unholy
Night" and His Glorious Night. /"
Ernst Lubitsch is fifth with THE
Love Parade" and Eternal Love +"
Eoy Del Ruth comes next with
desert Song" THE Hottentot,"
'Told Diggers of Broadway" THE
Aviator" Second Floor Mystery
and Hold Everything" Herbert
Brenon wins the next place with
''Lunmox" and 1.-The Case of
Sergeant Grischa,". and James
Whale is honored with his Jour
rey'S End" Ninth place goes to
Frank Lloyd with Drag" Dark
Streets" Young Nowheres" and
"Son of the Gods" and at the end
OF the procession is Sidney
Franklin with 1.-The Last of Mrs.
Cheney" and Devil May Care"
The directors who received hon
CRADLE mention for their work
during the year are David Butler,
JOIN, Cromwell, Harry Beaumont,
Luther Reed, Ludwig Berger,
Raoul Walsh, John Ford, Frank
futile, Dorothy Arzner, Edmund
Goulding, Frank Capra, Hobart
Henley, Wesley Ruggles, F. Rich
ard Jones, Alan CroSland, Victor
Fleming, Cecil b. De Mile, Frank
Rorzage, Henry King, Richard
Wallace, Michael Curtiz, Bayard
WELLER, Robert q. Leonard, Mil
lard Webb, Alfred Santell and
Sam Taylor. Each of these direc-
tors received IS or more votes
picked the 10 best of the year.
The number of votes received
by the leading 10 directors was
as follows: Alfred e. Green, 1859;
King Vidor, 1879; Clarence Brown,
1877; Lionel Barrymore, 1874: Ernst
LubitSch, 127; Roy Del Ruth, rs;
Herbert Brenon, 1903; James
Whale, 91; Frank Lloyd, IS, and
Sidney Franklin, 80. ffly
"A SIDE from the selection of the
10 best directors, there are
several interesting phases to the
voting! For instance, this is the
first occasion that the newspaper
writer's have had to vote on direc-
tors who have taken up q new
art-the sound photoplay. A few
months ago the men who are now
making sound pictures exclusively
knew practically nothing about
sound technique. This has all
been developed during the past
year, and a large part of the
credit can safely go to the direc-
tors themselves. These men
worked out their own salvation;
they were forced into something
new, and they became pioneers of
q new industry. The fact that the
sound picture has arrived to stay
can be credited to them.
In glancing over the list OF
winners it may be noticed that
the 10 best directors had an ad-
vantage of directing well known
stars. This holds true, except in
the case of King Vidor, who
doubtless won second place with
one picture, "Hallelujah." Alfred
E. Green, who won the largest
number of votes, had a decided
advantage in directing the efforts
of George Arliss, whose two pic
lures, '.Disraeli' and THE Green
Goddess" were two of the best OF
the year. Then, Clarence Brown
directed Greta Carlo, and he wor
his place with Anna Christie
not with wonder of Women" anc
'Navy Blues" his two other pic
lures Of the year. Herbert Brenon
with exceptional casts in 'Lum.
moX" and 1.-THE Case of Sergeant
GriScha," started out a few jump:
ahead of his colleagues. Frank
Lloyd was directing Richard
BarthelmeSS, Sidney Franklin
held whip-hand over Norma
Shearer and James Whale had 6
fine cast for Journeys End" The
case of King Vidor's "Hallelujah'
is altogether different. Here wa
a director experimenting alonl
new lines, and how his experiment
was received is best estimated b.
the wonderful box Office returns
from his remarkable picture
Vidor probably did not know h,
was selecting a cast of stars whel
he fixed up the pay roll of Halle
lujah."
Only three of the winners thi
year were on the list last year
They are Ernst Lubitsch, Clarenc,
Brown and Frank Lloyd. Lione
Barrymore of the famous Barry
1nores, who won fourth place
went into the movies as an actor
after a thorough stage training