Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-02-23

a ILL 10 uOb well WIFI The dig
~ pictures. The wide screen
~ and the wide film, expected
to revolutionize cinema ex-
hibition, are not yet ready for
Washington. 1t was planned to
inaugurate the big pictures with
Happy Days" at the Fox Theater
during the week of March /, but
now the announcement is made
that Happy Days" will be
screened in the usual manner, on
the regular-Sized silver sheet and
from the average film. When
Happy Days" a revue, was pro-
duced the directors fitted it to
both sizes of film, and the smaller
size comes to Washington.
Grandeur screen and film, as
Mr.. Fox calls his newest idea, was
placed in the Roxy Theater, New
York, as an experiment, but an
experiment which was expected
to become a permanent feature
of the theater. However, there
has been trouble, according to
inside information. When pic
lures were thrown upon the wide
screen, everything was fine in the
matter of width. That part of
the experiment was splendid. But
some one forgot to consider the
height of the screen. There was
hitch, and the projection machine
operators at the Roxy have been
very, very busy shifting the film
here, there and everywhere to
give the cash customers big pic
lures up and down.
It has been decided. as a re-
suit of the Roxy troubles, to post
pone the Inauguration of Gran
deur in Washington for at least
month. And you will see Happy
Days" in the usual proportions.
WITH the coming of the talking
films. the music films and the
dancing films, one is almost sure
to form the impression that all
pictures are noisy. Events in the
movie world pass quickly; changes
come hourly, and the newer ideas
within a few weeks, are perma-
nently established. The writer
had been attending so many
sound pictures that he decided to
take a trip over to the Little The
alter and hear a noiSeleSs version
of Passion" starring Emil jan
ningS and the dark-eyed Pola
Negri. Of course, the picture is
not a new one, but it had made
such a decided hit in Washington
in the years gone by that it was
worth reviewing. And, especial
ly, it was remembered as a pow
erful drama" without a shrek, a
theme song and no half-clad
chorus ladies backStage.
But, as mentioned before, events
in the movies pass with great
rapidity. Passion" which was a
well filmed picture of only a few
years ago, may be placed among
the antiques as far as photog-
raphy and stage manners are
concerned. There has been such
decided improvement in the mo-
ton picture as whole that film
OF few years ago certainly looks |
its age. The work OF PoIa Negri |
and Emil JanningS was the fea-
tured attraction of Passion" and |
it remains an outstanding per-
Torrance, but the technique of
the photoplay has changed so
much during the past few years
that the old cash-drawing opus
looks crude, jerky and entirely
out Of place with modern pictures.
1t was decidedly restful to wit
ness the players going through
their parts in a quiet and digni-
6ed manner. One could even
doze and retain the thread of the
story, but bigger and better Gin
ema attractions are now on the |
boards. There is no comparison |
in the photography of Passion"
and the photography of today. !
Each new day sees improvement |
in this particular branch.
x 4
ROBERT E. SHERWOOD, who
writes very entertainly on film
affairs from New York angle, |
goes on record as against the big |
revue as motion picture material. |
"Revues, he says, do not belong
on the screen, for the reason that |
those who participate in them
have insufficient opportunity to
assume any definite character.
And character (call it personality !
If you likel is unquestiOnably the |
most important element in mo-
ton pictures, as in other forms
OF art. A performer in a vaude-
vile show on the stage must work
hard for the first few minutes of
his act before the audience begins
to warm up to him and applaud
his efforts. Even if he is a Jolson