Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-03-29
Flashes From the Screen
News and Comment of the Photoplay
By c. E. Nelson.
By C. E. Nelson.

naturally mas a DlaSeQ
view of the movies. Not
that this bias, mind you, takes a
bad or unpopular form; it is SIM
DIV the viewpoint Of a man who
is devoted to his particular work.
It is the sort of bias that is easily
explained and comes through be-
lief in the photoplay-through its
mast. its present and its future. 1t
Is the most natural thing in the
world for a man to show devo-
ton and loyalty to his profession
or work; that is quality which
deserves considerable praise, re-
pardless of bias, and whether you
NAV think the way he does or not.
For many years now, Mr.. Hays has
heen heading the motion picture
industry-which really is an in
dustry. and not an art-and he
should be qualified to speak know
ingly of matters pertaining to the
movies. OF course, you may say
that he gives only one side OF the
problems, but he is, at least, SIN
cere.
The above paragraph is merely
a way of explaining that Mr.. Hays
has burst forth in print again,
with an essay entitled, WHITTIER
the Movies" which appears in the
of1cial organ Of the Motion Pic
ture Producers g. Distributors OF
America, the motion picture
monthly. AS head Of the pro-
ducers' organization, Mr.. Hays
"This year marks the beginning
of a new decade in the progress
of the motion picture. Whittier
Now?' is the question being asked
by many intelligent observers.
What more will the screen have
to offer? Will the talking film
advance from the field Of general
entertainment to Selective enter
tainment? Will 1t serve education,
as it is now serving recreation?
How is the screen preparing to
meet the rising standards OF pub
lie appreciation?
"It would be a brave man who
would attempt to forecast the en-
tertainment requirements OF 49,
100000 people two or five years
from now. Who can say what the
artistic spirit will create even six
months from now? Who can
guess what the laboratory viii
bring forthp We might look over
the road we have been taking.
"The motion picture has not
been content to abide alone by the
box Office. Since 1922 we have at
tempted to convey to the industry
the standards Of public taste as
interpreted by responsible lead
ers of public opinion. The fullest
expression of opinion has been in
vited, and this Is a continuous i'm
proving factor in the maintenance
of higher community and social
values of the screen. Funda-
mentally, the problem of better
pictures is Joined to the problem
Of raising the standards OF public
demand for them. A result has
been the cooperation Of six and
9, half million people of the United
states, who are aiding in the con-
Etructive movement, as against
the handful Of self-appointed men
and women whose voices are al
ways loud in favor Of political die
tatorsi1ip.
Through the adoption of code
embodying specific standards, the
producers have barred unsuitable
plays, books, themes and treat
ments, some of them freely used
in other media of expression. This
is an achievement in Self-regula-
ton which political censorship,
concerned with details and not
with principles, could not possibly
effect.
with all that has been done, I
know that a thousand hands in a
thousand places-a thousand hon
est handS-may be raised in OBJ
jections to this or that picture, to
this or that advertisement Of
picture, to this or that theme in
a picture. Every day, I am told,
approximately $4,000 separate mo-
ton picture advertisements appear
in the press of the country. One
can imagine the work involved in
the administration Of our adver-
Using code.
"Six years ago, or even three
years ago, the task CT picking the
10 best pictures of the year might
have been comparatively easy.
But the past year tells different
story. In the last IL months, 81
pictures figured for the awards.
41ECSC WCAE L4AC NuboD04AAAAAE kAO-
auctions Of the past year, all con-
sidered worthy Of special atten-
ton. At this rate, the industry
produced at least one outstanding
picture week during the entire
year, which was certainly an ar
tistic and dramatic feat unparel-
leled in the entertainment arts.
Il forecast a continual i'm
pfovement in the motion picture
as general entertainment. The
industry must leave nothing I'M
done to effect continuous and
steady progress. believe in the
continued improvement of the
film els a medium of information.
The newSreel has already estab-
lished itself. There is an increas-
ing development of the screen as
an educational medium. The next
decade, I believe, will show the
full measure of the induStry'S
contribution to all these pioneer
ing efforts. Another development
which now beckons is the field Of
Selective entertainment directed
by specific cultural groups. A
Shakespearean cycle in the NOV
les? Not at all improbable
through such development. The
classic dramas of literature?
Sound and motion, color and per-
spective, bring these nearer to
achievement on the screen. 1t Is
a tribute to the really fine pictures
produced during recent years that
there should be growing interest
in productions that would appeal
TO more seIective audiences-for
the translation Of the highest pos