The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1933-10-12
FLASHES ana
CLOSE-UPS
By LENS

ulate proves very definitely that
workers are very much awake and
critical in movie matters. We have
received number of reviews in the
form Of letters that rather challenge
HollywooG's hypocritical contention
that the public is given what it
wants." We will print the more in
teresting of these letters from time
to time and reply privately to the
others %, rare space! My column for
a 16-page "Dai,y"D.
Here is a typical letter from a
worker in Omaha, Nebraska:
Dear Comrades:
Last spring I became SO disguised
with such pictures as Prosperity
'Gobriel Over the White House, ETC..
that swore that would never enter
another movie theatre. But this oath
was broken five months later when
Gold Diggers of, 1899 aroused my
proletarian curiosity. Gold Diggers'i
Those two words made me curious to
find out just who and what was a
Gold Digger these days, so in I went.
1.-THE film is just the same old line
of stuff that capitalism puts out and
will continue to do so until the work.
ers take the films and use them for
something besides sex nonsense,
rugged individualiSn' and degenerate
comedy. The hero in the film Is
Massachusetts scion, so it would not
be proper to have him marry a
common show girl. The girl he
falls in love with is also of the better
class There always has to be some
thing decent about a girl that a
rich young scion marries Gin the
moViesD. Yes, she just joined the
show out Of dire necessity because
her dad lost his fortune on the stock
market And, like all better class
girls, she has remained pure. :.
How perfectly this superior strain
works. Rags, dirt, low occupations
cannot conceal one superior individ-
ual from another. On the other
hand even years of culture can
never be expected to develop pro-
letarian to the point where it might
deceive member of the superior
strain. Such is the philosophy of the
Hollywood film. This girls two COM
panionS, realizing this biological
law, are not SO foolish as to even
attempt to grab off a superior male
in the same manner as the superior
ladies would. They therefore resort
to the strategem of getting two 'su-
perior' males drunk and marrying
them.
Here's another interesting feature:
The young scion sacrifices his heir
ship to save these three girls from
the street something which happens
even before he falls in love with one
of tfem Of course he regains his
heirship. But he is SO noble in, this
part of the pictured He acts without
a moment of hesitation. Isn't that
so typical of the rich?
I'm the film, the producer who is
organizing the show is deeply moved
by the effects of the depression, but
he is ruthless enough to fire man
who has been working for him for
Is years! Why? Because the fellow
is too old! Apparently there's nothing
that capitalism sponsors that doesn't
contain some kind of glaring self
contradiction, and likewise this see
narist's slip in Gold Diggers.'
$50 we learned that gold diggerS
of 1888 are starving girls who have
recourse to every means they see fit
to grab themselves the richest male
they come in contact with, even if
they have to get married to insure
themselves against the N. R. A.!
ST do think, despite all the fore
going, that this picture has its value,
even if this value is only a historical
one. Although it is typical of the
connections that emerge from the
degenerate and confused mentality
of capitalisms movie writer's and pro-
ducers, it has the same value as
would the dung of dinosaur, which,
under chemical analysis, could reveal
the elements which had passed
through the beasts body.
"Comradely,
E. BRYANT"
We have also a letter from jap
anese worker exposing a film recent
ly advertised in the Daily" 1.-THE
Story of Yoshiwara, the Slums of
Tokyo" It's great length makes its
publication difficult, but in my opin
ion it is a truly brilliant attack on
this fraudulent film and keen anal
ysis of its Misrepresentation. We
mention this to put you on your
guard should this ribbon land in
your neighborhood house.
All in all, I must say these letters
indicate that there exists a fertile
soil for the building of Workers Film
and Photo Leagues in every city, and |
that We are not even keeping pace |
with the workers sentiments in this
elfid. Lots more later on this impor-
tant question.