Evening star., 1936-12-06

pared to prove with facts and figures
that sound is not a dimension, cinema
or no cinema. For our purposes.
nevertheless, the argument hath some
breath of logic.
Actors on the legitimate stage who
have not been offered fat cinema con.
tracts are very fond today of telling
interviewers story about a little boy.
who had been to the theater many
times. One day his mother, in a mo.
ment of ALTERATION, decided to take
her son to the motion pictures. When
they came out, she said to him.
Butch (or whatever his name was),
how did you like the movies?"
Well" said Butch Il suspect thi,
little boys name really was Butch, SC
don't get in a huff about IT'D. Ito tel!
you the truth, momma. like the round
actors better than the fiat actors"
Verree funnay, in case you haven't
heard it 81 times as have. The point
(now We will explain) being that tht
movies do lack the dimension oi
depth, and while they can create ar
illusion via perspective, as in paint
ing, the deficiency is undeniably real
one. The absence of color also has
been a handicap in the cinema. but
as that weakness is bolstered, the com.
bination of color and perspective will
no doubt offset to remarkable degree
tho ohcanPo nf denth
But the unique dimension, the di-
mension that Is not one at all, the
medium which is more or less denied
the modern, realistic stage. is sound
Wonders can be wrought with it. II
can be nodded into a thousand forms
used by as many different methods
The stage silence" is forever denied
as a weapon to all but the few geniuses
of Hollywood who can contrive to use|
it infrequently, delicately, almost
timidly. One of the most potent OF
all dramatic devices, trick whereby
the simplest situation may be lifted
to almost maddening intensity. theI
stage silence is friend only to thel
chosen few of FINLAND.
And likewise sound is dead in the
legitimate drama. The stage director
who makes too free use of cellos and|
violins in the love scenes Of modern|
Broadway is committing artistic sul-I
eide. He might as well have the heroI
approach amidst a rattle of imitation
horses hoofs. The fewer off-stage|
aF ic I,ic 70 Cat,y,dI
has been abandoned to the hocus-|
pocus boys of California.
What use do they make of it
w Plenty Regard the Hollywood
musical director" Who ever heard
of him 10 years ago? He did. Very
few others. Today. rare Is the picture
which fails to include on its credit
sheet the name Of gentleman who|
selected the excerpts from Strauss.
the passages from Ravel, the long.
sonorous phrases from Wagner. He|
was the chap who joined each to|
its proper scene, consulted with the
sound technicians who sought explo-|
sive music for explosions; minutes for
the great ball room scenes where
Tamona Lane (nee Lizzie Glutz) was
to meet her lover for the first time:
light and frittery tunes to accompany
the awakening of the big, strong
hero, who, after tying on q snootful
the night before, finds he has been
sleeping with his arm coiled affec-
tionately around the whiskers Of a
goat.
Stupid as these affairs sound, they
have been known to come of with
reasonable success by the grace Of
shrewd photography and a good or
chestra. Illustrating that, fiat as the
screen may be (Which no one can
deny, no one can deny, 1t would
be a darned sight fiatter without its
sound effects and sweet music to
charm the savage breast Of the citizen
who has paid shekels at the box
office, planted himself firmly in a
plush chair and awaits the unfolding
Of drammy that better be good, or
elsel