Evening star., 1940-04-02

| NAPASAAooASoAJ 6ANAAAS VIC doo1SCdIlU
an impression of assisting. It goes
on like that for a full minute, a
minute suddenly chock-full of the
impression that finally one is getting
somewhere IN the movies.
The film is over then, but not the
job. Fitzpatrick wants to know how
we would end it, on what shot we
would let Washington fade back into
its own living loveliness out of
which the picture is so adroitly
made?
There's question, if you never
happen to have thought of trave-
logue endings before. In the con-
ventional film, to be sure, the final
| clinch Of hero and heroine is the
logical ending. But you can't have
that sort of thing between the Pan
American Building and the Library
of Congress. Nor is it possible, OBJ
viously, to show the Department of
Commerce walking into the twilight
arm in arm with the Washington
Monument.
In its uncut state, FitzPatrick's
closing shot is a dramatically lighted
reproduction of the Lincoln statue
III the Memorial.
That's the perfect ending" says
the assistant, adding one more af-
firmative, if somewhat more wordy
one, to the already long list.
Coed" says Fitzpatrick, kind of
characteristically Irish overstate-
ment of our performance.
More about Fitzpatrick. He has
Travelled more than 250,000 miles
in making his several dozen trave-
logues for Metro The series
started back in 1927 Greatest
contribution to its improvement, he
thinks. is the development of tech
nicolor {. He has taken it to every
corner of the world brought back
every corner of the world in TECH
nicolor One fly in the ointment
of technicolor is its increased cost
-. Has required all new and heavier
equipment and runs about three
times the expense of black and
white film :. He has full latitude
in the selection of his subjects.
tries always to be keenly alert to
popular demand Latest turn
in that Is for more and more
American subjects, a natural ma
tional self consciousness, he feels,
in view of the American distaste
for what is going on elsewhere in
the world . AS one Irishman to
another. he thinks Ireland one of
the most beautiful countries he
ever has photographed But.
don't think 1t is easy . To Offset
the naturally high photogenic
aspects of the place. Ireland per-
versely turns misty and rainy when
ever any one comes around with
camera . That would not be so
bad were travelogues still made in
black and white, but technicolor
requires the right kind of light . {.
If the right kind of light is slow In
manifesting itself, the delay runs
up expense.
FitzPatrick's travelogues are en-
tirely his own work He is an
expert cameraman. although he
carries two assistants . He writes
his own scripts, develops his own
film, cuts and edits it j.. He also
writes his narratives and Is his own
narrator His whole project Is
housed in a small, frame structure
which nestles among the gigantic
sound stages of Metro One part
is an Office, the other workshop
He is about year ahead on his
work and discounts any notion that
It Is dangerous or adventurous . {.
He once got into a minor disagree
ment with the Red Russians for
photographing breadline, but got
tactfully around the difficulty by
assuring them we had larger bread
lines in this country He is an
amiable gentleman who thinks we
should have dinner at the Fitz-
Patricks' while we are here {.
We think so, too.