Evening star., 1943-03-28

In writing THE Corn Is Green" Williams sue
ceeded in accomplishing rarely undertaken more
rarely successful writing chore that of putting auto
biography in dramatic form. Granting that there Is
something Of every playwrghts personal experience
everything he writes few have undertaken fortnight
autobiography Williams did, The nearest thing to it
in this country in the contemporary theater setup
the works of William Saroyan who life with such
strange faun-like eyes that lesser humans think of
his art more as fantasy than excerpts from reality.
Williams might not have undertaken the task had
he approached it directly piece of photographed
drama. Instead Of writing primarily about himself
he chose to tell the story of Mrs. Moffat the great
soued woman who into his isolated Welsh min
ing community to teach her wider world to dWellers
the fancy of any playwright, but most especially the
playwright she rescued from coal pit and inspired
to an education at Oxford.
In writing of her with love and reverence Williams
could write of himself with self consciousness And
in doing that, he created in The Green" one
of the Warmest, most inspiring and enduring of con-
temporary plays Set tiny, provincial stage it
illustrates the universal theme of sacrifice quality
which has made it popular in the night towns
as in London, New York. or Washington.
AS its author Williams has sound claim-which he
let's others make for him-to the distinction of con-
trbuting the most significant English play of the last
decade.
Little Things Put Their Mark.
On Some of Bigger Movies.
1t is the little things about some big movies that
make their mark
One to wait for is the tag line on THE Hard Wav"
the film which stars Ida Lupno and Joan Leslie. Not
to give anything-well, not too much-away the Sc
quence involves two policemen moralzing on suicide
What is it that makes people kill themselves the less
gigantic bluecoat asks the gigantic one To this
the latter replies substantially:
"These rich people-a little something goes wrong
and they can't take it,"
The effect of it really is defense of the rich the
first one you probably ever heard from Hollywood
which is terribly se-conscous about money after all
this talk OF palaces swimming pools etc.
1t probably is unwilling thing but it indicates
that the movies are growing up and answering
back in quiet, sly way
The way is SO quiet and so sly that it will not only
please the rich but will the semi-rch and the
downright poor. Nothing could be fairer than that.
Miss Buck Raised Point
With Her 10-Best Question.
Some months ago. Miss Pearl Buck bounced
critics onto the horns of nice dilemma
On the surface, the effect should not have been any,
thing like that All Miss Buck asked the critics to do
was to name 10 movies which they thought would be
suitable for showing in the Far Pacific areas
movies which would truly reflect life in America as
Americans like to think it essentially is.
s Thatwas new kind of 1o-best list although Miss
Buck did not specify anything about 'best" It was
merely implied in her request.
superfcialy, 1t looked like something that could
.oe dashed of in few minutes When they started
the quizzed found otherwise The best they could
come up with were historical films with an all-too-
occasional Our Town" among them
The movies it turned out were not using the SIM
pie wonderful story of America and people, todays
people.
That they have begun is best exemplified in The
u,oc Of
that picture is being called epochal by so many who
have seen it.