American cinematographer (Jan-Dec 1952)

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I should like to leave this thought with American cinematographers, ama¬ teur or professional, planning to visit India to make pictures: the prospective visitor should first write in advance to his travel agents and ask them to put him in touch with some amateur cinematog¬ rapher with whom he can arrange to assist him during his visit. Not only can he be sure of a warm welcome on his arrival, but also that he will have a competent and friendly interpreter, guide, and collaborator. Such an aide can be the visiting cameraman’s guaran¬ tor to Indian society. He does not care for monetary reward, because his service invariably is selfless— although he might not be remiss to accepting as a me¬ mento films or odd pieces of equipment which he cannot get in this country. No cameraman visiting India who follows these suggestions need ever re¬ turn home minus the footage he ex¬ pected to get. THE PHOTOGRAPHY IS IMPORTANT TO HITCHCOCK ( Continued from Page 525) because of its quaint Old World quality and its architecture of medieval flavor. The story, really, could have been placed in Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York, or any other city. It deals with a priest who has heard the confession of a murderer but who, due to the sanctity of The Confessional, is prevented from betraying the culprit even when the priest himself becomes suspect. The film was made with the sanction of the Church which enabled the com¬ pany to obtain interior shots never be¬ fore screened. There is one scene, for instance, in which Montgomery Clift as the young priest, is ordained. The cere¬ mony was actually staged in St. John’s Cathedral, with Clift as the only actor. All others in the scene are priests and other church dignitaries. Much of the action takes place in the priest’s Parish church and for this St. Severin’s was used, with the camera being moved into the rectory and elsewhere for day and night shots. This same adherence to realism carries throughout the picture. The City of Quebec, in fact, furnished “sets” which, had they been built at the studio, would have cost an estimated two million dollars. In addition to the scenes made in St. John’s Cathedral and St. Severin’s, many other churches were likewise photographed. So was the House of Parliament, the Court House and Court Rooms. The Chateau Frontenac, where the company headquartered, was shot from practically every angle and in many rooms. The main ballroom, dining room, kitchens, pantries, bed¬ rooms, corridors, lobby, and exteriors provided background for much of the story’s action. Not only were the buildings authentic as named, so, too, were the people. As a matter of fact, to further the factual quality there are only a few professional actors in the picture. Among these were Anne Baxter, Montgomery Clift, Carl Malden. Roger Dann. Brian Ahern, Dolly Haas, and O. A. Hassa, the latter an actor brought over from Germany for the role. All others in the film were the actual people they were supposed to portray. For instance, the manager of the Chateau Frontenac was portrayed by the real manager of the Chateau Front¬ enac. Chefs and waiters in that worldfamed hotel are the same men you would see there today should you visit that hostelry. Indeed, one bit of action takes place in the Hotel’s kitchen and pantries with police running pell-mell through the rooms and a man being shot. “It just so happened that dinner was being prepared at the same time,” smiled Burks. “How the chefs managed I’m not sure. I do know, though, that from my point-of-view it was tough to control those white caps, coats, and aprons. They, as did everyone else in the film except the actors, wore their own clothes. And if they didn’t look elegant or dashing in Eddie Schmidt suits and Adrian gowns it was because they were wearing ordinary clothes, which made them resemble the men and women you meet on the street every day.” The police, incidentally, were also the real thing, as were the detectives. The Assistant Chief of Detectives enacted the role of a detective. The judge in the picture, while not a judge yet, is an attorney who has tried many cases in the room where the trial scenes were made. The absence of makeup added greatly to the over-all effect of naturalism, thinks Burks. Miss Baxter wore very little and the other actors, with the ex¬ ception of Clift, wore none. Clift had to wear it to hide his heavy blue-black beard which shaving twice daily could not conceal. The lack of makeup, while adding to the effect of the picture, presented a definite problem to Burks. For while a florid-complexioned man stood next to a pale-faced fellow, the two still had to be kept photographically in balance. 516 American Cinematocrapiier December, 1952