The educational screen (c1922-c1956])

The Educational Screen without being made cheap or sensa- tional. There is an art of motion picture. It consists in presenting to the eye a series of pictures which tells a story in a different way from the manner in which the dramatist or novelist tels it; but in a way which does not alter the final artistic and psychological effect of the story. The novelist uses the printed word, the dramatist uses the spoken word and physical action. The motion picturist cannot use the spoken word. He generally abuses the printed word. His ability to present any scene, with any pantomime, at any instant, constitutes the great advantage of his art—the advantage which differentiates it from all other arts. Whenever a caption is thrown on a screen, the motion picturist tacitly admits his lack of artistic ability at that moment. At least he breaks the continuity of artistic impression on the spectator. To realize the truth of this assertion one has only to compare the artistic effect of the captionless film The Journey's End with the effect of films in which pictures are inartistically interrupted with even dignified, printed lines. One of the many rea- sons why such pictures as The Cabi- net of Dr. Caligari, Passion, One Arabian Night are eminently suc- cessful artistically—and hence finan- cially—is that the spectator is treated not as a reader of a story but as an onlooker at the very scene. These German films succeed in spite of every handicap they are under because they are of German origii because their producers aim to ir terest people of intelligence abov the average. They know that mc tion picture art attracts the highes of highbrows even though his ir telligence may be insulted almos constantly. They evidently realiz that, since the appeal of motion pic tures is universal, they do not havi to stoop and pander either primaril or at all to people of low intelli gence. Yet in America the lates foreign film D ant on is renamed A< for a Woman by the America manager. It would be hard to de vise a title more fitting for clap tra; of a low order containing sex appea But of course I shall see Danton fo I have learned not to let myself b deceived by such hypocritical tricks My faith in motion picture art rest upon the realization that it survive offenses against art and commoi sense which would kill even spokei drama. The film version of Way Dow East begins by forcing a suppose< "moral", down my throat. I read ii terms of pretentious piffle that maj is by nature polygamous but monog amy is the best policy! Now thj story of the drama Way Doza East is pretty trite, but it did nd flaunt in one's face an" undisputec but absolutely irrelevant truth il the shape of a moral. The insistencj on this idea from the beginning tc the end of the picture, entirel) changes the effect of the story. Ps)i chologically," it makes the picturi