Motion Picture News (Oct-Dec 1929)

October 5 , IS ."' 1 1 S'l Under The Hollywood Lid Hollywood AS impressive as progress in sound has been until now, it is entirely a safe prediction to make that only the surface lias lieen scratched. Dealing in futures is always a precarious matter, yet a close scrutiny of Hollywood, its executives and its studios result in an indelible conviction that the tomorrow hold in store for the exhibitor and his customer, the American public, an era of entertainment that outstrips the most imaginative of minds. Producers, realizing to the full the possibilities as well as the tremendous responsibilities which have burdened their shoulders since the onrush of sound, are centralizing all of their efforts and the full measure of their resources to meet the prevailing condition. Negative costs have risen, despite the tact that shooting schedules have been trimmed. Production authorities, while disliking to fix a figure which varies with each individual studio, agree generally that costs have risen from 15 to 30 per cent. Not only must each new picture be taxed with The Trend HOLLYWOOD is a gigantic experimental laboratory. Fared by the necessity of supplying a waiting market with product, the studios are at the same time endeavoring to discover short cuts and better cuts to improved production. The back stage type of story is washed up. What comes next? Technique is creating more than mild brainstorm. Is sound to flourish under a treatment of its own? is the answer stage technique; straight film technique or a composite of the best features of both? What icill the talkers of tomorrow look and sound like? Now that shooting schedules are shorter, why are costs higher? "/ice/" Konn. in his second article from Hollywood, explains how the studios view these vital problems. ;i pro rata portion of the carrying charges saddled onto production as a direct conse quence of the sound era, but the cost m volved in turning out each prouction have risen too because sound pictures, computing the period of preparation and actual shooting, take longer to make. INCREASES in negatives are partially 1 traceable to the novitiate period through which all studios are passing. This is still very much the day of experimentation and, of course, experiments are expensive. Producers and directors, as a matter of fact, all of the human factors engaged in production are working infinitely harder than in pre-sound times. As far as this observer has been able to cross-section opinions and reactions on sound, Hollywood is sincerely diligent in its endeavors to learn as much as possible about this new-fangled mystery >o often alluded to as "the squawkies." To talk to prominent studio executives and directors is merely to discover how brimful, and often heartbreaking, has been the cup of experience and how hard the work entailed. The microphone has been a ( Continued on folloiving page ) "Sunny Side Up" a Money Picture; Swanson's "Trespasser" Clicks Loudly; Arliss Adds Distinction to "Disraeli" Hollywood. — Three important pictures which reach the market this fall and winter: "Sunny Side Up." "The Trespasser'" and "Disraeli. " The first has been the subject of considerable talk and anticipation on the Fox lot where lavish praises made for it, it develops, are borne out by the picture itself. Secondly, interests centers around "The Trespasser" since it is Gloria Swanson's initial talker and the first to be delivered to United Artists since "Sadie Thompson." In "Disraeli," George Arliss makes his debut on the dialogue screen. Largely for that reason, this Warner picture is significant. Through the box-office magnifying glass, these productions look something like this: "Sunny Side Up" "The Trespasser >♦ "Disraeli" JANET GAYNOR and Charlie Farrel — combination inimitable— playing it off against a hoke story, interspersed with music, dancing and charm. Sounds like a cure-all for box-offices and is. Not a critic's picture, but our young-old head prompts us to defy any normal individual to sit through "Sunny Side Up" without enjoying himself. Janet is the East Side kid. Farrell, the Southampton society lad. Tne> into., tall in love, almost part and finally — as you must suspect— slide into the usual, satisfying clinch. But, as someone aptly said, it is not what you do so much as how you do it. That explains "Sunnv Side Up." De Sylva, Brown and Henderson supplied words and music. They did a good job. Assisting the young leads are El Brendel — always clever; Marjorie White, out of musical comedy; Frank Richardson, a warbler of promise; Joe Brown, Sharon Lynn and others. Dave Butler chaperoned and, for his direction, he rates plenty. IX which Gloria is destined to regain lost ground and clamber back to her spot in the front rank of money-getters. The women of the land will go for this in a big way. We can imagine the smiles that must suffuse the boyish countenances of Messrs. Schenck, Kennedy and Lichtman. And here is why: "The Trespasser," to begin with, is Swanson's first since "Sadie Thompson." It is her initial talker and in it she is given a warm, sympathetic mother role and a series of dramatic situations that offer a grand opportunity to demonstrate the full range of her undeniably pronounced histrionic capabilities. The story is not new and occasionally skids, but Gloria's performance and able directorial treatment by Edmund Goulding carry it through to very much of a success finish. The ending is anti-climatic and a dramatic falsetto, but the heart throbs and tear ducts respond no end. A long time between Swanson pictures, but Gloria unquestionably make a strong return. ADDING to the rapidly-growing dignity of talking pictures, George Arliss, a dean of the theatre, makes an auspicious debut in "Dis* raeli." This Warner picture carries the dignity of the play in which, too, Arliss appeared as the British prime minister whose statesmanship and acumen wrested the Suez Canal from Russia and erowned England's sovereigns the emperors of India. Arliss does a splendid job of the title role. The experience of many years on the stage serves him in excellent stead. Every nuance, every movement, every voice inflection carries import. He is far and away the dominant note in the entire production. Whether "Disraeli" will have a wide appeal is dubious. The story is verbose and leans toward the weighty. Certainly it is not culled from the popular formula. Discriminating audiences will find much to interest them. The gumchewing contingents, however, will probably yawn and dub the proceedings a bit tiresome. K ANN