Motion Picture News (Oct-Dec 1929)

1210 Motion Picture N c w. s The Question of the Hour is — When Will the "New Era of Greater Films on Bigger Screens" Arrive? ADVERTISING on a huge sign across the front of the Gaiety Theatre on Broadway, and large space displays in the NewYork newspapers, heralded the showing of the Grandeur Pictures, offered for a limited run of two weeks opening September 17th. as the "Motion Pictures of the Future." And the film trade, as well as the reviewers for the newspapers, appeared to have no quarrel with the advertiser who coined that catchline — for the "big screen" accomplished nut by means of magnification in the projector but with a wider film, is looked upon as the next development that will find general application in the making of motion pictures. The question which interests motion picture men is "when will these 'motion pictures of the future' arrive at the point where we will have to make provision for their presentation in our theatres?" And the answer to that, as well as to many other problems that will rise to confound studio men. lighting engineers, cameramen, laboratory men. sound engineers, theatre architects, theatre owners, and theatre projectionists, must be answered by the future and the future only. Certain it is from demonstrations of the three wider than standard film processes which have been given — S] ir Breggen Natural Vision, controlled by RCA; Paramount Magnafilm; and box Grandeur — that the means and methods to make motion pictures on a bigger scale and under a new standard have been developed well beyond the laboratory stage and are ready for commercial application as soon as production on the new apparatus and studio programs can be laid out to pi films of the new dimensions. The three processes mentioned use three different sizes of film. The Paramount Magnafilm is 56 mm wide; the Spoor 63 mm wide: and Fox Grandeur 70 mm wide. That, eventually, there will Standard adopted there 1* no doubt. lint this, too, according to those who. representing di ! organizations ' : ned. 111 a e01111nerei.il \va\ . v> welfare of the industry, i something that cannot be brought about in the room, the studio or the experimental labiry. This becomes plain when eon 0 the factors involved. The producers of the picture require 1 spai i' in which to compose theii GRANDEUR PICTURES TAKE YOU INTO THE FUTURE TO REVEAL A NEW ERA IN GREATER MOTION PICTURES TWO WEEKS ONLY i Thrd DiMiii I ' GRANDEUR dm M oUifi ««. It r»» lu bvmd r-. IV M fib* n-«. in. -W4 V A. 1 r nri-*rJ * » *■ «•*» •c GRANDEUR PICTURES FOX MOVIETONE FOLLIES OF IS|29 TUESDAY EVENINC. SEPT. I7ik. II 8.30 Imagine the tieil thai iwtib you who you ~ GRANDEUR PICTURES togethe. wiifc FOX MOVIETONE projeefed on ■ Krees the full width of A theme ttage. GRANDEUR DOES FOR VISION WHAT FOX MOVIETONE DOES FOR S0UNDI U Gaiety Thea. CRA.NDECR PICTURES One of thp newspaper ads heralding "Grandeur Pictures" at the Gaiety theatre. New York, as "the motion pictures of the fiiure" scenes — they know that. But what is the itleal based on the requirements of all? is something upon which agreement cannot be readied at present. The sound engineers can obtain better results with a wider sound track than is used at present but, again, exactly what size of track will serve all purposes? It is the same with the laboratory man, and with all others whose specialized work must be idered in developing a new standard For films. Then there arc the other factorof work already accomplished, investments made, in those processes now about foi commercial application. Dif ices are the outcome of different objectives of the different specialists who developed the systems, and until their completed work is given a fair chance in I application at the theatres and have fail trial b\ producers and directors in actual production and presentation before the public, these differences which exist between one process or method and another will continue to be supported It is the opinion of many that the wide film will be simply a repetition of sound, in that public demand will be created for this or that system as. a result of some outstandingachievement that will bring one system or the other to the fore with a rush. The theatre itself is the place where standards will be developed, which means that before wide film is generally used there will be several special showings in a limited number of big houses spotted here and there about the country. What the po] Hilar reaction to die bigger screen will be in all quarters is indicated by comments in New York papers on the Grandeur showing at the Gaiety Theatre. Quinn Martin, photoplay editor of the New York World, sees wide film pictures as demonstrated at the Gaiety as a natural "and, therefore, an unavoidable development in picture-play making," and he is "obliged to conclude that these fullsized film screens will replace the former ones for the simple reason that they make for something a great deal more lifelike and dramatic." And in his comment regarding the effect of the development on the industry, and particularly the theatre-. Mr. Mart n sees the device as something that will turn the whole exhibitorial branch as completely over as did the sound films. "Now," he adds in this connection, "that Movietone and Vitaphone have just about got themselves lodged comfortably in the balconv and backstage, up comes another noble sti progrc- to start the poor showman's winter off with a bang — in the nose." Rose Pelswick, New York Evening Journal, said "It's all a very grand idea, and a much needed one. too; for besides the fact that it gives promise of stereoscopic photography, Grandeur film takes in a greater visual ana than was possible before." "Not since the premiere of 'The Big Parade' has so much enthusiasm and comment been aroused among those connected with films ;. there was last night during the intermission at the Gaiety," said Mordaunt I fall in his review of the opening published in the New York Times of Septenihcr [8, Suggestion that the present standard is a thing of the pa-t crops up in discussion of the Grandeur picture presentation by Creighton Peet in his article in the Xew 1 ontinued on page 1 245)