Motion Picture News (Oct 1913 - Jan 1914)

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Mvtsic and the A Picture J^H^ p^ijj,iuJr^ Suggestions Invited, Questions Cheerfully Answered Address: Music Department, The Motion Picture News THE exhibitor is very inconsistent. He wants a daily change of program, with no repeaters; he will even refuse a film already shown in his town, but how about music? Music to him is of no consideration, as long as his musicians can make some no.se, and he does not care if the noise is the same each day of the week. The musicians can repeat over and again the same selections played at other theatres. They can play the same selections day after day, week after week, month after month, and even several times during the same show. In other words, they have the same march for all pictures where such music is desired, the same plaintive selection for a death scene, the same hurry-up music, etc. If the exhibitor is indifferent to this perpetual repetition of the same tunes, the patrons are very much bored, and their only relief is to go to different theatres. The Herald Square Theatre has the reputation of having a very good orchestra, and the reputation is well earned, as too often the music carries away the audience without the least respect for the picture. The Herald Square Theatre has a delicious orchestra for an open-air concert or a summer park, where much flaring of brass instruments and bass drums is necessary to overcome the street noise. As to motion picture music, I do not believe that the orchestra of the Herald Square Theatre is just the thing. On Wednesday, October 1st, during the film of Essanay, "A Ray of God's Sunshine," the orchestra played such a lively overture, in the Wagner style, that the audience, forgetting the poor little girl on her bed of suffering with the mother in agony at the thought of the father spending in a saloon the dollar given him so kindly by the doctor to buy the necessary medicine, applauded the music. It was a real Wagner selection, starting with a terrible crash of the cymbals, of the drums and of all the brass instruments. Yes, the audience forgot all the decency, and even the sight of the sickbed did not temper the admiration of certain persons for such an orchestra. A proof that such music distracts the attention from the screen. Certain persons seem to go to a motion picture show not to look at pictures but to listen to music. A mighty poor taste, as generally no new music is heard and too many selections are repeated the same day. The lovers of Wagner music, after the first part of the film, gradually realized their applause was out of place and general attention was then drifted from the music to the screen. At nearly the end of the film, an enthusiast of noisy music tried to applaud, but when he found no response he did not insist but flushed and seemed ill at ease for having tried to call an encore. I am not the only one to pass such a remark, as a gentleman called to see me to express his indignation and to ask me if there was not a way to infuse a little common sense in either the manager or the orchestra leader. It seems to be Wagner week at the Herald Square theatre, as every day the cymbals, drums and brass instruments make enough noise to drive anyone crazy. I cannot blame the manager as he is a very wise and well-intentioned gentleman, and fearing that his audience could be annoyed by either the Salvation Army or the political speakers holding meetings every evening at the corner of Broadway and Thirty-fifth street, he has ordered his orchestra to make an abuse of drums, cymbals and brass instruments, to drown the noise from the street. At the same theatre and during the same evening, the scientific film of the Pathe Freres, "Oxygen," was shown. It was a most remarkable series of experiments, not only very interesting but educative. A perfect silence on the part of the orchestra would have been more preferable than the noisy music, especially dur ing the experiments with the mouse, to show to the public that we cannot exist without oxygen. I may not understand the goodhearted dispositions of Mr. Drummer, who when he saw the poor mouse turn over on its back in the jar, for lack of oxygen, brought down his arm with all its might on his cymbals and his foot on the pedal of the bass drum, to wake up the poor mouse and try to bring the little animal back to life. Too bad, but the efforts of the drummer and of his faithful companions, the brass instruments, did not operate the desired miracle and the mouse would have died if the scientist had not been merciful enough to open the jar and introduce some exygen. The tail of the Pathe production was scenic views of "Along the Padas River," and there was nothing in the film to warrant a noisy music. In fact, a softer music would have been more in harmony with this beautiful scenery. It is always the same question. The exhibitor allows himself to be guided by a few noisy patrons and ignores the sentiments of the majority. There is no doubt that the manager of the Herald Square theatre praised himself on having secured such a good Wagner orchestra when he heard one hundred patrons applaud the music during the dramatic film of the Essanay Company, and said to himself: "What the public wants." Now, if the manager had taken the trouble to take a seat in the audience and to listen to some of the comments, or study the faces of the other spectators, he would have found that for one hundred who had applauded at least five hundred patrons were much dissatisfied. FREE MUSIC FOR PIANISTS who play pictures, sent for 2 cent stamp. Get new songs, marches, waltzes, etc. FREE SMITH Sc BROWNE, Inc. 222 W. 46TH ST., NEW YOHK CITY