American cinematographer (Jan-Dec 1941)

BUSINESS MOVIES UNSUNG HEROES. Advertising-documentary, 1200-feet Kodachron e, >und. Pn ented by Westinghouse Electrical Mfg. I Produced by The Calvin Co. Recorded on Berndt-Maurer 16mm. recording equipment; Kodachrome duping by The Calvin Co. IF this picturization of the making and inspections of a Westinghouse refrigerator were in 35mm. Technicolor and bore the name of some top-flight Hollywood major studio like MGM on its credit-title, it might be possible to find enough minor technical flaws to make this review critical and interesting. But "Unsung Heroes" is an example of 16mm. all the way through — photography, sound, special-effects, etc. — so we can only say it is the most completely professional example of 16mm. production our reviewers have ever screened. From start to finish the film has the sort of professional smoothness you expect in a Hollywood major-studio production, but seldom encounter in 16mm. business films. It starts out with a beautifully professional example of prescoring— a lip-synchronized dolly-shot of a "gay 90's" couple riding a "bicycle built for two" and singing. From this delightful opening, while technique and continuity encounter harder going as they tackle the problem of explaining the manufacture and testing of electrical refrigerators to the general audience, the film carries on excellently and interestingly. Only a few critical suggestions come to mind; none of them of major importance. We would suggest, though, that since the sequence in which the housewife and the manufacturer are shown in close shots asking themselves questions follows the opening, lip-synchronized sequence so closely, these shots should also have been lip-synchronized. Also, in some of the office scenes of darkclothed men around a conference-table, a bit more light on their clothes (possibly from arcs, if such were available) would have been helpful; similarly more rim-lighting on people shown against dark backgrounds would make them stand out better. But in general, "Unsung Heroes" is outstanding. The special photographiceffects — optical wipes, montages, etc., could not have been bettered in a Hollywood studio. The sound track is without doubt the finest recording we have yet heard on 16mm. While a rather light track, it none the less had almost double the volume cither our reviewers or the projectionist (an experienced 16mm. sound engineer) had ever before heard from a 16mm. track. The quality was excellent, and the volume-levels perfect ly uniform from start to finish — hie,'h tribute to an excellent re-recording job of the sort seldom seen in 16mm. The Kodaehrome-dupe sound print was the finest we've yet seen. Photography of the Month Continued from Page 375) ducer Jesse Lasky worked and waited patiently for 22 years for an opportunity to bring it to the screen — and we can be thankful for every minute of that delay, for the "Sergeant York" that 1941's artistic and technical advances made possible is an infinitely better and more moving document than the best 1919 could have done. The production camerawork is in itself a tribute to what today's technical resources made it possible for Director of Photography Sol Polito, A.S.C., to do. With the exception of an incredibly few establishing and atmospheric shots, all of these scenes — including the remarkably convincing farm and mountain exteriors of the Three Forks of the Wolf — were filmed indoors on Warner Bros.' huge Stage 7. And there could hardly be a more convincing demonstration of the value of today's methods and resources, to say nothing of the great technical and artistic skill of Cinematographer Polito, than the way these sequences appear on the screen. They are all dramatically important, and thanks to the way they were made on the stage, Polito has been able to control every factor of composition and lighting to bring to each scene the maximum dramatic effect, and do it in a way far superior to anything that could have been done outdoors, especially on location. The storm sequences are noteworthy examples of their kind, and among the most convincing storms we've ever seen on the screen. Again, filming these scenes on the stage proved conclusively superior to anything that could have been done outside. Polito's camera-treatment of the story itself is outstanding, though it will inevitably be generally overlooked because of the outstanding character of story and performances, and even because of the great technical achievements Polito has accomplished in filming his exteriors as he has. Yet his camera-treatment is magnificently keyed to the mood of his story — the story of a simple man who struggled mightily with himself and finally did great things. Polito's treatment is appropriately simple, too. Yet it is forceful: it etches each char-acter strongly7 and unforgettably, though without any trace of theatricality. The photographic direction of the battle sequences could not have been entrusted to more capable hands than those of Arthur Edeson, A.S.C. His past experience on many notable films of this type make it certain that his contribution would be noteworthy: but we doubt if even he has achieved more greatly on such scenes than he does in this production. He has avoided all the photographic cliches of conventional World War I battle scenes, and kept his treatment, like Polito's, perfectly matched to the simple, sincere character of the story. Yet these scenes rank as being more exciting than many a more-pub) licized film battle. A great deal of credit must be giveij Art Director John Hughes, whose v. r'on the sets — including those specta stage-built exteriors — is of the highesi order. Much praise, too, must be givei Director Howard Hawks who in "Ser geant York" has turned out the sorf of picture the much more publicized 1 Frank Capra intended to in "John Doe' — and didn't. Frankly, we want to =e "Sergeant York" again, for it is one o: those rarely great films which shoul be seen and studied and enjoyed. FORCED LANDING PCA-Paramount Production. Director of Photographv: John Altoi A.S.C. Special Photographic Effects by: Fred H. Jackman, Jr., A.S.C. "Forced Landing" isn't one of thosi pictures that was blessed with a generous schedule and budget. Its cost could I probably be expressed in five figures, i and if its shooting schedule exceeded! a dozen days we'd be very much surprised. But thanks to the artistic skill I and careful pre-production planning that Director of Photography John Alton, A.S.C, and Director Gordon Wiles brought to its making, it can hold its own in company 'way out of its actual class. About the onlyr thing that stamps it as one of Hollywood's lesser products is some uncommonly banal dialog. But from the strictly cinematic poi: of view, "Forced Landing"' is a picture that deserves study. It is uncommonly impressive visually; every scene is a better-than-usual composition which is not only pleasing to the eye, but dramatically forceful. To the studiotrained eye, it is also an absorbing object-lesson in what skilled creators can do to wiring "production value" out of microscopic physical resources. Cinematographer Alton's contribution is excellent. He handles his people very favorably — no small task when working on a quickie schedule — and makes the most of every pictorial opportunity. Some day some astute producer is going to give that man Alton an "A" picture — maybe even a well-nourished "B" — and we're likely to see a new photographic star on the horizon! The special-effects work by Fred Jackman, Jr., A.S.C, is another highlight of the film — infinitely superior to the indifferent process-work on the same producers' earlier "Power Dive.'* With the single exception of one scene in which Jackman was forced to use a background-plate reversed from right to left, his contribution is of definitely major-studio calibre. All told. "Forced Landing'' is both technically and artistically a credit to all concerned — and entertaining, to boot. THE STARS LOOK DOWN Grafton Film: "MGM Release (Produced in England.) Directors of Photography: Mutz Green baum and Henry Harris. .'•'.Mi August, 1941 American Cinematographer