American cinematographer (Nov 1921-Jan 1922)

6 THE AMERICAN CINEMATOGRAPH ER January 1, ]<>22 A Voice From Palestine Alvin Wyckoff, A. S. C, has received the following letter from Cecil de Freitas of the Lasky laboratory, who has been in the near East for several months: Just a few words about my trip to the Holy Land, and some of the photographic conditions that I found there, for I think they will be interesting to a brother cinematographer. Leaving New York on the Steamship Asia, seventh of September, nineteen twenty-one, we sailed to the Azore fsland St. Michel. Staying there a few hours we continued on our way to Lisbonne, where we spent a day and night, leaving early the next day for Jaffa, which is by no means a short run, but at last we arrived, the date being September 30th, 1921. Three weeks on a boat when one is not a sailor is a long time so I was very glad to see Jaffa. It is a very beautiful place to look at from the boat, which anchors about a mile from land, there being no harbor at Jaffa, just a straight coast line. But after anchoring one is not so sure he wants to go ashore, for when you get a close up of the Arab and his small boat and hear his brothers howling at one another in a language that sounds like it came from the depths of hell, you wonder. And you wonder more at his dress, which is a night shirt with a red sash around the middle, his lid being a fez. This is the dress of the Arab boat man. Undoubtedly you have heard that landing at Jaffa in a small boat is not all that it should be. Yes, that is true, but after riding on trains through that part of the country you do not think it is so bad, although when I reached the shore I was sure it was the roughest ride in the world. The next scene is in the custom house and they sure are "on the set" at eight-thirty, for they lay for you in every corner of the place, especially for cinematographers with films and cameras. I am sure of that and if the director of the custom house had not spoken English I know I would have been there yet. After getting a shot in the arm and having a fight with the Arab porter, for the gentleman wanted about ten dollars for his services of taking my trunk from the custom house to the hotel, about two blocks distant, I was sure that Palestine was right up with the times, and doubly sure when an Arab, who was the proud possessor of a "tin Lizzie." said he would take me to Jerusalem for about forty-five dollars, Jerusalem being only thirtythree miles away. The next morning was a busy one as the train left for Jerusalem at eleven forty-five and I had learned by this time that if you want your baggage to go with you it must be put on the train hours before you leave, for if if does not accompany you that is the last of it. Jerusalem is thirtyMhree miles by road and fifty-five miles by rail. The train takes six hours to make the run so when I arrived in Jerusalem it was dark, but it was a sight I shall always remember. The old wall of Jerusalem with Jaffa gate in front of me and every kind of face in the world passing through, with a light over all as strange as the faces and the thought of the history of it all. causes a feeling that no one could ever forget — for it is the Holy City. Sunday being the day after my arrival in Jerusalem mjade things work out very nicely for me, for, having nothing to do, I wcni to the American Colony and was asked to have tea there, and it certainly seemed nice to be with American people once more. I will also say that if you are ever in Jerusalem and want help or waul Id buy something go to the American Colony or to the American stores for they will surely do the right thing by you. As for knowing the country, people and places of interest, the guide I had from the Colony was the best in Jerusalem for he had lived there for twenty years and spoke Arabic Hebrew. French and English. Monday morning my guide had an assistant for me — he was an Arab boy, but spoke some English and turned out to be a fine fellow, always on the job and strong as a horse. He would walk for miles carrying the camera, tripod and my small trunk, and never put them down. (The camera was a Pathe. t He told me his load was very light and I am sure it was for later I saw an Arab with a piano on his back. (I have a picture of it — will send it later or bring it, as I am sure it will be of interest). Our first day's work was in the old city of Jerusalem and so we had to walk to all of our locations. The streets are only a few feet wide and very dark, but luckily most of the locations were in a kind of a court like place and plenty of room to work. At four o'clock the same day we made our way to the Jews' Wailing Place, for it was New Year's Day, and there were hundreds gathered in a very small place making it impossible to shoot from any place but a roof. There were plenty of good places above, but in Jerusalem it is almost impossible to get on a roof for the natives are very much afraid of a camera, but my guide came to the rescue (as he did many times after), and got a fairly good location after having a long talk with the owner of a very fine roof. The Wailing Wall was soon shot, and we were walking back through the Jaffa Gate, heading for the hotel just a short ways off, in New Jerusalem, which is not a bad town at all. The hotel has electric lights, running water, and all modern conveniences, with a photo finishing place just across the street, where I ran my tests of the day's work and checked up on the light, finding that the actinic quality was not as good as that of Egypt, where [ later made tests. At the time of year I was in Palestine everything had about an inch of dust over it and the buildings are of dust color, so everything was very dull and dead looking. As for the possibility of good composition there is some, but you have to watch very closely or you will not see it for only here and there is a tree or a curved line that will take off the hard look which things have. Palestine is not very large, but there are a great many places to visit — Bethlehem. Hebron. Bethany, Jericho, the Jordan and the Dead Sea — in all these places there are many things of interest to photograph and the photographic conditions are about the same in all, dry, hot, dusty, and very barren, the light being intense, but actinicly poor. There is only one place where I found a good actinic condition, that was in Jericho, about twenty-one miles from Jerusalem, and the Dead Sea being only a few miles from Jericho, accounts for the better actinic condition there. I had two weeks of very interesting work through Palestine on exteriors and interiors (I should not say interiors for that was impossible with the cinema), but I did make eight by tens by giving from thirty to sixty minutes' exposure. In the church of the Nativity at Bethlehem, the manger is so dark that it takes a good hour exposure at F. 6.8. At the present time that is all that comes to my mind in the photographic line, but there is one other subject I would like to speak about — that is the comedy one sees on every side. When you see an Arab with a very small jackass and a load on that animal five times the size of the beast and the Arab trying with all his strength to push said beast through an opening three feet square you cannot help thinking of Mack Sennett and wonder what he would do if he were there with Ben and saw an Arab baker with pie plate shaped bread stacked on his head about five feet high and with a pail of water in each hand. I am sure there would be no need for a slow crank. Just one more thing — Why was I sent so far away from home? CECIL DE FREITAS. Harvey Motion Picture Exposure Meter Endorsed by leading Cameramen $2.00— Your dealer, or G. L. HARVEY 105 S. Dearborn St. Chicago ^ — V