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Ten
AMERICAN CINEMATOGRAPHER
January, 1925
The Editors' Lens focused by foster goss
Encouragement and Cinematography
CJTo Rafael Sabatini, as the winner, and to Adolph Zukor, as the donor, of the $10,000 award for the best motion picture story of the 1923-24 season, the American Cinematograper pays its respects — to Mr. Sabatini for his ability to write such a story as "Scaramouche" ; and to Mr. Zukor, for the plan of the prize in the first place. Incidentally, the American Society of Cinematographers may justly be proud of the fact that the screen version of the Sabatini story was filmed by John F. Seitz, chief cinematographer for Rex Ingram, and Victor Milner, Seitz's associate on the production. Both are members of the A. S. C.
CflWe would not for a minute take the negative side of the proposition that "the play is the thing," but rejoice in the initiative and the generosity, as displayed by Mr. Zukor, that has given Mr. Sabatini's genius a reward that it so richly deserves. But it does seem passing strange — with no intent to cast aspersions in any direction — that nothing in the nature of an award similar to that of Mr. Zukor has ever been so handsomely proferred encourage the most fundamental thing about motion pictures — namely, cinematography.
^lt is not carping to point out, and we do so without apology, that a great screen story like Sabatini's "Scaramouche" would be useless for effective screen purposes if it were not for the tremendous strides that cinematography has made — without any extrinsic encouragement whatsoever. It does appear paradoxical that nothing has been done in the way of the Zukor award to spur on cinematography — which must, being basic, define, in in the future as in the past, the limits of maximum motion picture effort.