The American cinematographer (Oct 1933)

October 1933 • American Cinematographer 241 PHOTOGRAPHY of the Month “MELODY CRUISE” An R-K-0 Production Photographed by Bert Clennon Special effects by Vernon Walker, A.S.C. and Lynn Dunn. This is one of the most ingeniously- made musicals to emerge from an Ameri- can studio, lacking only two elements— an outstanding “hit” song and a real singing screen personality to sing it—to put the film into the smash-hit class. As it is, the picture is excellent entertain- ment, and thanks to directorial treatment patterned after the Rene Clair and UFA- musical schools, in which musical and filmic rhythms are cleverly combined, it is of real worth to students of screen craftsmanship. Bert Clennon’s photography is ex- tremely pleasing; he has gptten his hand well in again after his long vacation while directing. The outstanding feature of the film, however, is the special-effects work of Vernon Walker, A.S.C., and Lynn Dunn. “Melody Cruise” might, in fact, be better described as a solo for Optical Printer, accompanied by a film-troupe. Practically every transition in the picture is done on Messrs. Walker and Dunn’s Optical Printer—and they have not only used every trick hitherto imaginable, but invented half a dozen or so new ones of their own. It would take a complete vol- ume to catalogue even a few of these clever transitions—wipes, blends, whirls, melts, and the like—so the only thing to say is: if you want to see what a clever man can do with an Optical Printer, see “Melody Cruise!” But—let’s hope this doesn’t start a cycle of weird optical transitions; they suited this picture, but they would not by any means suit every story, musical or otherwise. “REUNION IN VIENNA” A Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Production Photographed by Cecrge Folsey, A.S.C. Excellent entertainment for both eye, fear and brain, “Reunion in Vienna” is, <cinematographically speaking, a first- ' class illustration of Cinematographer Fol- : sey’s recent article on photographing white sets. Practically all of the impor- ' tant action takes place on pure white : sets, and Folsey’s decorative set-lighting uses these backgrounds as canvasses upon • which he skillfully paints with light and shade. The result is more than pleasing. As usual, Folsey’s treatment of the play- ers is equally artistic—especially in the case of Diana Wynyard. The film is also of more or less historical note as the first known screening of John Barrymore’s know as much how to tone down a star’s inordinate charm or attractiveness as how to enhance it. comparatively unknown left profile! It serves an excellent dramatic purpose, however; and demonstrates that there are times when a cinematographer must “I LOVED YOU WEDNESDAY” A Fox Production photographed by Hal Mohr, A.S.C. This production is in every way mis- cegenate (there is an anglo-saxon word even more applicable), and is an ex- cellent object-lesson in the folly of the co-director system. For one of the co- directors has apparently striven through- out for simplicity, while his fellow has gone out of his way to achieve super- sophistication and bizarre effects. This situation has naturally affected Hal Mohr’s cinemaphotography, which is, per- force, straightforward and bizarre by turns, though always maintaining Mohr’s accustomed technical excellence. It is interesting to note the technical means used to attain Elissa Landi’s much-pub- licized “change of personality”: exagger- ated lip-makeup and “harder” lighting. The highlights of the film—photogra- phically speaking—are the ballet and Boulder Dam sequences. The first is a very effective (and artistic) presentation of a difficult subject, and indicates what can be done in this direction by intelli- gently co-operating cinematographers and ballet-masters. At no time in this se- quence is one conscious (as is so fre- quently the case in dance-sequences) of the limitations of the screen: composi- tion, lighting, staging and cinematics are beautifully co-ordinated. The Boulder dam sequence, though distinctly news- reelesque photographically, is very dy- namically handled, and most effective. The process work here is fine, but un- even. The sound-recording throughout is below the usual Fox quality; the prob- lems of the recordist having abviously been heightened by extremely inept dia- log-dirertion. “F. P. ONE” Gaumont-British UFA Production, released by Fox All Technicolor Credits Omitted. Fox has seen fit to omit in their en- tirety the technical credits on “F. 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