American cinematographer (Oct 1933)

244 American Cinematographer • October 1933 announcing New Hugo Meyer TELEPHOTO LENSES TELE - MECOR F 5.5 7 ” 10 ” 12 ” 16 ” These new and powerful Tele-Megor Lenses are compact objectives of fixed separation telephoto construction. To illustrate this compactness—their focal lengths are almost double the actual distance between rear lens and film. The general corrections for astigmatism, color, and spherical aberration have been carried out to the highest degree resulting in unusually brilliant, sparkling negatives of exceptionally critical definition. Literature on Request HUGO MEYER & CO. 245 West 55th Street New York Uses 6 Photoflood High Efficiency Bulbs. Current Draw Only 9.37 Amps. 3500 Watts Efficiency Adjustable Height 41/2 to 7 Feet Lamp House Set Any Angle Thru 180 De- grees. Built-In Dimming Switch Permits Half Voltage During Prep- arations. 12 Foot Connecting Cord. Price $22.50 See at Your Dealers or Write for Details t J. C HAILE & SONS Motion Picture Dept. 215 Walnut St. Cincinnati. Ohio. Voice and Personality In the Motion Pictures Ivah L. Bradley* ** In the days of the silent motion pic- tures it seemed to us that the person- alities of the actors were more vivid. The acting was perhaps not so smooth, but the actors conveyed to us more of tihem- selves. They had to, for they had only the visible expressions of face and body with which to appeal to our eyes and emotions. We received the impression and remembered it. In some respects Char- lie Chaplin is wise: you do not forget him; you always see him in front of you, and can recall his image immedi- ately. If you stop to think of it, you will find you can still easily recall cer- tain personalities of the silent films. They could not then rely upon the sound effects which are today so important; they had to make an effort to convey themselves clearly and completely by visual means alone. The majority of my friends seem about equally divided on the subject, but feel that while pictures today have attained a greater dramatic value, the personalities were more vivid in the silent films. The cacophony that came from the screen between the days of the silent film and those when sound effects be- came tolerable so lacerated our nerves and taxed our endurance that in our re- lief we have perhaps forgotten how we felt about the silent film. Then came this immediate and imperative need to charm the ears as well as the eyes of the public. Let us admit at once that the motion picture industry has met this need more quickly, in a more progressive and, let us hope, more scientific manner, than any other group having a vital interest in the field of vocal education. How- ever, in attempting to change so quickly their concept of the movie actor’s voice, the motion picture industry has lost sight of the most important element for en- hancing the beauty of vocal tone. It is certain that the public, and per- haps the motion picture producer, is aware that some subtle essence is slip- ping from some of the artists that no one yet seems to have been able to discover, for very many movie stars gradually slip down the same decline One actor after another enters Hollywood a vital human being, only to become in a year or two a frozen creature who knows how to slither across the floor as the world’s most perfect mannikin, carrying her clothes perfectly, setting the fashions, displaying emotion in artificial, cold movements, speaking with an artificial, cold voice—they are all alike, the same ^Reprint from September, 1933, S. M. P. E. Journal. **New York, N. Y. mannerisms, the same manner of speech, the same kisses. The public is so tired of it, and I should think that the engin- eers who have to look at it every day, year in and year out, would explode in righteous wrath. To begin with, it is criminal to sup- press the natural release of genuine human emotion and to cover it with a meaningless artificiality. Have you for- gotten that real, sincere emotion is so much more beautiful? Ruth Chatterton used to thrill us, and we rushed to see her; now slbe is little more than her clothes. ‘‘She has lost something,” the people say. Norma Shearer is undeniably lovely, especially in ‘‘Smilin’ Through”; but she is always the same, and makes one feel that she is so conscious that every move is beautiful, that she works day and night, constantly, to improve the perfection of her every line and gesture. She is a perfect example of superficial beauty; nothing is ever disturbed, not even a hair. Her facial expressions, even when she is supposed to be deeply moved, are always calculated not to dis- turb her external shell of beauty. Per- haps she works in a room lined with mirrors; but so did Isadora Duncan, and she still retained her positive, creative vitality. Now let us turn to Katherine Hepburn —a vital creature, certainly. In ‘‘A Bill of Divorcement” she was strong, dra- matic, magnificent raw material. I ask you, what are you going to do with her? Even in her second picture she has al- ready lost some of her spontaneity. She has apparently two personalities: one masculine, with angular movements and a hard masculine voice; the other femin- ine, with a truly beautiful emotional feminine voice. The masculine expres- sion is a self-developed protection for her emotional sensibilities. I believe that if we could have an intimate talk with her we should find the roots of that protection in some bitter hurt to her soul in childhood, or in some childish desire to emulate the masculine virility of her brother. To try to eliminate the hard exterior by developing an artificial feminine svelteness will not solve the problem. Her real personality is ex- pressed by the rich, emotional feminine voice that she uses only a few times in the picture. I have bean told that without a doubt the producers realize that they have made a mistake in so quickly elevating her to stardom, and that now she is making an- other father-and-daughter picture with John Barrymore! I presume she will have to make father-and-daughter pic- tures for the rest of her life! And the New Movie magazine has already labelled