The art of sound pictures (1930)

152 THE ART OF SOUND PICTURES men extend their desires to the far corners of the earth. They want houses, lands, yachts, rare and beautiful objects for their collections, and, in fact, every conceivable type of physical object which it is possible for a human being to possess. Desire places the person experiencing it completely under the control of the object which he desires for the time being, while, at the same time, he strives madly to dominate this object which is controlling his attention. One of the strongest elements of almost every story plot, whether for novel, stage, or screen, is desire. The heroine may yearn for clothes, good times, or social prestige. The hero may long for automobiles, high scholastic marks, or control of a tremendous commercial enterprise. The audience understands, and is thoroughly sympathetic with, any normal desire expressed by story heroes. And the screen writer should remember that the thing desired must be shown gripping the emotions of the character so that he cannot escape, while, at the same time, he drives forward with all his force to dominate and possess the thing which controls him. Satisfaction Satisfaction, like desire, is composed of compliance and dominance, with compliance, curiously enough, the controlling element. If you watch a young infant taking his nourishment from a bottle, you can easily observe a transition from eager, restless activity, expressive of desire, to quiet, relaxed enjoyment of the last portion of the meal. This is the normal transition from desire to satisfaction. As the child’s dominance over food increases, the food controls his activities more and more from within. Once