Celluloid : the film to-day (1931)

I98 CELLULOID patchwork of good animal shots obtained by Ernest Schoedsack and Meriam Cooper in the Sudan and a studio-made version of Mason's novel by Lothar Mendes. Unwilling to risk the success of the appeal of animals alone, Paramount considered the blending of this good material with a ridiculous mock-heroic story a necessity if the film was to make money. It is difficult to produce evidence of the short-sightedness of this policy, for so few films dealing with actual material in a proper manner have been rendered available to the general public. Flaherty's Moana and Grierson's Drifters are, of course, two outstanding examples. But even such conspicuous attempts to kill two birds with one stone as White Shadows in the South Seas and The Big Trail pale into insignificance with the arrival of the much-heralded Trader Horn. Despite its many faults and irritating lapses into false sublimity, this is nevertheless a film of exceptional interest, serving admirably to illustrate both good and bad principles of cinematography. Whatever else it may be, it is at least different from the superficial polish and artificiality of the customary American movie of the domesticated type, and for that one redeeming feature I am more than thankful. Before proceeding to investigate the merits and demerits of Trader Horn, there are points to be raised which concern the decision of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer to make a screen version of the adventures of Aloysius Horn, and moreover, the reason why they sent a production-unit to Africa when for their purpose the picture could probably have been made equally well