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And. in each case the novel treatment evolved made the picture. For example: Lewis Milestone succeeded in maintaining such an amazingly fast tempo in "The Front Page" that the rapid-fire dialogue took the place of action.
Realism has always been the keynote of the motion picture. In the development of the old silent movies the successful directors stressed realism so thoroughly that there was little left to the imagination. By blending story, pantomimic acting, direction and photography we painted a picture so clearly, so realistically that the audiences could relax and enjoy themselves.
When the sound invention came along, and the element of the human voice was added, realism was temporarily forgotten. Apparently everyone concentrated upon dialogue. Plays were photographed and directed exactly as they were presented on the stage. Naturally, the results were mediocre. Most of the early pictures of this type were incoherent, unimaginative and deadly dull.
Audiences became distracted and bored with the torrent of words which poured from the mouths of actors on the screen. Gone was the enjoyment and relaxation of watching the artistic beauty and realism of pantomime. Audiences left the theatres exhausted from being forced to listen so intently to every word in order to get the meaning of the story. And, often they left the theatres confused and disgruntled. They missed the realism that had been the keynote of the motion picture.
However, in defense and praise of the picture-makers I must say that no time was lost in finding out and correcting what was wrong.
It took at least a decade to develop the old silent picture to a state of near-perfection, and I feel that the picture industry has succeeded in developing the new type of motion picture to a much higher standard of entertainment in a short three years. And this work was and is being done during the worst years of business depression we have ever had in this country.
Today, the successful motion picture blends the component elements of the art — story, dialogue, acting, direction and photography — in a well-balanced manner. No one element can be sacrificed for the sake of the other. Once again we are presenting pictures so realistically that the audiences can relax and enjoy themselves.
Dialogue is becoming as human and realistic as the acting. For example: in my opinion, the dialogue written by Edmund Burke in F'rank Borzage's production of Vina Delmar's "Bad Girl" is the epitome of humanness and realism.
In closing, a word must be said in praise of the remarkable development in the mechanics as well as the technique of the new motion picture. Sound equipment has become so improved during the past two or three years that picture-makers would be sad failures indeed if they had failed to keep pace with these wonderful inventions.
For the coming year, 1932, I will venture to predict that the musical picture will come back: stage traditions will be discarded, and realism will reign supreme.