The educational screen (c1922-c1956])

From Hollywood 147 eenly felt. Still, the success of the pic- ture was probably due less to the innova- tion than to the popularity of the poem Dr the star. So, though he may some day ry another poe'm-picture without titles, he oelieves that for the ordinary story there ire some things which the picture itself can lot express, and that the title will never be entirely done away with. Mr. Ray, too, eans toward the illustrated title, as a lance into his artist's sanctum shows. Comedy titles, say those who know, are harder to write than any other kind, and the explanation is a psychological one. Laughter is mental—tears are emotional: you will yourself to laugh if a thing is funny, but if it is sad or pathetic, your emotional response comes without any effort of will, and usually in spite of it. So comedy in any form is much harder to 'put over" than a serious idea. The true comedian is just as much an inspired genius as the great painter or musician, and hence quite as rare. Consequently much of the so-called comedy of the screen is really very dreary stuff that needs the condiment of exceedingly clever titles to make it at all palatable. Observed from a purely mechanical standpoint, the title takes on much more of importance than the casual movie-goer is disposed to assign it. It makes its first appearance in the continuity or "script," where it is written in whenever the con- tinuity writer deems it necessary as a guide to the action and speeches as later developed by the director. Then, after the picture has been "shot" and the film has been cut down to the correct footage, the original titles are filmed and inserted in the designated places. The assembled whole is run off for the members of the editorial department, which nearly always includes the director. Together they re- vise the titles, eliminating, rewriting, elaborating, until after repeated reviewings, the final titles are agreed upon. Different studios vary this procedure to some extent. They may turn the entire job of titling over to one person—that one naturally an expert. And many are the films that have been pulled from the slough of mediocrity or worse, by the un- aided efforts of a clever title-writer. The director himself may do the titling, as is often the case with independent producers. Whatever the method, the titles finally do get written, and it may take seven days —or seven months. That depends on the type of picture, and its length, and on the producer. Production Notes A PROMISING sign appears in the plans of a number of producers to re-film old stories. Pictures that appeared when the industry was new and facilities crude, are to be given the production they deserve. THE Goldwyn company plans to make Hall Caine's "The Christian," which will be filmed in England under the di- rection of Maurice Tourneur. Mary Pick- ford will make over her own "Tess of the Storm Country." Rex Ingram, having finished "The Prisoner of Zenda," will make "Black Orchids," which was one of his own early efforts. Norma Tal- madge hopes to make a new and spec- tacular version of "The Garden of Allah," and Nazimova has already given us her interpretations of "Camille," "The Doll's House," and "Salome," all of which had appeared in pictures before. VITAGRAPH has secured the rights to Booth Tarkington's Pulitzer Prize novel, "The Magnificent Amber- sons." This deserves more at the hands of the "movies" than Tarkington has re- ceived of late.