The Film Renter and Moving Picture News (May-Jun 1923)

6 THE FILM RENTER & MOVING PICTURE NEWS. No Sunday Trade Shows! HEAR tentative plans are being made for the prémicre of a certain well-known production to be given on a Sunday evening in July. I sincerely hope that the promoters of this film will reconsider their decision and show the film in the ordinary way, either in the morning or afternoon of a week day. Surely, viewers in this industry work hard enough without having to come up on a Sunday to see films, and in July, when there is a chance of getting a little fresh air, it is particularly annoying to have to leave home and journey up purposely to see a film which could quite easily be shown on another day. I am making this appeal before the definite date is announced, in the hope that the promoters of this production will realise the hardship that they are inflicting upon a hard working body of men. Famous Players in Canada. HE Famous-Players Canadian Corporation of Toronto have just bought the thirty-five theatres of the famous Allen Brothers’ circuit, and now control a chain of no less than sixty-five theatres, stretching from coast to coast in the dominion of Canada. The purchase price paid by Famous-Players is said to be in the neighbourhood of £130,000, with an initial cash payment of £10,000, which is certainly an extraordinarily low price to pay for a circuit of this character. I understand that the reason for this is that Allens had only short leases upon several of these theatres, but it is certain that this purchase makes Famous Players a very powerful entity in Canada, A Contradiction. 66 NEMIES OF WOMEN ”’ continues to draw E excellent attendances ut the Empire Theatre. where it will continue to run indefinitely, and T am assured that when a successor is needed, the next picture will be Miss Marion Davis in ‘‘ Little Old New York.’’ ‘his is a Cosmopolitan production, and has not yet been shown in America. By the way, I am glad to contradict the continued statements in the American Press that Miss Marion Davis is in this country as up to the moment I can confidently suy she has not yet arrived, and, I hear, is not likely to come for some time. Voice and Vision. HE manner in which scientific minds everywhere are applying themselves to the technical development of the kinematograph is exemplified in the article in the Technical Supplement to this issue of Ta Firm Rewer, wherein are described the latest attempts to provide a speaking film. The remarkable featwre of these new steps lies in the fact that almost simultaneously in countries so far apart us Germany and America entirely independent experimenters have been working along almost exactly similar lines in their attempt to produce upon the film itself markings which may be translated into sound values. Both the American and the German achievement are of equal importance, and the only reason why the German experiment is detailed at greater length is that the stery is more lucidly detailed. Dr. Lee de Forest’s suecess with wireless amplifiers is well known, and it would seem at last that a principle has been discovered which shovld mark a new and important step in this direction. A New Manifestation. OST people are already familiar with the two manifestations of electricity as light and power, and the German physicists and Dr. Lee de Forest have so controlled electric current as to convert sound June 30, 1923. into vision and vision back into sound. Obviously this method of making the film itself carry its own sound values in another form, ready for retranslation when the moment arrives, is an achievement of great potency. It will, of course, only be possible to get these values when the language of the patrons is that of the artistes acting in the film, and thus the film in that respect, at all events, will not have the same international appeal as one without possibilities of speech. Nevertheless, it is a sincere testimony to the efforts of scientists to impreve the value of the film, and the further development of the idea will be eagerly watched. The Strife of Tongues. OW that we are promised a film version of ‘‘ Don Quixote,’’ the question of the pronunciation of the title of Cervantes’ great novel becomes a matter of moment. Most of us remember the struggle which British tongues had with ‘“ Rheims ’’ during the war when the word we had so long, rhymed with “streams ’’ assumed all kinds of horrible varieties of prenunciation until in despair we were driven back again Upon “* reems.”’ Now, the highbrow pronounces ** Quixote ’’ something like ‘‘ Ke-ho-te,”” although when he uses 6 In adjectival form he does not disdain to call ‘* quik-sot-ic.’’ The average man will probably pronounce it as it is written, and let the highbrow carry on in bis own Way. Loce Ang-el-ess. ND talking of pronunciation, what is the proper A pronunciation of Los Angeles? The city librarian of that city has burst into poetry in an endeavour to present it in its proper vocal form. He says there are fourteen different pronunciations, and continues: The lady would remind you, please, Her name is not Lost Angie Lees, Nor Angie anything whatever, She hopes her friends will be so clever To share her fit historic pride— The ‘‘g”’ should not be jellified. “O” Tong, “¢” hard, and rhyme with “yes,” That’s all about Loce Ang-el-ess. It seems as though the safest pronunciation of Los Angeles is Hollywood. A French ‘‘ Ole Bill.’’ R. A. G. GRANGER must be commended for the enterprise he displays in securing pictures with a variety of uppeal. His latest acquisition is entitled ‘* Ole Bill of Paris.’ This film was originally known as ** Crainquebille,”’ from the story by the famous French author, Anatole France, and has been produced by the director of ‘Atlantide.’”’ ‘‘ Ole Bill of Paris ”’ is portrayed by the famous French actor, Maurice Feyder. and the part was originally played by Mr. Arthur Bourchier in this country some years ago, under the title of ‘‘ Down Our Alley."" The sub-titles have been written by the we'l-known humourist, Mr. Pett Ridge, and it is interesting to nete that Mr. Samuel L. Rothapfel, when he was in this country, made a special point of seeing this picture as he had booked it for the Capitol, New York. Mr. Rothapfel was delighted with the picture, and Mr. Granger is hoping that his feelings will be shared : by the majority of exhibitors in this country.