Motion Picture News (Oct-Dec 1927)

December 30 , 19 27 2015 Inside Slants on the Industry PICTURES AND PEOPLE The l^Iirrors of Filmdom IT seems, according to the supreme court of the boxoffice, that our editorial estimate of "Love," recently printed on this page, was not high enough. After looking at the picture, we doubted whether it would he a great success with the public. The drawing-power of the GilbertGarbo team was plainly evident, but the picture itself seemed to us not so good, viewed as a whole. But the box-office at the Embassy Theatre, New York, says otherwise, and we cheerfully record the fact — at the instigation, by the way, of nobody but ourselves. The picture is a great hit. One reason we know that, is because, for the first time in the history of the Embassy, the ticket agencies arc handling seats; and the agencies don't do that for any film attraction short of the box-office best. It's a sell-out. A real success. The public says so, and the public decides. Like a good many other "naturals,'* this picture came in with little heralding, and no blare of trumpets. It's "there," and we arc happy to see that it is. # # # /^\NE of our Coast srmiis advise-, us tn be I'll the lookout for two pictures, which, he sa}rs, are going to make screen history. One is "Four Sons," a Fox production, and the other 'is "The Trail of '98," Hearing completion by M-G-M. We have no first hand knowledge, but what our scout tells us is very interesting. According to this information, both are likely to be big, without any question. It is well-known, of course, that the Fox forces are pushing vigorously ahead with production, and they are enthusiastic over the merits of several pictures, "Four Sons," previously titled "Grandma Bernle Learns Her Letters." being figured as one of the biggest. We hear equally interesting things aboul "The Trail of '98," and it would not surprise us if it, too, lived up in every respect to our scout's forecast. # # # C TILL further on the subject of advance information on pictures: Elmer Pearson returns from a trip to the Coast, and calls attention to a group of Pathe films which he believes will be well worth watching. The first is "Chicago," which follows "The King of Kings** into the Gaiety Theatre, New York, this week, and of which we print a preview estimate by Edwin Schallerl in this issue. Others mentioned bv Mr. Pearson are: "The Night Elver.** "Stand and Deliver"; "Let *Er Go, Gallegher*'; "The Red Mark.* "Skyscraper," " Flic Blue Danube" and "The Bride of the Colorado.** the Bathe-Bray picture being made in the ( »rand Canyon. Mr. Pearson is also enthusiastic over the selection of new pictures for next year's program about which he conferred with studio officials. # * # TT is always well to bear in mind that the motion picture has * by no means readied its final state of perfection, in any direct inn. There is plenty of room for advancement — in t he technique of presentation, for example. What we mean is very clearly borne out by the new technical device of the triple, screen, used in France by Abel Gance, in his screening of "Napoleon." The description of this invention was given at length in a special dispatch to the New York Evcniny World, the other day. We quote from it : "The triple screen is an extremely simple invention. It is surprising that it has not been introduced before. It is perhaps a case of necessity creating the' Organism. And it was actually through necessity that M. Gance was led to search in that direction. In the past he lias often complained over the dimensions of the ordinary screen. When he was called upon to produce a mob scene he was compelled to reduce the scale to such an extent that individual players became, scarcely visible. Hence the idea to double and triple the screen when the need arose, as in 'Napoleon.' "The effect is formidable and absolutely new. A whole battle can practically be seen at a glance in this manner. In the burning of the French fleet in Toulon harbor, flaming ships stretch from the one side of three screens to the other, a width of sixty feet. It gives an impression of the magnitude of Napoleon's forces when the armies of Italy sweep by in magnificent review over the parade ground. "The scale of the close-up is maintained in mob scenes, as, for example, in the case of Waterloo. There is ampleness in the ensemble and no detail is lost. The Emperor and his staff can be seen distinctly at the same time that officers are organizing the last mad cavalry charge of the Corsican's career. Suddenly, they are off with sabres high in the air. saluting the sombre figure on the white horse as they thunder past into the jaws of hell. The eye follows them through the maze of battle until they break to pieces against the steel of the scpiares of British redcoats. "The triple screen opens a field to a thousand possibilities. The famous Russian directors Eisenstein and Alexander Ivanoffsky are in Paris to witness the first public production. As the Soviet films so far have specialized in scenes where a great number of people were shown at the same time these men were the more interested. They also had felt the need of an enlargement of the projection area. "The screening with a triple projection area does not compare in difficulty with the filming. A thousand new obstacles come in the way hitherto unknown in the industry. The lamps for the three photographing machines must he of the same strength and the perspective and distances must be equalized to a degree of utmost precision. "The objection that the triple screen will be practicable only in scenes of extended operation does not hold water. It might and will also serve for the drama and the psychological film where no development of mob action is required. One will be able to follow the interior drama, the subconscious actions of the hero simultaneously with his exterior actions and not successively as is the practice now in showing such films. The film of the future will be more in the nature of a piece of music, with the theme in the centre and on both sides a development of the harmonies and the accompaniment. It will lie a sort of visible symphony, so to speak. " • • • rP HOSE "iii the knots"" are prophesying that I niversal ■will get sonic very fine exploitation \alue from the Ziegfeld stage production of "Show Boat."* which has registered out of town and comes to New \ nrk on December 27. Ml reports are that Ziegfeld ha another winner, anil these Substantiated l>> tin fail that he i moving the bigbB successful "Rio Rita*' to the Lyric and replacing it at the Ziegfeld Theatre with "Show Boat." The picture rights to the book are. of eoni»e. held b\ Universal, and preparation are under waj bj llarrx Bollard for it* filming on the Coast. V long run for the stage