The Motion Picture and the Family (Oct 1934 - May 1937)

6 THE MOTION PICTURE AND THE FAMILY January 15, 1937 Lessons From The Movies (Continued from Page 3) group to understand how those qualities can be practiced constructively today. To stimulate discrimination in evaluating the methods of "making the west safe." The picture opens with a scene in the White House and a statement by Lincoln that "the west must be made safe." He never lived to explain how he thought this should be done. Would the methods which the picture portrays have had the approval of Mr. Lincoln? There is another scene in the east. A group of men decides to make big money from the sale of rifles to the Indians. What were the consequences of this decision? Are there men today who for wealth betray sacred trusts? Give examples. The hero of the photoplay is Bill Hickok. He is typical of many men who opened up the western country for the progress of modern civilization. What were the qualities of his character which fitted him for the part he played? Here are some of them — an unwavering loyalty to friends and the cause, a wholesome sentiment, indefatigable courage and quickness and sureness of action. There is an interesting contrast in the function of women in the western movement — Calamity Jane shared the burden of the men, thinking and acting with them; Mrs. Cody was the home-builder — refined, fearful, patient — appealing to men to stop fighting and to develop the resources of happy community life. Was there a place for both types in the early days of the west? Is there a place for both types today? Should Calamity Jane have saved Bill's life by telling his secrets? The whole discussion might end by raising such questions as these: Was the white man fair to the Indian? If not, can the present generation do more than is now being done to atone for the injustices of the past? What frontiers for human conquest challenge the aggressive spirits of men today? Should one be satisfied to enjoy the heritages from the past without seeking to enrich them for future generations? RAINBOW ON THE RIVER (RKO Radio) This picture, which tells an appealing story brightened with popular music, is also an indictment of selfishness, prejudice and short-sightedness. The following questions will bring out important points for discussion: In this picture how did selfishness overreach itself and defeat the realization of its objectives? Does spitefulness always hurt more the one doing the spiting rather than the one spited? Mammy hated the Yankees. Was this many year old prejudice actually well-grounded? How was it overcome? FILMS FOR THE PUPIL AND TEACHER By Sarah McLean Mullen Head of English Department and Co-ordinator of Visual Education. Abraham Lincoln High School, Los Angeles; Author of "How to Judge Motion Pictures." Because human beings are of greater importance than anything else in the world according to general belief, the characters in a play are regarded as the center of interest. Many a play cheaply produced and meagrely mounted succeeds because of interesting characters doing something worthwhile. Characters Must Have Problems To be really interesting, the character must have a problem to solve or be lined up with the forces on one side or the other of a conflict. The resulting struggle is the basis of action. It may be a conflict between two persons, or between an individual and a group, or between two groups, or between man and animals, or man and the forces of nature, or between conflicting desires within the person's soul. If the end or goal of the struggle is worthwhile and the struggling contestants are strong, we have the framework of a story which is almost sure to be good. Within the first five minutes of a photoplay, we should be able to sense the conflict, know the goal, recognize the opposing forces and be drawn into sympathy with the hero or heroine. From then on, our chief desire is victory for our side and the winning of the goal by the hero. Very quickly we must be able to discover the motives that actuate the representatives of each side. We must also gain a knowledge of the forces that influence the contestants. Usually public opinion, established moral and ethical attitudes and right are on the side of the hero, opposed by the forces that are actuated by greed, selfishness or desire for revenge. We discover a character's motives by what he does no more than by what he says, or by his habits, his appearance and his reputation. As a result we learn to watch the characters to determine what they are likely to do or say in a given situation, whether they may be depended upon or not and whether they are active or passive. Most characters in a good story develop or change under the increasing stress of the plot. This gives an added interest as new attitudes and traits appear or old ones develop. We become keenly interested and absorbed in the conflict if the characterization is sincere and consistent. We believe in the illusion of reality and vice versa; we are annoyed and lose interest in characters which are misinterpreted or "over-acted," or even just acted. We want to believe in the players as human beings. We want to suffer and to thrill with them. It is obvious, therefore, that characterization is extremely important. Standards for Judging What standards shall we use in judging interpretation of characters? The player should look the part, speak the part and be the part. Not only his clothes and make-up, but his posture, his walk, all his movements should be suitable. Likewise his voice and his diction should correspond to those we associate with the person or type (Continued on Page 7) Philip stole the show at the party? Was this a tactful thing to do, even when he could? Do children usually reflect the attitude, the selfishness and the prejudices of their parents? ONCE A DOCTOR (Warner Bros.) While this picture was not intended to be a first class production it presents some interesting conflicts. The foster-brother, Steven, faced the conflict between loyalty to family and fidelity to professional trust. He chose the former, but the brother, Jerry, in whom he put confidence, proved false. When Steven was denied the right to practice surgery, he faced the conflict between letting a boy die with no attempt to save him or violating the law which forbids an unlicensed doctor to operate. He chose to try to save the boy, but failed in his efforts. Again Steven faced the conflict between an attempt to save the life of the man who had wronged him, or obeying the law. This time his hatred of the injured man made him unresponsive to human need, but the reciting of the doctor's oath by the girl he loved brought him to his normal sense of duty. The pitiful character in the picture was Jerry, who was so lacking in ambition and so weak in resisting liquor that tragedy constantly overtook him. THE PLOUGH AND THE STARS (RKO Radio) Against the background of the patriotism of the Irish this picture presents the contrast between a man's desire to fight and a woman's love of her husband and her home. What are the values that deserve our highest allegiance? Mr. Cletheroe said the establishment of the Irish republic was the supreme claim. Mrs. Cletheroe held tenaciously to the principle that nothing outside their love in the home should come first. As long as they had each other, she felt that anything else should be endured. Causes have always claimed complete loyalty. Christianity is no exception. The test of a cause as to whether it is worthy of supreme allegiance, however, lies in the extent to which it embodies all the values which have become dear to the hearts of mankind. What's Next In Hollywood? (Continued from Page 4) mance. The film has been made under most extraordinary circumstances. First, the Bulgarian government has given its help by using a full month of manoeuvers of 10,000 of its soldiers, cavalry and troops and officers, to give a realistic background of battleground in that brilliant southeastern Europe. The splendors of the Tsarist court, desolate Siberian villages, the savage splendor of Tartar tents, which figure in the film, are extremely colorful. But of course the story is the thing — espionage, love and treachery, hairbreadth escapes and barbaric warfare. The picture introduces us to Anton Walbrook, a European stage favorite, who has already played Strogoff in French and German versions. With him are Margot Grahanfle, the Tartar woman spy who both pursues and loves him, and Elizabeth Allan, who loves and helps to save him. History and romance meet again in Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's Parnell — the "uncrowned King of Ireland" when the great campaign for freedom was being fought in the English parliament fifty years ago ; the leader whose passion for Ireland swept him into a white heat and stampeded Erin's young men, but who, with his curious mingling of sentiment and passion, gave up his public career for Katie O'Shea. It was a great episode in history, another instance of the way in which the fate of the world is changed by the personal qualities of its leaders (Aren't we seeing that in country after country just now?). Clark Gable and Myrna Loy, you can imagine, combine between them just those characteristics that are needed to round out the picture, and John Stahl, director, has already proved himself a master of emotional drama. Then to turn to another type entirely, Slim is almost finished (at the Warner Brothers studios) — a picture of those workmen, half experts, half heroes, who work among the ever-present dangers of high tension wires, where the snapping lights and brittle sounds speak of constant menace. The scene lies in a high-power tension station, where all the effect of danger is preserved, though, so to speak, the teeth have been drawn, and the players, chiefly Pat O'Brien and Henry Fonda, are, in spite of appearances, not really in danger of their lives. Indeed here electricity, like the lion in A Midsummer Night's Dream, will "roar you as soft as any cooing dove." Hollywood has always taken an impish delight in making fun of itself on the screen and one of my constant experiences when I take ; , visitors to a studio is to have them exclaim again and again on the ordered precision with which things go on. Apparently they expect to see something between a vaudeville show and a mad-house.