Motion Picture Herald (Jul-Sep 1932)

IS MOTION PICTURE HERALD September 3, 1932 MUSICAL FILMS TO PREDOMINATE IN GERMAN PRODUCT THIS SEASON Movability of Silent Picture Regained, Says Klitsch, but New Style Must Be Found for Opera of More Serious Subjects by HANS TINTNER Berlin Correspondent The German sound film programs of the coming" season will show a predominance of the musical picture. Figures speak the most convincing language also in old Europe, and productions in which music was foremost have scored most surprising successes in the past season. Yet, the light operetta film is not even the special field of the German film artists, who as authors, composers, directors and actors have been surpassed in this kind of pictures by the more charming and graceful Austrians. Of the artists working in German operetta films 80 per cent are domiciled on the Blue Danube. What importance the German film producers attach to this class of films and its Austrian masters is shown by the vigorous protests which the German producers filed with the government on account of the contingent law restrictions hindering the Austrian artists working in Germany. Through the embassies important alterations were obtained which insure the further undisturbed work of the Austrians in Germany, for whom the operetta is a sort of national affair. Movability Regained, Says Klitsch The managing director of the Ufa concern, Ludwig Klitsch, has also emphasized the importance of the musical film for the present-day programs : "The German sound film has freed itself from its dependency on the stage, which was noticeable in the first operetta films, and has become aware of the advantages of a special sound film technic," he said. "The sound film has regained step by step the movability of the silent film. From the considerably lighter sound film style of the picture 'Gasoline Station,' in which the singing and dancing followed for the first time the sound film's own laws, a large step forward was made in the film 'The Congress Dances,' in which revue-like elements are woven into the action of the operetta in a masterly and filmlike manner. Our big aim is now the sound film opera, for which, however, the new film style must yet be found." The goal has not yet been reached, and the musical film is in many respects still in its earliest stages. Many a crudeness and imperfectness must be overcome yet. Compared with the theatre, the sound film is so extremely young that its immaturity and all its faults are absolutely excusable. Many thousand years ago there had already been theatrical performances in India and Greece. The effects on the public have been tried out, masterpieces of dramatic art have been created and produced on the stage. The first German sound film, however, was produced in the year 1929 ! The musical comedy, which at present predominates in the cinema programs and is strongly demanded by the public, leaves much to be desired. It has not fulfilled the mission of the sound film as a mirror of our time and cultural factor. The musical comedy of our days does not want to have anything to do with real life; it flies to the rose-colored, unreal and grotesque fairyland of the operetta fable. This may be due partly to the present situation in Germany, where Germans are shooting each other in the streets, where the farmer's harvest is distrained on the field. The German public flies from this life to the cinema and does not want to be reminded of what takes place outside. These reasons have contributed to the fact that today the German film producer seeks his fortune in the light and pleasing operetta and the film revue, and does not want to hear of anything else. That the music is life and soul of the sound film has been recognized in Germany since the very first experiments in this new field. The picture which contained only dialogue and sound effects could create sufficient interest only in its dramatic heights, in order to really convince and fascinate the public. On the whole, however, it was almost as tedious and dull as a silent film shown without musical accompaniment. There was no doubt that the sound film absolutely required music. However, one did not know exactly in which way the musical element should be incorporated. It was impossible to produce a continued series of sound films wherein a composer, a singer, a conductor of an orchestra or other musical star always represented the leading part. This was one of the greatest obstacles to the young German sound film art. The public, accustomed to find in the picture a reproduction of natural life, was annoyed that the hero, as on the operetta stage, began to sing suddenly and apparently without story justification. It felt the violent contrast between the realistic dialogue sequences and the inserted song. Efforts were made to lessen this contrast by selecting still lighter subjects, trusting that the song would spring up more logically from the comedy action than from serious situations. The picture makers worried their brains to find a way to insert songs and musical pieces of all kinds so that they were organically connected with the action Now followed a series of films in which music was inserted in a very intelligent manner without damaging the audiences' feelings as to the logic of the thing. In these films the stars did not perform the musical parts but the scenario was arranged in such a manner that in the course of the action the star got into the musical sequences. This also was no final solution, because the results were only dialogue films with inserted musical parts. As a result of many experiments, much seeking and striving, a new style of the musical film finally was found. If the music did not go with the realism of the films made up to now, then it was necessary — and this was the solution of the difficult problem — to lessen and alter the realism. The whole Screen Operetta Best Suited at Present for World Market, Says Tintner, Public Demanding Light Entertainment action, the theme, the scenery had to be laid in a fictitious, unreal sphere. In these efforts the German sound film artists benefited naturally by the great tradition of the stage. The Vienna operetta, the musical comedy, the comic opera, all of them showed that characteristic want of seriousness, that comedy touch which lends itself to musical illustration. It was not by mere chance that the first big international sound film success of Germany was produced by its best known director of stage revues. Eric Charell possessed the unhesitating, playful boldness and lightness which was necessary to adapt the chorus and ballet, dancing and scenery for the sound picture. He definitely abandoned all realism and he divided the whole action of his picture right from the beginning in musical scenes and big choreographical scenes. He is the inventor of the new sound film style in Germany. Serious Subjects Needed Like Ernst Lubitsch, who introduced in American pictures the big musical show and used in his pictures the effect of musically and rhythmically conducted masses, which had been tried out on the stage, who divided the song in chorus and solo songs, Eric Charell has led the experimenting German sound film to the big musical revue. The film operetta will last, regardless of how the film may develop further, because it meets best the demand of the public for light, superficial entertainment. On account of its whole structure, the film operetta will be best suitable for the international market. Only a pedant can be displeased with this light-hearted Muse, because it does not take the world seriously. However, only narrow-sighted people can believe that the public will be satisfied in the long run with this light entertainment alone. The coming sound film opera must be based on more serious and heartfelt subjects. It will have to treat the things of life with more trueness and more feeling than the musical comedy of our days. A great deal of work is to be done yet before we succeed in producing a sound film opera appealing to the general public. We know positively that the stage opera in Germany is perfectly antiquated and that its mummy-like existence is granted only by subventions from the government. There is not a single opera house in Europe which could exist without state aid. We must look for suitable subjects conforming with the spirit of our time. It will be difficult to find them, enormously difficult. However, he who knows the intoxicating effect of a big philharmonic orchestra on the masses, who has experienced the great charm of fine and well-trained voices, knows that this field offers the sound picture enormous possibilities.