Movie Makers (Jun-Dec 1928)

THE OLD LENS A Cinema Autobiography Told in Vienna to Carl M. Kotlik WHEN I was once strolling in town I stopped by chance in front of the dusty window of a second-hand dealer and looked, a bit philosophically, at the goods stored therein: old boots, hats, bonnets, old candlesticks, dirty and broken china — in a word, the usual motley pell-mell of a second-hand shop. I was just thinking about the "rum stories" the dusty little things in this shop might be able to tell, when my eyes caught sight of something which was lying modestly between a pair of lady's shoes and an old dirty cigar-case. Entering the shop, after some haggling, I bought the little thing, a sadly used 50mm. lens, such as is used especially for movie-cameras. It must have been lying in some clay ditch, for its last owner had not deemed it worth the trouble to clean it. When I reached home I cleaned the poor little thing carefully; when I scrutinized it more closely it seemed as if I caught a thankful glance out of its now clean eye. After all, I had not made a bad bargain, and I was pleased to have added a new piece to my collection of lenses, although it would not quite match the other neat and shining ones. Meanwhile it had grown late and I looked, with that ease known only to the eager collector, at the lenses which so far had come into my amateur hands. (I seldom had use for them; but what collector has use for all the things he gathers?) Suddenly I seemed to hear a low murmer from my row of lenses! "Who are you, and where do you come from?" Distinctly I heard my "Tele" ask the question. "How fast are you?" my facile 1.5 queried somewhat saucily. And now such a murmur and questioning started that hardly a word could be understood. "Silence!" cried my Tele. "Let us hear his story. Perhaps the thing is older than all of us together." I listened attentively. My old lens started to talk, first with a low and trembling voice, then clearer and clearer: "Thanks!" he said. "I will willingly tell you my story, as I am happy to be again among my equals. For many years I had been lying in the 386 IS dirty shop window of a second hand dealer and was forced to stare continually at the ceiling. "But let me start at the beginning. My native town is Jena! As soon as I was found "able," off I went, properly and carefully packed, as is fitting for a decent lens. Paris was my destination. At that time movie making was just beginning, but I was in luck, as I was destined for the then biggest firm in the world — Pathe Freres, of Pathe. Yes, the Pathe Brothers! They understood at once that something great could be made out of the 'toy' with which Lumiere had produced his first 'movies.' I was soon fitted in one of the first Pathe cameras, got a master, and the day of the first shot came! My master must have been satisfied with me, as in the evening he fondled me tenderly. So it went on, day after day, month after month. "It was now the beginning of the year 1905. I traveled over the whole of France with my master. Before my eye many a coming star made his first movie steps. The not-to-be-forgotten Max Linder acted for the first time before me; Andree Deed, known as Lehmann, with his merry jokes; then the famous dancer Napierkowska delighted me with her art, and the very popular Maurice Prince was a good friend of mine. I felt exceedingly happy and could hardly wait for the day when Pathe was to start shooting the largest film of that time, 'Les Miserables.' "But my master again took me on his travels. This time we journeyed far. I saw much of the world, but also I passed through many a bad hour with my master. After three years' wandering we returned to Paris, but what changes had taken place since I had left! Pathe had been right, for the movie industry had gained much ground. "One day a stranger visited my master. After a long talk the stranger took me with him to Berlin. Here they were not as generous as in Paris. Still, I was happy to be again in my native country. My new master seemed to be in great demand. We were busy all the time and thus I was enabled to participate in the development of the German movies. Henny Porten was soon my favorite actress, and sparkling Dorrit Weixler and many others were my friends. Paul Wegener, Albert Bassermann and everybody who helped to build the German industry acted joy and sorrow before us. "It was now the early part of 1914. One evening my master came home in a simple gray uniform. I did not know the meaning of it, but had little time to reflect for early in the morning we were off. Where were we going? What would I get to see? Finally, after endless weeks, I was taken out of the trunk with the camera. What had happened? What sort of colossal film was being produced? Who was the manager of these masses that passed me, singing and with bands playing? I was enthusiastic! "But soon I was in grave doubt at the awful sights I saw! Was this manager mad? I had seen many a grand battle scene, but this was pitiless reality. Surely the people had gone mad. Days and months passed .... I saw nothing but sorrows. One day a shell broke close to me and I flew with a piece of the camera through the air ... . fell .... remained somewhere in the dirt . . . unnoticed, forgotten, a useless piece of glass. "What had happened to my master? I never heard of him again. After a long time a soldier found me and put me in his bag. I wandered about with him for many months. Sometimes he took me out and pensively looked at me. He did not seem to know what purpose I had served. "When I saw the light again my rescuer was in mufti and took me to the second-hand dealer in whose shop window I have been lying till today. "This, my friends, has been my life, sometimes checkered and with many changes, but sometimes dull and monotonous, serious and cheerful, like many a movie that is projected on the screen at the cinema .... But I trust I still have many things to see, and best of all, that we shall remain good friends." The old lens became silent, fatigued by its long tale. ... No answers came. . . . Had the other lenses fallen asleep? ... Or perhaps I had awakened from a dream? I do not know. However, the "old lens" is now the favorite piece of my collection.