The Moving picture world (November 1921)

December 10, 1921 MOVING PICTURE WORLD 675 Guy Newall Talks About the Film Industry in England and America PLEASE supply an English accent when you read this. The setting is American — Ambassador Hotel — but the rest of it is quite Londonesque, you know, Old Top, even to the muggy day which streamed outside the hotel's windows. Here you'll read about Guy Newall, who has achieved great things in England as both actor and director, but who is more or less reticent in telling about them, which conservatism, however, helps to add the correct British "atmosphere." "Beastly tired," said Mr. Newall in his spacious hotel suite ; "didn't get in until five this morning, you know — was at one of those cabaret reviews ; ripping time, and all that, but you feel it the next morning." You'll notice, please, that he starts off his talk at an angle quite divergent to what you'd expect of an actor and director in the film business. However, he warmed to his discourse when the name of Miss Ivy Duke, who co-stars with him in several of his pictures, was mentioned. Praises Miss Duke "Yes, she's quite the most beautiful woman in the world," he said. "In fact she's won beauty contests in which the loveliest women everywhere were entered. She co-stars with me in 'The Bigamist,' which is one of the pictures I've come to New York to make releasing arrangements for. I've been in touch with several big releasing organizations here in New York and have about concluded negotiations with one, but I can't give out the name yet. "I brought prints of 'The Bigamist' with me. It has been a wonderful success in England, proving more popular even than 'The Old Nest' or 'Humoresque.' "But," he interrupted himself, "do you think it will be perfectly politic to say that — don't you think it might antagonize some of your big advertising accounts ? " 'The Bigamist' cost £50,000 to produce in Europe, an almost unheard of amount to spend over there, the only other production which I believe approached it in expensiveness being 'Carnival.' "To get returns on a picture like 'The Bigamist,' I had to bring it to America, because the industry is so backward in England. After it had been seen in all the theatres there I was not nearly recompensed for my outlay. "You know, in England pictures haven't the same hold on the people they have over By T. S. Da PONTE here. The movie houses are looked on by many as good places to sleep ; you'll see more than half the spectactors nodding sleepily through more than three-quarters of most of the productions. But you could hardly blame them for that, for most of the films are so exceedingly poor. The stories amount to nothing, and in fact there is nothing at all attractive about them. American Productions Losing "American productions had almost a monopoly over there until recently, but latterly those, too, have been losing caste because their stories are so thin. The English people are. turning again to their own films in preference, because of two evils they prefer that which is home made. The English pictures at least present things from the English viewpoint, while the American — well, they seem no more capable of getting the English angle than I'd be able to come here and make a cowboy production that would satisfy you Americans. "And it's queer, too, the amount of money Americans seem to put into pictures without adhering to any business system. For instance, when I was in Nice making 'The Bigamist,' there was a big American producing company near by, and often I'd mingle with the actors and listen to their conversation. And I'd hear them make engagements among themselves for riding and motoring, and teas, and day-time and night-time parties of all sorts, never, seemingly, having any work at all to do. I couldn't comprehend it. System seemed to be entirely lacking. CiABLE advices from Richard A. Rowland. / president of Metro Pictures Corporation, this week announced that he has purchased, for distribution by Metro early in 1922, what he says is the motion picture sensation of Europe. In his cablegram Mr. Rowland did not mention the title or nature of the subject. The message read: "Bought and will bring back film sensation of Europe." The Metro president is expected to sail for America early in December on the Mauretania, and, unless in the interim he makes public the details of his purchase, no more definite information regarding the Continental photoplay may be gained. "There has been a lot of talk in England about Americans being prejudiced against films made in Britain. But I've found that to be all bally rot, you know. Why, there's not a bit of prejudice here against films just because they're English, but the reason they haven't succeeded in America is because they're quite no good. Thy don't spend enough money on them to make them come up to your standard in America, and then when they fall flat there is a hue and cry raised in England that Americans are prejudiced. That's ridiculous. Americans, I am sure, would patronize British films if they were worth looking at. "They say, too, that in America all pictures must have happy endings. That is the impression that has gained ground. But I am frank to say that I do not believe it is correct. And 'The Bigamist' will prove my contention. It has a sad ending, but I'm sure it's going to 'go' over here." "The Bigamist," has been showing in England since last August, and according to reports has "cleaned up." Mr. Newall is well known in this country as the star and director of "The Lure of Crooning Water," "Testimony," and "Squandered Lives." He says the Stoll Film Company also presented in America "The Garden of Resurerection," despite his protestations that it would not be favorably received over here. In fact, Mr. Newall is quite peeved at the Stoll Film Company because of that alleged indiscretion. Mr. Newall has with him also now "The Persistent Lovers" in film form, the story of which was written by Hamilton Gibbs, brother of Cosmo Hamilton. He will probably launch it about the same time as "The Bigamist." "Miss Duke, of course, plays a leading role in 'The Persistent Lovers,' also," he said. The purchase, it is understood, was not made in Germany, but in Paris, where Mr. Rowland has been for several weeks, attending to arrangements for the release in France and other European countries, of the Rex Ingram production of "The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse." It is stated, however, that because the seat of negotiations was in France does not of necessity imply that the production is French. Officials of the Metro organization expect, however, to hear by letter full data concerning Mr. Rowland's purchase before he leaves the other side. Immediate announcement will be made upon the receipt of this information, Metro states. Rowland Says He Has Bought "Film Sensation of Europe" The moving picture industry is too big a business to harbor hatreds or to deal in malice. Such differences as we have can be settled over the conference table and that's the way the industry proposes to settle them. GUY NEWALL