The Moving picture world (May 1922)

May 13, 1922 MOVING PICTURE WORLD 157 Italian Film Trade Needs a Garibaldi; Censors Contribute to the Confusion THAT there is room for vast improvement in the way the film business is carried on in Italy; that exhibitors don't go after the public patronage; that producers are almost all without initiative ; that Charlie Chaplin, Douglas Fairbanks, Mae Murray, the Talmadges, Gloria Swanson, Pauline Frederick and a host of other of America's great film players are practically unknown there, and that the censors are a blot, a drawback, a pestilence afflicting the business, are some of the outstanding statements given to Moving Picture World by Mario Luporini, who has recently formed a combination with the Prime Circute Nazionale Super Films of Italy, and is here in New York to arrange for the buying and showing of American films in that country and their popularization there. The Prime Circute Nazionale Super Films is a company having first run theatres in the key cities of Italy, namely, Rome, Bologna, Turin, Milan, Genoa and Naples, and Mr. Luporini has arranged with that organization to take all of the pictures he acquires in America. The remainder of the theatres in Italy, which number approximately 2,000, will content themselves with second runs of the films. Up to the present Mr. Luporini has closed with Paramount, First National and Robertson-Cole for the distribution of their films in Italy, and will remain here about fifteen days more to sign with other organizations. Italy Very Backward _ Some interesting facts concerning the backwardness of the business in Italy were given by Mr. Luporini. "It is about ten years behind America in every way," he stated. "For instance, the exhibitors make no effort to exploitation, they do nothing to attract patronage, their advertising amounts to practically nothing, and their one idea of dealing with the public is to put a few posters in front of their theatres, attract a crowd, take its money, show any film in a slip-shod sort of way, and trust to luck that the people will come again to another show. "They usually come, too, but principally because there are few other amusements. However, they could be attracted in much larger numbers if some deference was made to their tastes and some attention was paid to their comfort and convenience. Wait Between Reels "As matters now stand, the theatres have only one projection machine each and each picture is broken up into four parts, and the audience has to content itself with waiting a half hour between the showing of each reel. In the meantime, of course, interest is lost, and when By T. S. daPONTE the next reel is begun there is usually a hum of conversation, one spectator asking of another, 'Where did they leave off?' 'What is that actor's name — the villain I mean?' 'Oh, by the way how did this commence, anyhow? 'Can you tell me what led up to that situation? And the end of the show always finds the audience in the mood to express the Italian equivalent for the American pointed saying 'Rotten performance !" But these conditions are going to be remedied, Mr. Luporini says, when he gets his organization in full swing. For one thing, in all the theatres where his pictures are shown two projection machines will be operated which will do away with the waits between reels. Then also there is going to be a great deal of interest taken in the sorts of stories the people prefer and careful selections will be made to suit their tastes. Sell Sight Unseen "The usual way of selling films in Italy is sight ivnseen. The producer hands them over to the exhibitor by the basketful, as it were, about 150 at a time, and the latter pays his money without knowing what he's receiving. It's going to be different though. My company is going to give the exhibitor an opportunity to select what he wants, and he's going to be able to choose from a list that has already been carefully gone over with an eye to meet the tastes of the Italian public." According to Mr. Luporini, the best liked American star in Italy is Mabel Normand. Of the others who are well known here and also popular in Italy, Nazimova and Polo Negri lead the list. There are practically no cinema theatres that can compare with those in America, most of them being comparatively small houses ranging from 800 to 1,200 seating capacity. One of the largest and finest is being erected now in Milan by Mr. Luporini's company and will seat 3,000 persons. Like Tragedy That Europeans in general do not care for the way American films inject comedy in the most tragic situations was pointed out by Mr. Luporini. As an instance he cited the scene in "Orphans of the Storm" where, "just in front of the guillotine where an execution was about to be performed an alleged comedian was going through a lot of bufifonery," he said. "The Europeans do not care for such bringing of bufTonery into tragic situations; they take the latter seriously and would resent it. Especially if a great historical tragedy-drama like the French Revolution is depicted would they frown on low comedy being made a part of it." One trouble is that the censors mutilate a great amount of wonderful film. He took "Broken Blosoms" as a case in point and stated that after it had left the censors' hands it was so distorted that the story was practically without meaning. Australian Bewails Film Combines That Throttle Enterprise The following complaint regarding picture conditions in Australia has been received from L. L. Politzer, Law Courts Place, Melbourne : "Picture business is flourishing in Australia, but there is something entirely wrong behind the scenes. I have closely followed the evolution of the cinema in this country, have acted as exhibitor and importer, and witnessed how private enterprise did all of the pioneering. Soon a so-called amalgamation came into existence, meaning the creation of a army of well paid officials, but very little dividends for investors. "Of late, the local theatrical octopus has absorbed most of the worthwhile picture theatres, and mergers are still going on, making private enterprise impossible and driving the smaller men to bankruptcy. This big combine naturally determines its policy to suit its own ends and the public simply has to swallow whatsoever the combine pleases to dish up for them. "Some of the best productions are being kept off this market for reasons best known to the combine. Goldwyn and Chaplin productions are but a few examples which I want to mention, as being excluded from Australian programs for some considerable time. Of course, private enterprise is powerless, because if anyone would be foolish enough to import high priced productions as a freelance, he would have no decent house to show them and eventually would have to submit to the dictatorship of the com"bine. "Probably I will not get much sympathy from your country, the fatherland of combines, but I just wanted to give you a little survey of the position out here. Unfortunately our public tolerates anything and fills places of amusement, no matter if it gets treated to musical comedy of prehistoric origin or cheap melodrama or atrocious vaudeville with one headliner, consisting of some played out imported star. The only redeeming feature in some of our picture houses, which, by the way, are well appointed, are the splendid orchestras under artistic leaders."