Photoplay Studies (1939-1940)

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minor characters we glimpse early American characteristics of which we are rightfully proud. The novel lifts a curtain which has hidden the obscure pre-Revolutionary eighteenth-century America. III. ADAPTATION TO THE SCREEN Surely a director never had more dramatic material, which seemed to be written for screen production. The swift action, the breathless escapes, the magnificent leadership, every element and every episode appeared to be perfect for the medium I of the motion picture. Yet as one surveys the narrative one can see distinct obstacles in the director's path. When a story is so exciting in every part, how can the director keep up the interest which is bound to lag if too many demands are made upon the audience's emotions? Moreover, how can one show on the screen the mental anguish which is so much greater than the obvious physical suffering? The tempo of such a thrilling story must be cleverly regulated. Apparently the capture of the Indian village is the highest point in the story, yet really far more heroic is Rogers' control of his great despair on finding no food at the fort and his last violent effort to inspire his men with courage. Little by little the director must build up his hero's character so that we recognize this as the real victory in the photoplay. In a picture of this kind sound and color are almost as necessary in the building up of the story as the movement in the film itself. The call of the loon, the Indian warwhoops, the silence of the forests, the splash of the water, the musical score which gives us the proper emotional background — all these Is this a good place to introduce Rogers <