Picturegoer (1921)

62 THE PI CTU P2E-G OE-R JANUARY BEFORE we go any farther with my thoughts, let me, I pray, read your own — and correct them. Yon are thinking that I am the living embodiment of the Where You contemplative gentleart' Wrong, man who sits at the head of this page, or tli.it Rodin had me in mind when he sculped his magnificent statue, " The Thinker." Forget it. Without your confidence I cannot hope to make a success of this feature, so I may as well be perfectly frank with you at the beginning. 1 am NOT one of those unfortunate beings who take life seriously, carrying upon my shoulders all the cares of this weary world. I am neither high-brow nor idealist, but jusl an average, every-day picturegoing person like — if you don't mind my saying so like yourself. AND, like yourself, sometimes I sit and think, and sometimes I just sit. But when I do think, I feel compi IN d to unburden my thoughts to somebody. You'll do. Something to Just sil here and listen. Think About. I know it is asking rather a lot ; but here's a sporting offer : If you will listen to me, I'll listen to you as often as you to send your thoughts to me. I want you to look upon this feature as an Idea Exchange for my ideas and youi own, Most particularly your own. 1 am an excellent listener, and if you have anything interesting to s;iy on any movie matter, my ears are mortgaged to youi benefit. SI )\l E people, mindful of the days w hen ( hai teS I haplin so pel sistentl) took us to the Cafe where the \\ aitei Breathed on the Plate., look upon ( hai lit a a vul Can Chaplin gar person, roughest ( '/,• Back ; and readiesl of hu nioiists. Avoid such people Chaplin was sad it is to write in the past of so great an artist — one of the very finest clowns the world has ever known ; and clowning is not the least of theatrical arts. But he has played too long ' with a patient public, and now his fame trembles in the balance. Can Chaplin come back ? He is making a big effort to regain lost ground ; and my private belief is that he will succeed. If he fails, the screen will lose its greatest artist. What do you think ? BUT, lest you should write me down as a star-enthusiast, let me hasten to explain my views. In the days of my youth I was a great hero-worshipper ; but Let's Talk that was, of course, of Stars. before I had met any heroes. Nowadays, although I can admire people for what they do, irrespective of what they are, my youthful illusions are all shattered. I think highly of many movie stars ; but, with certain exceptions, I do not bejieve them to be of paramount importance. I think that the author,, the scenario-writer, the producer, and the camera-man are the real indispensables of the screen. What do you think ? IN the earliest days of the kinema Industry— happy go lucky, unbusinesslike days, before Uplift descended upon US — a picture was just so many feel of film, When Films and nothing else matWere Young, tered, Authors, stars, and producers were all nameless nonentities, cogs ]n the wheel of a creaking machine. But. by and by, when people began to recognise familiar faces upon the screens, the public clamoured foi news of these shadow people ; and bright young kinema journalists dipped then pens in the ink of imagination, and gave the public what the public wanted. SHALL never get to Heaven. *■ is a melancholy confession have to make ; but in those dis days, I who write these lines wa bright young kin I'll Say, journalist. I w " Peccavi." about the stars. Gi how I wrote about stars ; what wonderful lives my compelled them to lead ; what e> ordinary adventures they suffew my enthusiastic hands. I did know anything about the people, I wrote everything about them, bee Imagination was my middle ns And I was not the only offet Everybody was doing it. Remex that, St. Peter, when you hear knock at the golden gate. AFTER that the Star System lowed as a matter of cot and many evils came in its train, stars waxed omnipotent, and prosperity made 1 Fallen Stars, blind. Not cor with their acting ours, they wrote, directed, and pi their own pictures : for they ar that a star could not be expecte share fame with anybody. In course, they fell and faded ; bui kinematograph industry continue advance. IT still advances to-day. At pr the tendency is to star au and producers as heavily as pL were starred in the past, which : wrong. Render ( The Age of where credit is c the Specialist, to author, prod player, even unt< property-boy — but apportion the J justly. The one way to produce pi pictures is to have each and member of your studio organfl working together in perfect harr The specialist, not the jack-ol trades, is needed in the kineml fession. What do you think ? MY space is filled. I wish I read your thoughts tw easily as I discerned them wl started to write these .^ col • What DO YouThink ? Probably you will disagree with much that 1 have written. I hope so. If indignation moves you to seize a pen and transfer your burning thoughts to paper, I shall not have laboured in vain. What DO von think?