Sound motion pictures : from the laboratory to their presentation (1929)

328 SOUND MOTION PICTURES Russia — Russian. Tunis — Arabic, French. Salvador — Spanish. Turkey — Turkish. Siam — Siamese. Union of South Africa — EngSpain — Spanish. lish, Dutch, and Bantu. Sweden — Swedish. United Kingdom — English. Switzerland — French, German, Uruguay — Spanish. and Italian. Venezuela — Spanish. Syria — Arabic, French. Yugoslavia — Serbian. It can readily be seen that the former world market may narrow down to English-speaking countries if the dialogue picture continues to make rapid strides at home, unless sound motion pictures are produced in foreign tongues. Eventually the American industry is likely to release fewer domestic pictures abroad, but the pictures that are released abroad will be the cream of our effort. Europeans have expressed the opinion that their continent is used as a dumping ground for some American-made motion pictures, and that if there were a better understanding as to the type of pictures the foreign market requires there would be a kindlier feeling toward the American motion picture producer. This charge would appear, however, to be without foundation, because the European market has been given product of the same character and quality that has been produced here. It would appear that in the future, however, motion pictures for the American market will be limited to a single adaptation — either with dialogue or without sound at all. Only those that appear certain of approval abroad will be made either silent or in a foreign language. American producers continue to experience great difficulty, moreover, in serving the European market because of the restrictions placed upon American-made pictures by the principal foreign countries, and it may be best for American producers frankly to face and discuss a situation that must eventually be confronted. Quotas and