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336 SOUND MOTION PICTURES
There are those who feel that American-made English pictures may not appeal to British audiences, but one of the most forceful London film critics, who has never hesitated to attack an American picture if he felt it deserved it, has expressed himself as follows:
Let us get rid of this cant about the "English voice" and the "American accent." A good microphone voice with personality behind it is good to listen to no matter what its nationality or accent. In the matter of unpleasant voices and accents, English can claim no superiority over America. The American voice, at its best, is charming, especially Southern varieties of it. I have heard in England countless voices with audience quality far inferior to those of many American players whom we are getting to know by speech as well as sight.
The same interest in the sound motion picture exists among motion picture producers in foreign countries as among Americans. The more influential and constructive minds abroad feel that the sound and talking pictures have come to stay, and they are developing plans in order to meet the needs of their countries. There are, however, authorities who do not share such enthusiasm. Max Reinhardt, the eminent stage producer, recently completed a production in which sound, but not dialogue, was used. "I see two dangers in talking pictures," said Reinhardt. "One is that the films, which are universal in appeal, and really international, can only tend to be destroyed as an international art through the addition of the limitation of language." Mr. Reinhardt also declared: "The spread of the English language throughout the world has been so remarkable in the past decade that I feel that if ever there is to be an international language it is very likely to be English rather than any of the substitute languages devised by professors of universities."