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

THE FUTURE 359 with the invaluable distinction of music perfectly attuned. Another great advantage which talking pictures have over the stage is their ability to present every word so clearly and distinctly that no one need strain to hear what is being said. A whisper is clearly audible from the front row in the orchestra to the last row in the balcony. Let me then offer my own opinion that when dialogue pictures reach the degree of perfection now enjoyed by stage productions the latter are going to suffer by comparison. In dramatic art vocal interpretation and accompanying action have in the past proved superior to pantomime as instruments of expression. On the speaking stage pantomime is a mere shell for the voice, for only the few in the front rows are close enough to get that full play of pantomime that the screen is able to show to an entire audience through the use of the close-up. On the other hand, voices in themselves, as in the radio and phonograph, are capable of making a wide appeal. Not until we arrived at the talking picture, however, was it possible to combine the best qualities of pantomime with the advantages of the spoken voice. The manufacture of sound motion pictures has, for one thing, passed the stage of mystery. Those engaged in the business of making such pictures are now familiar with the medium. Many technical words coined because of sound have already become a regular part of cinema vocabulary. There is now a feeling of confidence about the studios that was lacking in the beginning. Technicians and players are available in sufficiency. They have a full realization of possibilities and are equipped to use their knowledge to advantage. Moreover, practically every important producer is now engaged in the new venture. We have learned that the entertainment and artistic value of the silent technique need not be sacrificed in the adaptation of sound. What is more, each new sound