Talking pictures : how they are made, how to appreciate them (c. 1937)

Talking Pictures The native cultures of various countries have each developed characteristics distinctly their own. Italy is famous for its operas and concert singers. The German mind has turned largely to philosophical contributions. The genius of the English is often expressed best in their poetry. But all races and nationalities have a common interest in such emotions as love and ambition, and they react alike to these feelings. The international photoplay illustrates still further that honest, sincere art, as it reflects the life of human beings, is of the world as a whole. Universal art wherever found is never prisoned by national boundaries. An example of a dramatic picture not suitable for the foreign market is Murder on the Diamond. This was a baseball story and too fundamentally American. On the other hand, Ah Wilderness, though dealing with American life, was very popular abroad because it tells the story of parents and their problems with growing boys and girls. A family theme has an international human denominator, understood in any country. One can understand why Romeo and Juliet has been played in more places in the world and in more languages than any play ever written, for stories of this sort have an inner international language of their own, the language of love. If an actress or an actor becomes a star in America, his appearance, personality, and acting ability will be received with equal acclaim in the international field. But there are some exceptions to this. They rest with those instances in which the star's popularity is too largely based on strictly American characteristics. [268]