Variety (December 1922)

Friday; Dec 29, 1922 VARIETY t:.; -s.j-r LrLTzac; PREDICnON FOR ENGLAND By WALTER WANGER ■jr.-v ■,^-'. '■*'■■. ' "~~" 1 ' ■ ■- ,■> ■■-••■.; . , , ' ' Ltondon, Dec. 12. ^ ^o much has been written in the past regarding the condition of the British film industry that for my part I feel rather diffident of ex- pressing mj' views, but whatever adverse criticism has been launched against- the picture business in this country, it cannot be denied the past year has marked a detinite ad- vance in establishing the British film Industry on a solid basis'. Pro- duction, distribution and exhibition have all made great strides for- ward, and I feel confident that when proper economic conditions ojjain prevail the Britii-h section will no longer be regarded as of a second- ary consideration in the world mar- ket, but will make itself lelt in all directions. Frankly speaking the conditions over here a year and a half ago Jip- peared hopeless, and could only l»e remedied by drastic measures. Pre- vious to May, 1921, ICngland was temporarily enjoying the boom pe- ( rlod immediately following the war. Enormous tapit.il had been invented in the British film industry in 19i9 and 1920. l>urlng these years tijc prosperiti' of the picture business was at its height—in short llicy were "ca3>- money" days for ihc ex- hibitor and consequent y the renter experienced no great difficulty in booking pictures far ahead, at iirioos which seemed nrore or less equi- tahle at the time of the rignin?; of th *,'*♦■■.. 'I staying at the Savoy would have the privilege of going to any one of these five theatjres and seeing at all, identically the same feature pic- ture, and one probably which he had seen at the Strund or one of tho other Broadway houses two years previously. Moreover, he would have to pay a higher price for a seat than he does in America. By November. 1921, the pre-release j idea hud taken deflnite shape. "Tfie I Old Nest" had had a four weeks' / run at tht» Alhambra, "Way Down' East" was (K)inK excellent bu.slness at the Empire. "Over the Hill" had been given ;• ^^'est End prescntatiion and The Tliree Musktt^^rs" and other pictui;'es were shortly to be given an ex luHi\e showint; at the \ Ro: ul opera hon.^e, Covcnt CJarden. TIk» ixhibitor was cryin|c for good /^ picture."?, and th«:» pre-releaso sys- tem jja'.e him an opportunity lo QC- (lUire tliein. During ihis past year .«iuccC3f. ful prc-relenscs have been to > ir-inT^rou.s ii» detail lure. 'Or- phan.-, of the Storm" at the Scala. •TliO Four iror.'emen" at the Palace. ' l'"o '\:sh V»'ives * at the New Oxford, , ;;'! did bi,.; bu^ines.-^. Tb.e pre-re- lease iiad proved, a palliative for the . piik lilm l»UEine.^s. tmt like rrany ! ^ otlu-r curative me.isurcs it was over- ('one. So->n practically every firm in Wardour street co:nmenced^to prc-rc'.ease their super nroductions and o.'fered th?m to exiiibitors at tromendcus prices. Which in mrtny rnso^ \\ ere out of all pro:)L.rtion to pi turo • 1 ■ "PAUL AND VIRGINIE" FAIR Guiraud-N«poty Version in Acts with Mu«io Four • . > : Paris, Dec. 26. The four-act version of "Paul and X'lrginle," adapted from the work »»f Bernardino de Saint-Pierre by Edmond Cluiraud and Lucien Nepoty, with a mus^eul acconspani- ment by Henry Rabaud, did lulrly when presented Dec. 23 at the The- atre Sarah Bernhardt, wlore It '■•up- planted tho brief revival of Guitry*« •I'asteur." I'rlnclpals are Puylargarde. Moa^ teux (replacing Deneubourg), De- cour. Augcreuu, H. Mairet. dregoire, CJermaine de Francs. Madeleine Guitty. Alice Tlssot, Kerlel, Made- lei no Thomas. ti" PATRICOLA EXTENDS ^ SEASON'S GREETINGS TO ALL "KNOCKOUT" DOES FAIRLY ; Pari*. Dec. 26. A* sort of farcical' comedy waa given at the Cigale Dec. 23 and did fairly well. It involves a champion puglll.st who elopes, a detective and reporter, with the story running to the third act, which becomes a riot, during which everyone on the stage is knocked out. Awaiting Mme. Bernhardt's Recovery Paris, Dec. 26. Awaiting Mme. Bernhardt's re- covery, the Theatre Edouard is con- tinuing Sacha Guitry's comedy, "Petite Main Que se Place" durlnip the holidays. le contract. People flocked i'.ij-the Jcatins: capacity ^f tho droves to cinemas and this phe- j houf^e in fjuestion. n<)menal prosperity placed the* in- i Tho exhibitor in hi.s de^tperatlon dustry on an artificial flnan-'ial j to .'reoure tlie bettor picture bid in basis. Popular taste is so evancs- , comp:^titio!\ with his opposition and cent and fugitive that any show-! .^o tho prfee gaily soared up, with- man will admit it is well nigh Im possible to lay down any deflnite standards as to what the public really wanted in the matter of en- tertainment. Showmen in England naturally thought that this popu- larity of the pictures had come to stay and only those endbwed with almost uncanny perspicacity were able to. see the rocks ahead, ■ Conditions in the film world be- gan to look ominous in the spring of 1921, and In th* following June the crash came. Box office receipts f began to fall off and exhibitors were ' spon staggered by their negligible" takings, which were frequently lower than th^ price of their film hire alone. What causes contributed to this •lump? Upon investigation it was found that the public had become picture-wise, and were not attracted ; by two-year-old features, that were being liberally released by American distributors, in order that they .. should realize a full quota on all . those pictures that were held up . on account of the war. In addition * to this picture houses throughout the country had been surfeited with productions of Inferior quality that ■•vere being machine made by Brit- ish producers in order that the lat- ter might meet the obligations of • block-booking contracts, whereby 12 or more pictures were booked on paper and produced long after the contracts had been signed. Then again unemployment, dear money and the generally bad economic ; conditions that prevailed all ,con- '■' tributed their share in reducing the box ofBce receipts, and by the end If of last year the British film indus- - try found itself In the most critical . period of its history. It was apparent that an effective remedy must be found, and that right soon. Already certain renters had been pre-rcleasing big pictures • with beneficial results to the exhib- ' ttor, and it was soon realized by the ■ * thinking members of the trade that the^alvation of the Industry lay in the presentation of the newer and better picture. It is probably generally known by now that London boasts no' mam- moth picture hou.'^es in the West End (London's Broadway) like the . Rlvoll. Capitol. Rfalto, Criterion, State or Strand of Nev,- YorU. The prominent presentation of pictures is confined to live relatively bijou ho\^es. Jii the past the.'-e houses had been .^bowing pictures concm*- rentlv. l-'or inst.inee. an American out any consideration beinij given to the po.=;:-iible earning capacity of the pioture.''. In additicii to this extra burden, the exhibitor to honor fontr.ar t.'^ made perhaps a year bo- fore had to pa.v for'a picture pro- gram he was scrapping in ordet^to make way for the newer and better .picture. The charges on his film hire became prodigious and It was t)ractlcally impossible for l.im to )rcak even, despite the fact that ' e ^may have been j>laying to packed houses. This juncture In the |>roce8s of clarifying the di.-^tribution of pic- tures in this country may appear very inequitable for the exhibitors, but it is only temporary. It will not be long before this difficulty Is overcome. The live showman does not fill up his dates for more than four months ahead, so before long renters pre-re easing pictures should experience tiot the siighteM difii- culty In finding .i sufficient number of open dates. This is already jiroved by the fact that a certain American hou.'-e. whicii has recently opened its own branch offices In this rountr.v. has been able*<^j gel ampl.? dates for its early releases. I confidently predict that in a years time it will bo the general practice in thi^ country to release pictures concurrently \yitli Amei-ica. The block-boo.'ing octopus, which had the Brlti.*;h industry completely throttled, will be dead and contli- tions on a sound economic founda- tion. *. .,._.. BROWN BROS. REJOIN SHOW Tom Brown and tlie Six Brown Brothers rejoin the Fred Stone "Tip Top" show en tour next week be-« caugc of the star's insistence to have the saxophonists back with him. The Browns have been with the "Bunch and Judy" at the Globe, NeV York. f<jr a number of weeks, brought in as strengtheners. They close with the show tomorrow (Saturday). BRITAIUrS FILM YEAR \ ^^:-<.wU''^«i. ^ • Ijontfon, Dec. 7. Tiie yt^ar has marked a slow but .steady improvement In British film j)roduction without developing txjny- thing likely to bring the country mucji nearer a world market. Sev- eral really good features have been made, many mediocre ones and a grfut number of really bad ones. The "world market" is the slogan on the* lips of the speakers at every trade function, capitalists and pro- ducers dilate on it at interviews, and there the matter seems to end. The more unreliable thy producing firm the shriller the cry. "^-.H/f The few firms whlcrh- really have an eye on the market of their ambi- ti on a re going quietly and working h4F3r to achieve success, and they can be relied upon not to talk until within a reascnabltt distance of their goal. • :■ n;' ? ^ '*' '-• : • <' Up to now we certiainly have hot made, a "world beater," but there is every sign the American and foreign markets generally are being more carefully watched and taken Into iDirBIIRi STUDIOS OF %VAl DAHCIM . ?29fKKt4St!!$t.NewYori( i~jsd Season's Greetings to you and yours-— V Everybody and everything MAY WIRTH > with PHIL and FAMILY ■>.i-i. \ consiilei^ation than ever before, and if the present rate of progress, slow though it may be, continues, we shall take our share of the world trade l>efore many more years have passed. But before this time comes those at the head of British indus- try must throw aside insular preju- dice and learn to see with the eyes of other peoples. Of the producing firms the Stoll company has doubtless the record for the number of pictures actually made, but for the main part the out- put consists of mechanical produc- tion?", versions' of "best sellers," technically correct, well played and produced, but invariably lacking Just that touch of sincerity that might make them big. They are Just ordinary "program" features, ap- iring to be turnd put in a given time, at a »Iven cost for "block booking." Among the Stoll features of the year Maurice Elvey'a "Dick Turpln's Ride to York" stands out as an ambitious attempt to reach "super" class. It Is a big, expensive production, but In the execution falls short of the producer's ambition. The story is historical melodrama weaving a garment of romance around a person who even at his best was but an ordinary criminal and sneak thief, although for many years novelists and dramatists have striven to gloss over his misdeeds and. Invest him with an atmosphere of heroism. The film will doubtless be popular with kinema audiences and small boys will revel in it. The trade Is awaiting with Inter- est the next big Stoll pictur.*, a fllmizatlon of Sir Hall Caine's "The Prodigal Son," which is being made by A. E. Colby with a fine cast. It is announced that in future the firm will give up its "block booking" pol- icy and go in for making big "feat- ure" production* with an eye on the American market. Future plans in- clude another Sherlock Holmes series. Ideal has mado enormous strides and can Justly claim to be the head of the British producing industry. Us success is built upon an impreg- nable foundation of sound artistic work, coupled with fine stories and beautiful production. Among its pictures of the year the filmization of Clemence Dane's play, "A Bill ^^ f Divorcement," which was made by Denlson Clift, stands on a pedestal of Its own. Frank H. Crane has also done exceedingly fine work for the company, contributing some of thf» best of the output. Among his works are "A Pauper Millionaire," a re- markably interesting picture made from very flimsy material; "The Lonely Lndy of CJrosvenor Place" and "The Grass Orphan." Tom Ter- risn catne from America to make the film version^ oX his father's famous m'^-lodraran. ""'Harboi- T.it;hfs." uitU Tom Mdore as the ' dtar." When lie ]i.iit completed this picture It is an- nounced he will Join the Stoll pro- .1m( ing HtalT. Ideal will bring over other American "stars" from time to time for their fulure program, whibh will be handled by Frank H. {Continued on page 20) >