Variety (Feb 1930)

Wednesday^ February 5, 103(^ FOREIGN FttM NEWS VARIETY Build Native Dialog Around U. S. Hob^enes and Other Heavy Elects Paris, P6b. 4. Possible foreign marlcet solution l9 forecadt In a proposed deal be- tween Gaumont and Tiffany for ^Journey's End." Idea Is for the French company to buy the heavy mob scenes and other clips o£ atmospheric build up of the story .Involvingr large expenditures, and weaye around them versions with French and German dialog.. Plan, of course, is adaptable to other countries such as Italian and Spanish, production being taken in skeleton form and the details of talk . spliced in after production locally. .1. It Js reailzed that not every pic- ture wouid"lend Itself fo^ such treat- ment Tvith' the same facility as "Journey'^B End," which Is particu- larly favorable, for the experiment. It has. large amount of war and battle spectacle, mob scenes and military pageantry around which .Gaumont can place the dialog se- quences, both French and German. Director for the dialog bits will be liouls Mercantons, according to present plan. Tiffany, it is understood, states the play rights cost $100,000, and the production represents another $300,000, and from these flgrures Gaumont is to compute the per- centage it will pay Tiffany for rights and the footage necessary. Gaumont will finance the new bi- lingual production here. SEE U. S. SCORE FOR UFA SUPER Berlin, Feb. 4. VThe White Devil," UFA super production Just revealed at the UFA Palace, proved a spectacular pic ture of "Ben Hur" proportions. ,Wlld riding Cossacks in primitive Caucasia furnish picturesque ma terlal, effectively contrasted with the elegantes of the Russian Czarlst eourt. The Cossack leader Is shunned by his own people because of his gen- erosity and mercy to Russian pris- oners. He tries to arouse insur- rection against the Czar in St. Petersburg. Fleeing for home, he }3 shot defending his wife and dies a heroic death. Ivan Mosjukln Is an ideal inter- preter of the leading role. Sup port by Idl Dagover and Betty Amann is excellent. Picture has a first rate syhchonized score with Ik magnificent Russian chorus back ground and fine solo interpolations. These Incidentals should give the non-dialog picture a fljrst rate chance in the States. AUSTRALIA COMFETES FOR U. S. SOUND FILM Sydney, Feb. 4. . The Union Theatres group has purchased the 1930 product comjplete of First National and Warner Bros., contract covering the entire circuit. The Fullers, who are replacing legit attractions all over with talk- ing pictures, were understood to be hot after the same deal, but lost out to the competition when the 'Brnion people closed. Theatre rivalry for talking prod- net is keen here, with many outside managements switching from other policies to sight-sound pictures. As a result American producers are finding it easy to dispose of product and at satisfactory prices despite dullness here in many lines. FOUR-TONGUE PICTURES DUBBED AT SAME TDHE Paris, Feb. 4. Sofar Films is experimenting with a new technique in dubbing pictures with, duplicate lines. Experiment is upon pictures in four'languages and involves a new practice. While the French company on the set is playing out the action with French lines, other speakers in Eng- lish, German and Italian are record- ing in sound-proof glass chambers the appropriate lines each on a separate sound tract, speakers be- ing able.lo_^<»..theL actors, bu^^ out 6f camera range. Idea is that when the action prints and sound prints are made any language record may be matched up with the action positive m printing. .Picture under experiment Is Prix de Beaut6" ("Beauty Prize"). It is an original work by Maurice Dekobras. M^G's French 30 Paris, Feb. 4. Arthur lioew has advised • Metro over here that that company will have 30 French dialog or sound films suitable for the Fi'ench market. . Laurel and Hardy comedies are popular 'here, and will, of course, have French versions. Quits Actor Hunt Paris, Feb. 4. Mrs, Jacques Feyder, falling to obtain French screen players to go to Hollywood for Metro-Goldwyn, is sailing herself tomorro\y .(Wed.) to join her husband In California, where he is directing on the Metro- Goldwyn lot. Mrs. Feyder engaged Andre Luguet for the new world trip, to take paxt In French picture versions, but there her quest for suitable players ended due to absence of available niaterial or unwillingness of people to make the Journeyi W. ATTACKS CINEPHONE Alleges 27 Infringements on Indie Sound Device London, Feb, 4. Western. Electric has issued writs against Powers' Cinephone here, al- leging Infringement and specifying 27 counts. Powers, is trying to bring out a smaller, cheaper equipment to over- come the charges, but concern,. like other indie companies, finds it dif- Ctcult to finance. The regular firms that finance Installment selling won't handle this class of contract, holding that equipment has. no ^'used value" and. they haVe no se- curity for advances.. uumn SHOWS cHEtr TAKER INIERCHAIIGE CAUMONTW MUTUALCHANGE French Talker Slips in on W. E. Suite REFORM IN SWEDEN Anti-Screen Crusader Says Hoover Opposes Sound Film Stockholm, Feb. 4. A Swedish daily newspaper in Gothenberg which is carrying on a crusade against screen sound as foreign propaganda, presents a novel argument. Paper tells its readers that Pres- ident Hoover has e^xpressed him- self as opposed to sound and dialog in filckers. Big sound pictures are the only ones that get business here. Musicians Sue, Holding Canned Music Illegal Prague, Feb. 4. Czechoslovak musicians' unions . are^^^^^bringing-^.lawsults^^agalnst Bound theatres here Invoking a law Which prohibits leadership in or- chestras playing publicly except by directors holding regular conduc- tors' license. . Musician unemployment looms as serious here as elsewhere due to showing of synchronized films and it was thia situation that Inspired the resort to legal action. Blame Faulty Print for Flop of Bob Kane Short Paris, Feb. 4. Bob Kane'd first American short made here and resulting in a fiop at Its. first showing was withdrawn" from Paramount theatre's show. Subject is a specialty by LiUclenne Boyer in a cabaret setting. It made a poor impression at the pre-release showing. The Paramount, people say the fault was in the ptlnt, which was injured in the projection booth and subject will be continued. Para- mount is financing the Kane experi- ment with native shorts. The Paramount is holding over the Bancroft picture, "The Show- down," although it also brought an unfavorable reaction from the mob. As substitute for the wittidrawn short Par put in a cartoon subject of its own. Barthelmess Heads Home Paris, Feb. 4. ^--Mr.-and-Mrs.JUchariBai4helme3s^ sail for New York on the Bremen Feb. 13 after a continental vacation. Syria's First Talker Carlo, Feb. 4. Talkers were Inaugerated in Syria Feb. 1, with the opening of the first sound installation in the Em- pire Cinema, Damascus. Paris, Feb. 4. Taking advantage of the litigation between Western Electric and the Tobis-Klangfilm ihterests, the G^u- mbnt-Frahco-Aubert community is making a campaigm to bring about reciprocal arrangements, for the dis- tribution of Tbbis film product in France and the handling of Gau- mont-Franco products in Germany on a basis of mutual understanding for interchange. Gauniont ofilcials are now in con- ference with Tobis people for an understanding along those lines. Gaumont, whose new sound re- producer has been well spoken of on its recent test, is bucking West- ern Electric in this territory with plenty of aggressiveness. The bally- hoo stresses the fact that the native equipment Is cheaper and carries with it assurance of interchange- ability, besides being available for 'a quartier of the outlay in money.' In the meantime both French and (Serman sound companies, are at- tacking, the market in CSerman ter- ritory, where W. B. device Is legally blocked. $60,000 IN MONTH TOP FOR ALL SO. AMERICA Buenos Aires, Feb. 4. "Hollywood Revue" closed at the Palace here Saturday night, com- pleting a month's run. Picture grossed 162,000 pesos ($60,000) dur- ing its stay. This Is a record high for all South America for a single picture run in one house. It is succeeded at the Palace, by "The Flying Pleef* (M-G-M with Ramon Novarro). Czech House Restores Low Scale, Apologizes Belgrade. Feb. 4. "~ Ther-Kolarac - theatre -has - gone- back to Its box ofQce scale for sl- lents, cutting, the advanced prices for Jolson's "The Singing Fool," and is making apology to its public for the advance which the house blames on Western Electric Theatre's Version is that when the W. E. equipment' was installed the company argued that house should advance its prices, which It said would be justified- by superior sound reproduction. Later on the Luxor, opposition, opened using the Cheaper Blophone equipment (also American), with "White Shadows in the South Seas" and let the old Scale for silent prod- uct remain in force. Kolarac had run into unfavorable public reaction on its price advance and hastened to meet the Luxor scale. Kolarac's sister house, the Casino, opened yesterday (Monday) also with W. K equipment, giving Bel- grade five sound houses using American Installations and one, the Corso, using Tobls, German. Par Bids for Perret Paramount is proposing an ar- rangement with Leonce Perret to go to Hollywood, there to produce pictures with French dialog. Conditional offer Is understood to provide for $40,000 against a per- centage on French earnings. Prop- osition Is conditional upon Perret finding suitable French scrlpta. Paris, Feb. 4. An invitation demonstration was given at the Theatre des Champs Elysees of Gaumont's improved Sonora equipment with particular reference to its ability to reproduce pictures made on the other systems. Twelve reels were run oK on all the different producing systems, in- cluding Western Electric, RCA, TOc. bis and I»eterson Paulsen. Demonstration Justified claims that reproduction of ' all product is satisfactory for a,hy minor exhibitor, considering the price is about a fourth of Western Electric's, al- though, of course, it by no means equals the quality of the last named apparatus. French device is bound to have its effect upon W'^stern's business, due-to-t-he-priee-dlffepence.;-_it_ al- ready is having an effect in that di rection. Gaumont has Increased its capital stock from $960,000 to $3,400,000, jgiving effect to the absorption, of Franco-Aubert, Gaumont film lab- oratories and the Conti Souza camera control. Officers are Leon Gaumont, president; Albert Kohan, banker, managing <Jlrector; Hurel and Costil in their old execntive positions, one handling distribution and other studio reginxe; Gaumont reports 82 orders on hand with production schedule probably five equipments a week; Hearst's French News Paris, Feb. 4. Hearst Metrotone newsreel will Is sue a French edition similar to Fox Movietone, which was forced to do so to hold its own against Pathe- Nathan which has three RCA Pho tCphpne sCund trucks in operation. . Fox Movietone Newsreel was orig inally very helpful to Fox in sell ing feature product on the French market. 300 WIRED Figure that Many French Sound Houses by '31—Cheap Devices Paris, Feb. 4. • Following the succeiss of the in augural French talkers, it Is figured France will have 300 of its 3,000 theatres wired by 1931. Cheap sound reproducers are now available. American faction estimates that since the French never successfully made silent pictures, they can't make talkers. But this theory Is not altogether true, as the French have always been long on dialos and stagecraft. NATIVE BELGIAN TAIKER CLICKS Paris, Feb, 4, Parvimount'g . Coliseum, Brussels, is shattering I'ecord after recsord with the first Belgian-made talker with dialog in Belgian, which is not Flemish, but a variatidn of French. New picture is called "The Family Klubkins," and has reproduction by means of discs; but In, .a curious wiay. The discs were: made , first and then the film was produced to synchohize with the sound. Paramount ofilcials In Paris adr- mltted jestingly, but still a bit riie-' fully, that the hybrid production had smashed Chevalier's records. It is now in its third week at the Coli- seum and is holding, over indefl- niteljr,:^..,.. _ Picture's crashing flgui'es add an- other iilustratlon that ipuropean na- tionals wiir fall for their native language in dialog, irrespective of picture quality. This one cost 100,000 Belgian francs, or about $15,- 000, to produce, and it wouldn't be worth anything .outside of Belgium. But here it's a rave. They ..even raised the Coliseum admission scale to 15 Belgian francs, or 46 cents, iust as they , did for the Chevalier picture. The Belgian censor laws are strict where minor Childreh .are concerned* but liberal for 'adults. This picture is approved. The Klubkins family visits Paris and makes a tour of all the sin dens in the town. Film has an all-iBelglan cast. .. ITALIANS GO IN FOR MULTI-TONGUE FILMS Rome, Feb, 4. The Plttaluga . people, who own the six leading picture houses of Rome as well as foremost cinemas elsewhere, are at work producing on RCA Photophone apparatus dialog product in four languages. Arrangements have been com- pleted with foreign firms for French; German and English re- lease for dialog pictures In those languages. For the Italian pictures they are depending upon, ia home population of 42,000,000 plus large Italian cot- onies in Argentina and Brazil, liot to speak of. the big Italian settle-' ments in the main capitals of the world, and in Italy's- colonial pos- sessions, / * %ypt Buys Science Subjects by the Mile Cairo, Feb. 4. The Education Ministry of the government has entrusted the MIsre Cinema Co. with the purchase of a large-amount-of-fllm^o-be-used^or. educational purposes accompanied by. classroom lectures. Budget calls for 86 projection machines and accessories to be dis- tributed among the primary and secondary school grades. Appropri- ation also is made for purchase of 1,992 subjects, making a total of 335,000 metres. View French ♦'Rio Rita" ■ Paris, Feb,...'4.. An audience of invited Franco- American minded critics will be in- vited to pass on the French dubbed dialog version of "Rio Rita" (Radio). If not okayed, picture will be shown with title, substituted, dialog faded down and only the songs rer tained. FATHE SACK TO PARIS Cairo, Feb. 4. Charles Pathe, noted film man, has returned to Paris following a visit to Cairo as the end of a tour of upper Egypt Sonoart in So. America Buenos Aires, Feb. 4. George Kallman, representing Sonoart, independent American sound apparatus, has jtist arrive'l here about to undertake a cam- paign for his indie device in this territory. German "Atlantic" Big On Dutch Presentation Amsterdam, Feb. 4. "Atlantic," the British-made pjlc- tiire with its German version dialog recorded on . RCA Photophone, started here with an enormous fan- fare of praise. Fans and reviewers unite in laudation. Picture is in at Tuschinskl's, both here and In Rotterdam^ and is being touted as the best popaganda yet for German-dialog, pictures. Point of importance in this show- ing is that it comes as trail-breaker for the UFA talker product, a con- siderable footage of which is re- ported ready for marketing. ' However; the German trade suf- fered something of a setback when Dutch UFA offered a series of An- glo-German sound shorts, which were received without enthusiasm, due to indifferent quaJity of these brief bits. » London, Feb, 4. "Atlantic" ends its run at the AJ- hambra Friday (Feb. 7) evening, with another British International, ^'Elstree Calling^," taking Its place. "Atlantic" resumes at the Regal Feb. 15. Chloride Co. Creditors Agjee on Liquidating London, Febi 4, •The petition by the Chloride Eiece trlcal Storage Co. for the compul- sory winding up of the British Talkr ing Pictures Co. was adjourned yes- .tcr.day^XJyionilay)..jipon -^^n^^^re^"^ ment for the appointment of an official rocelvpr as a provisional" liq- uidator. Counsel for the petitioning com- pany was supported by other credit- ors for ?230,000. Another group rep- resf.-ntlng debts of $470,000 opposed tlio petition, but were in favor of the provisional Uquidatoi:.