BRITISH PICTURES

Dominion, Volume 20, Issue 46, 18 November 1926, Page 12

BRITISH PICTURES

ENCOURAGEMENT FROM STATES A WIDE : OPEN DOOR THEMES MUST HAVE UNIVERSAL APPEAL “We are endeavouring to do everything we possibly can to encourage the output of good-class British pictures, said Mr. J. A. Hicks,. general manager for Australasia for the Famous Lasky Film Service, Ltd., ■ yesterday, “and I think you will see next year, and as time goes on, some excellent British pictures marketed by our firm both in the United States and throughout the British Empire. “There is no reason why pictures made in England should not. be as good as those turned out in America, but I cannot conceal from my judgment that, the English producer does not try to analyse the. demands of the American market,, which, after all, is the greatest market in the world. That must’.be so, seeing that, though the reputed population of the United States is 120,000,000, the number of -admissions to picture theatres weekly is 130,000,000. So you perceive what I mean when I say that to make a financial success of picture-producing, England, or any other nation for that matter, must study the requirements of the best market. If they do that, and can at the same time preserve those elements of sentiment and manners peculiarly British, so much the better. ... , , “At the same time I think, and obviously the world thinks with me, that the American producers succeed on the merit of the pictures they produce, as they build pictures to meet the requirements of 90 out of every 100 people, not only in the States, but the world over. Our corporation alone has 700* theatres in -the United States, and we say that the door for the .exhibition of any good pictures, no matter where they are produced, is wide open. The universal appeal .is the thing, as the public are a the judges and if we do not give the public what they want the box office promptly registers the fact. As far as producing pictures is concerned, there is little or no money in it—the money is in the theatres—and if •' we were assured of a good supply of pictures, no matter where they are produced, we would discontinue producing, and get our supplies elsewhere. Why British Producers Fail. “I do not think England will ever be able to build up the industry by legislative aids, for it*is always wrong to introduce politics, in any shape or form, into, any business, and all the legislation in the world will not induce people to patronise 'a certain class of picture when they have become used to something better. I would like to emphasise my point about the open door by saying that one of the outstanding successes of the present year in the States was. the British-made picture, Nell Gwyn.” I don’t say it was a ‘Ten Commandments,’ but it was. an excellent picture and met with great success. Another case in point was the German-made ’picture ‘Variety,’ which had a great run. You hear a goocl deal about the quota law as applied to pictures. In Germany a quota law was enacted that for every American picture exhibited there must be a German picture, which induced considerable industry in the producing busi *ness in Germany, but it was soon, found that the ’German public would not have such pictures unless they were good ones. The largest company was the ‘Ufa,’ which went into the business in a big wav until they found themselves indebted to. the German National Bank to the tune of £1,000,000—and it was American producing firms that advanced the company that huge sum to enable it to carry on. “When some two years ago the United States Congress ‘passed the Japenese Exclusion Bill, the Japanese Government retaliated by boycotting American films, but the boycott only lasted two or three weeks, for the publie demanded that the boycott be lifted, and lifted it was. To a certain extent the same, feeling’existed in Australia. A few decent pictures were produced, and were* fairly successful, but invariably they were characterised. bv a purely local atmosphere, and lacked the universal touch that goes to ensure success throughout the British-speaking world. There is a lack of good story writers in Australia to provide themes for .pictures that will be appreciated just as much in Toronto, Cape Town, or New York as in Svdney or ■Melbourne.” . Discussing the marvellous = growth ot the picture business, Mr. Hicks stated that at present there were veryfew. theatres in the United States in which pictures were not shown as the whole, or a part, or the entertainment. Vaudeville as all exclusive entertainment was not what is was. Even on such well-known circuits as the Orpheum, Pantages, Kaith’s, and Loewe’s, pictures always formed a part ot the piogramme. The annual growth of the business was equally, as marked in Australia and New Zealand. Coming Pictures. Referring to the activities of the Laskv-Famous Players Corporation, Mr. Hicks said that 75 pictures would be ’released next year, and -were to be known as the “fifteenth birthday group.” These would include “Beau Geste,” a screen version of P. C. Wren’s famous novel, which had been selected to open the new Regent Theatre in Wellington next month. Other notable features would be I). W. Griffith's conception of Marie Corelli’s “The Sorrows of Satan”; "Old Ironsides,” an historical representation of the cleaning-up of the pirates of the Barbary Coast; “Wings,” dealing with the part played bv the aeroplane in the Great War '(in which 300 'planes and 8000 men would participate) ; “The Greatest Show on Earth,” which would embodv incidents in the life of the late P. T. Barnum; H. G. Wells’s " rhe War of the Worlds”; “The Wedding March,” to be produced by Eric von Stroheim; “London,”. “Tip-toes and “Madame Pompadour” (three English pictures); and for Christmas this year a very attractive picture of J. M. Barrie’s “A Kiss for Cinderella, featuring Bettv Bronson. This picture will be released in all four centres during Christmas week