GARBO RULES IN ITALY.

Evening Post, Volume CXXI, Issue 1, 2 January 1936, Page 14

GARBO RULES IN ITALY.

You do not have to be long in Italy to find Out who rules the movie world, perhaps even the world of fashion, writes the film critic of the London "Daily Telegraph" from Venice. Greta Garbo is "Queen." In America and England the Swedish girl has rivals. Here she is supreme. You see her name outside every cinema; fan magazines with her picture on the cover are in every newspaper shop window. On the Lido and in the fashionable Venetian hotels, you are sure to see somebody with v long yellow hair striding along in trousers or tweed skirt and brogues. The other type most in vogue is what might be called the Bergner. For physical reasons, the Bergners are much more numerous than the Garbos. Girls with hair cut short stand in the Piazza of St. Mark feeding the pigeons with wistful grace. Wearing beach pyjamas, they hail each other with "gamine" vivacity and the well-known Bergner charm. Though obviously familiar to the classes, Miss Bergner is not yet known to the masses. "Escape Me Never," just shown to the Film Congress here, may establish her as a popular favourite. Marlene Dietrich used to be a big draw, but her following has been lessened by inferior pictures. Clark Gable is a great favourite, and so, rather oddly, is Wallace Beery. I say rather oddly because you might expect his type to be incomprehensible to Italians. The explanation may lie in the fact that his pictures depend upon vigorous action rather than dialogue. Other favourites with the Italian public are: Chaplin, Joan Crawford, Norma Shearer, Myrna Loy, Janet 3aynor, and Laurel and Hardy—their voices "dubbed" in comically bad Italian by two American students in Rome. Of the English players, the greatest favourites are Charles Laughton, Leslie Howard, and Ana Neagle. 'Henry VIII," "The Scarlet Pimperlel," and "Nell Gwynn" were all huge successes, and won for the British inJustry a following which is growing vith every outstanding picture. Handicapped by a small market, nadequate capital, and shortage of stars, directors, and technicians, the Italian film industry is fighting for its : ife. Signor Mussolini recognises its : importance. Its activities are en- : :ouraged and controlled by a State Director, Signor Freddi, who works in : .urn under the Duce's son-in-law, , Hount Ciano, Minister for Propaganda. ■ On the producing side in Italy there . las been a thorough reorganisation. ( rhere are four studios in Rome with . sight sound stages and another near ] Leghorn. It is expected that about i .hirty pictures will be made this year. ; md more next year. . • < The Italian producer can rely only i m his own market, and to show n ' )rofit the nWure must not cost ;i i icnny more than £10.000. ■ This, I nm i nformed is for a production on which ; in English comnany . would spend t 1 50,000 or £60,000. 1