KINEMA’S FUTURE

Hokitika Guardian, 25 November 1929, Page 7

KINEMA’S FUTURE

BOOM FOR. TALKIES AND THE LIUITjMaI'E THEATRE.

Although the talkies have come to stay, they will never put the legitimate theatre oat of business. Such is tae decided opinion of Mr \V. Burlington iliilier, ol London, who is revisiting his native country, New Zealand after an a,use lice in iiiistrauu and England of seventeen years. Mr Miller is well-known in New Zealand as the one-time lessee of His Majesty’s Theatre in Gisborne, and of a picture theatre in Dunedin. He became better known about seventeen years ago when be went to Sydney, and became managing-director of the Greater J. D. Williams Picture Company, whose business be put on a sound footing. Mr Miller settled in London about eleven years ago, and while he has taken a certain part in theatrical productions in England, he is gradually working out of the business, and now takes things more easily, spending his winters in the south of France, Italy and occasionally in Egypt.

“I think the talkie has come to_stay, declared Mr Miller, “but they are not reporter yesterday, “but they are not going to put the legitimate theatre out of business. In London this season they hurt the legitimate theatre a good deal, but before the season was over the legitimate theatre had recovered. Where a play did not draw, it was the fault of the play itself. I think every theatre will be wired to .tfdff the talkies, and on every programme there will lie talkies, but there will always he silent pictures. Such a silent picture, for instance, as ‘The Divine Lady,’ which was produced this year in England, and I believe has now been released in New Zealand, shows what can be done with sound effects. The only vocal efeet in the picture is that the leading lady sings three times. The battle effects are also produced by sound, and are most realistic. This picture is the story off Lord Nelson and Lady Hamilton.”

“Giant screens,” proceeded Mr Miller, “are amongst thq, latest developments in tlve theatrical world, and you will see them here next year. This is a new system which may be described as natural vision photography, and is ..the work of Messrs George K. Spoor and John J. Berggren, of Chicago. It projects pictures, characters, and. scenes of life-like size, detail, and perspective on a vast panoramic screen, Synchronised with sound by R.C.A. Phottone, these films are expected to open up a new field of opportunity ion picture production. The Spoor-Ber-ggren film is 30ft high and 52ft long; and pictures under the system can be projected to a length of 70ft. I saw n magnificent scenic film of Niagara Falls shown by this system in New York about three months ngo, and the majestic spectacle of water rushing down from such a height''to one’s very feet gave one the impression that one could almost feel the spray of the cataract. So perfect is the focus attained by the camera in the new system that details in the picture as far as five miles away from the camera lens stood out as sharply as the figures in the immediate foreground. “Wherever I go these days I am asked what Britain is doing in the way of talkie production,” continued Mr Miller. “The situation is not as'satisfactory as it might be, for up to the present the only really good English picture we have seen is ‘Blackmail’. The others certainly have not set the Thames on fire. This is more than a matter of national importance that English voices should be heard in the cinema screens of the Empire. It we do not produce good films, one cannot expect exhibitors in this country, and the Dominions to show them, neither is it reasonable to expect the public to patronise them. Some of our production companies show , promise of delivering the goods. British International have given us ‘Blackmail’. Gainsborough are responsible for ‘The Wrecker’ a synchronised sound film, and in conjunction with Welsh-Pearson are to' do ‘ Jounrney’s End’ as a talkie. “Just before leaving London, I was privileged to see some of the interior shots of a picture now being made in England, the title of which is to be ‘The Loves of Bobbie Burns’. If this picture is not a success perhaps we had better give up making talkies. The recording was under the Western Electric system, and their sound experts were co-operating with the English company. The music was supplied by an orchestra of fifty, every member of which was a.star at his job. Goossens, for example, was playing the oboe and Aubrey Brain tbe born. That giftecT musician Leslie Howard was conducting. In this production I also heard a glorious voice singing ‘Green Grows the Rushes O’ in an old Scotch tavern setting. The singer was Joseph Hislop one of the world’s greatest tenors. Standing in the set I noticed the familiar form of Neil Kenyon, who is to he the chief comedian. The exterior scenes of this picture are to be shot in Scotland. and T feel sure this is going to be a worth-while picture. “One of the big success in tbe legitimate theatre in London this year” continued Mr Miller, “was the Second Mrs Fraser,” with Henry Ainley (and Marie Tempest in the cast. When I loft London this play had been running for four months, and to get a decent stall one had to book at least three weeks 'ahead. This play was from tlie pen of St. John Ervine. ‘ Bitter Sweet ’ by Noel Coward, is another phenomenal success. The week before I left London I attended this play with Mr Julius Knight and we had to pay 18s fid for stalls eighteen rows hack. Other big successes were ‘Cinders’ ‘Hie Infinite

Shoeblack,’ ‘ Candlelight,’ and Edgar Wallace's new racing drama ‘The Calendar.’ The last-named is perhaps his best play to date.” Asked as to how New Zealand artists were faring in London, Mr Miller said that Miss Isobel Wilfford had been quite successful. The outstanding New Zealander in London at present was Miss Marie Ney, who had appeared under Sir Nigel Playfair’s direction in several of his biggest successes at the L, ric Theatre at Hammersmith where lie produced “ The Beggars’ Opera J’ which ran for three years .The Aucklander Shayle Gardiner, had perhaps been the most successful young actor in English and in Shakesperean plays. Australians in London who were doing well were Miss Vera Pearce, Miss Madge Elliot, and Cyril Richards.

Mr Miller left by the Makura on Tuesday last for Sydney, and after three weeks in that city will catch the Niagara for for Honolulu, where he will remain for a few weeks before going on to Los Angles. In Los Angles Mr Miller intends to visit Mr Charles Chaplin, who is a personal friend of his. “There is a great deal of speculation,” said Mr Miller, “as to whether Charlie Chaplin intends to appear in talkies. Just before leaving London I saw Mr Nathan Bartram, Charlie Chaplin’s lawyer who told me that at present Charlie is much against the talkie films. In my opinion, Mr Chaplin would be one of the greatest personalities in talking pictures. He has a pleas ing voice, sings well, and dances excellently. He has been working on his present picture ‘ City Lights * but it is still far from finished. He may or may not turn it into a talkie. He is the greatest” genius in the picture world to-day, and will decide that point for himself.”