FILM WAR

Hokitika Guardian, 15 July 1930, Page 8

FILM WAR

E DROPEAN HOLLYWOOD

PROJECTED CENTRE

Film interests on this side of the Atlantic are taking their cue from the diplomats and- talking. about a motion picture United States of Europe, says the ‘Berlin correspondent

of the “San Francisco Chronicle.” “J'he centre of this talkie-union would, of cmy.se, be a. sort of' Pan-European Hollywood. Its aim. would be the organisation of a united resistance against America’s film conquest of the world. With the birth of the talkie era came •a Hot of premature optimism over nere. It was assumed that the language barrier quickly would accomplish what film quotas and contingents had failed to do.

But the quick success of Hollywood talkies in England, despite the critics 1 ’ complaint that no Englishman could understand them, demonstrated that language barriers alone could not stop the invasion,,, while here in Berlin one German-made talkie actually scored a hit by salting its dialogue liberally with American slang. So the latest plans- for meeting the American “menace” do not blindly rely on the language barriers, even though they seek to take full advantage of them. They indicate a. trend towards unification of the non-Ameri-can talkie front, a strengthening of the. defence against Hollywood.

VERY POSSIBLE

If the Pan-European Hollywood is located in some such country as Switzerland, its studios would be within easy striking distance of all the centres of Europe. The. most popular players ami singers of the various countries con be engaged for a picture—English, French, German, Spanish and Italian casts succeeding one another on tlie same set, without any player being more than an ttften - noon’s air ride from his home stage,

Without waiting for the union, to materialise, various companies and combinations aa;e trying out tlie basic idea. The English-German film “Atlantic,” profited by the easy availability of good castes in both countries ; in Paris four German-French talkies have been filmed; a CermanSwedish producing company is getting under- wav here; a German-Italian voice feature “Ave Maria” is in preparation.'

That good talking-singing pictures can be made in Europe is admitted. Whether even a real Pan-Eurooenn Hollywood, • well-organised and rich, will be able to affect the prestige of America’s talkie town is another question.