BETTER FILMS?

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 2, Issue 542, 27 May 1933, Page 4

BETTER FILMS?

Mr. Samuel Goldwyn, of Metro-Goldwyn-May^r, has recently made a suggestion that is of great interest to all cinemagoers. In London Mr. Goldwyn stated that in his opinion America should restrict itself to making seventy films a year, while Britain should he satisfied with twenty. This plan would have the immediate; and desirable effect of reducing the number of bad films, but Mr. Goldwyn claimed more for it than that. He thought that it would lead to an increase in the number of goocj ones, on the logieal ground that reduction in quantity means increase in quality. Is Mr. Goldwyn's logic sound? It is a debatable point. He can bring up many arguments to support his contention. A great deal of the best artistic work has been done slowly. Ready writing, says Carlyle, makes hard reading. Virgil used to be content with composing ten lines a day. Keat's line, "A thing of beauty is a joy forever," which looks like a spontaneous inspiration, was the result of long consideration and experiment. "I have done a good-;day's work," said one of the most famous of English nineteenth century writers to a friend. "What have you done?" came the query. "This morning I put a comma into my new poem." "And in the afternoon?" "I took it out again." But there are equally convincing examples on the other side, showing that the very best work can be done post-haste. Shakespeare never "blotted a line," Thackeray was always on the top of his form when writing with a messenger at his elbow waiting to take the manuscript to the Press,. and Dickens would keep three novels going at once. Whether work is done rapidly or slowly is a matter of sheer personal taste. One reluctantly concludes that Mr. Goldwyn has not yet found the recipe for ifleal pietures. Slowing down a director's pace, if he is a mediocre director,' wilj not lead him to produce good pietures. If Edgar Wallace had restricted himself to writing one short story a year, it is unlikely that it woqld have been of the quality of Rudyard Kipling's. As a producer of long and wide experience, Mr. Goldwyn would doubtless agrqe that the way to obtain good movies is to have them made by able directors.