Judge — July 27, 1929 — page 21: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

} JUDGE JUVGIVG ve respite the fact that they are forced to seine D the backwashes of the theatre and the publish ing houses in order to keep their scenario canneries in business, there is a wealth of material the movies have left untouched. Occ reach out for such dignified and_ vit ments as “The Patriot’; for the most part the content with the Saturday Evening Post's weekly grist. Some months ago James Cruze did a movie about the Ku Klux Klan. Naturally they did not dare name the organization, but the Klan spirit, the sadistic marauding of the night riders, was there. No mount of irrelevant and ordinary material quite did away with the thrilling novelty Cruze allowed us in an illusion of a harsh, brutal, stupid Middle Western community. For the first half of its life, “Drag” is a movie with some breath of life, some problems of living that go beyond a bricklayer's yearning for a Park Avenue apartment. The ambitions of a small-town newspaper publisher, the cloying, emasculating self- ishness of a Vermont family into which he is trapped hy marriage shape themselves into a relentless, sim- ple, realistic struggle. Despite the lack of. bril- liancy in execution of either director or east, the sim- plicity and honesty of the story lift “Drs out of the routine, skin-deep make believe of the program movie. Alice Day, Lila Lee and Richard Barthelmess steered clear of elaborate diction in’ this talking movie; they were able, competent, but not brilliant. 1 am not insisting that a movie must be brilliant to he good, but “Drag” is a simple story that necded the most polished production, the direction and exe cution of a George Kelly middle-class satire, to hew it into sharp relief. I do not believe the talking movie is yet in any state to allow such brilliancy. Those of you who can stand the talkies probably have been troubled by the baby-talk that issues from _ By PARE LORENTZ THe MIC the best-paid throats of Hollywood. Even clea static or indigestion the Mov ne and the V phone never allow well-rounded tone to esc: was only after hearing an Albert Spaulding solo that I discovered the mechanical equipment as yet produces no resonance, no undertones. ‘The re production scems to skim the top off the sound and leave the soft inflection, the rich tone of the polished actor lost somewhere in the machinery. Consider- ing this constant defect in the sound apparatus, the three stars of “Drag” did an excellent job. There is inconsistent and illogical conclusion tacked on to “D ; ill at ease with Vermont and a newspaper office as a locale, the producers at the end returned to their harrowed and furrowed dra- matic pasture, Times Square. Discouraged and d ged to bankruptey by his whining in-laws, the hero writes a musical comedy that is the success of the season, wins his fortune, leaves his wife and gets his gal in good speed. I see no more reason for accepting a talking movie that can not talk any more than reading a novelist who has to write in shorthand. The talking movie in the experimental stage—very well, let them go 1 and experiment. But why 7 ~ to listen to a recitation of a by now ancient trial by sound? However, as there are few silent movies of worth being produced, and as the movie houses cool, I recommend “Drag” as a talkie far superior to the ordinary productions coming your way Tt pie was the movies’ most valuable contribution to art. Now that they are talking and wearing gloves, the movies have given up the kick in the pa nts for the so-called smart comedy. he Fall of I is an attempt at a French farce. It is about as Pari- sian as a truck driver at Coney Island. It is a talkie with nothing but vulgar, comic-strip situations. Avoid it by all means. The Movie Guide “Alibi” —Ove Cb superb job in a faat~ Moria dora a “Bulldog Drummené” — Amusing. oving talking crook brilliantly directed. The best of the melodrama. talking movies; with Ronald Colm 7 “The Cocsanuts”— Miserable ‘Betrayal”—The last, and a gy talkie made bearable by the fin Jannings movie brothers. “Ce The sound is tad, but “Breadway"—A poor talkie, with an Mary Nerd arise band for ab earnest interesting background. and graceful performance. “Eternal Love’ snowstorm that pr phn Barry J “East is East”—Lon Chasey makes lite. faces for no apparent reason. “Hearts to Dile’—All-singing Negro ‘anecents of Paris”—Maurice Che- movie made entertaining by 3 comedian, —_valier sings some pleasing French songs, Stepan Fetebit. but it is terrible nevertbelew. “Gentlemen of the Press"—Thrce good actors and a fair plot in an alle talking sewspaper story “The Drag” —In this isve. “The Fall of Eve —In this isue. Comicboo $.com