Out With the Old, In With the New?

Random thought:

This week’s topic includes two points of views regarding the change from “silent” to “sound” film. The first is from a TCM feature Cecil B. DeMille - American Epic directed by Kevin Brownlow

“…The moment sound came in, everyone threw the technique of silent pictures away…swept the stage clean, swept everybody who had been working in silent pictures away and brought in from the stage people who were used to reading lines.

“And they put the camera in a little glass box. You couldn’t pan it, you couldn’t move it, it was in glass…

“And I took the camera out of the glass room, and put it on the stage to try and bring [the art] back…and the sound engineer walked off.”

- Cecil B. DeMille

I love this quote; Mr. DeMille explains so much about what I often disliked about the first sound films. Much of the cinematic strides that had been made in the previous two decades were tossed off the sets and largely forgotten in the novelty of talkies. Even in early television, dialogue only took place when everyone was sitting around a table, for example (“speak into the flower pot, my dear; that’s where the microphone is”). In that media form, it wasn’t until Desi Arnez came along and insisted on utilizing three cameras. It also helped that Lucille Ball was a gifted comedienne, surrounded by a great supporting cast, but “I Love Lucy” reruns would not still be airing somewhere right now, if the camera work hadn’t been so good.

The second example is what I am focusing on this week, the last of ‘09. I’m writing about the frustration that Alice Calhoun felt toward the last few years of her career. She had already proven her acting chops with diversified roles in a number of very good films. But when Warner Brothers bought out Vitagraph Studios and included her contract with the sale , she was treated with disregard by the new production company and given mediocre roles in second-rate films. A number of notable directors wanted her in their films, but Warner Bros. refused to loan her out. Little wonder that she decided to walk away and give up her acting career. It certainly must have been a real heartache. Especially since she was only thirty-three years old when she came to that decision.

People come and go so fast in the revolving door of Hollywood. Techniques and talents are quickly forgotten. It’s remarkable…even if only for the reason that this art form - of cinema- is little more than a century old.

Certainly some food for thought to reflect on during the last week of the year. ~ SDG 12/28/09