Current Picture Trends
by Winifred Sheehan
Significant changes in the motion picture map of the world, as forecast sometime ago by Winifred Sheehan, vice-president of Fox Films Corporation, and general manager of productio, are rapidly becoming a reality. “Several months ago I predicted a general revival of pictures of the simple, human type, a renaissance of clean entertainment, an d of optimism and comedy in p[reference to sombre drama”, Mr Sheehan says. “It appeared to me then that the economic and political troubles of the world would necessarily bring about a reaction in favor of light entertainment as against sombre subjects. To-day this opinion is vindicated. From British and other studios, as well as from Hollywood, the current type of picture offering is markedly cheerful and entertaining. Musical films, animated by good plots, catchy turns and stellar personalities are coming in on a wave of popular acclaim”.
“New personalities, discovered through intensive searcc by film scouts throughout the world and developed in special studio training schools, are becoming the stars of tomorrow. I cannot, of course, set myself up as a spokesman for the entire industry, but the offerings we are making at Fox Film are typical of the new trends elsewhere in screen product. Of the 35 pictures we a re now producing or preparing, five are musicals, nine are feature comedies or comedy-dramas, ten are human, real life stories, six are Spanish language offerings for the Latin countries, and the remainder may be classified as mystery dramas and adventure dramas”.
“Tragic and sombre pictures are entirely absent from this list, while humor plays an important part in the majority. Comparison of our product with that of other studios would, I believe, show these trends to be general. The public demands cheerful entertainment, not gloom”.
“In the matter of presenting new faces to American audiences we have been unusually successful. Many stage and screen players of prominence abroad but heretofore practically unknown here, are now to display their talents for our home patrons as well as for their admirers in their own countries. Madeleine Carroll, the British star, who will appear for us in ‘The World Moves On’, is outstanding in this regard, but in addition we are shortly presenting ‘Pat’ Patterson, Nigel Bruce, Mona Barrie, and other British players in their initial American films.
“Two French celebrities, Ketti Gallian and Charles Boyer; Blanca Vischer from Guatemala, Tito Coral from Venezuela, and Siegfried Rumann, of Germany, are among the newcomers who, we predict, will make a host of new friends among American picturegoers. These international movements of personalities are bound to have an important influence in cementing international relationships, and will further the accord already reached through the interchange of pictures between the various countries”.