Are Advertising Films Wanted.
To the Editor of The Bioscope.
Sir, — I have been an interested reader of your article on “Are Advertising Films Wanted?” and also Mr. W. H. Rothacker’s reply thereto, and venture to express my own personal opinion on the matter. As the proprietor of a group of West of England Shows, I must emphatically assert that if I were to put on a film advertising and booming somebody’s whiskey, even if it merely showed the whole process, but included one particular firm’s name, and kept running that film, my business would fall off. I fully agree with you that the patrons of picture theatre pay to see a picture entertainment, not picture advertising, and consider it would indeed be the height of foolishness to even attempt such a procedure.
Mr. Rothacker says that “we build moving picture plays, arranged in scenic form, around a commercial subject, so that, while they accomplish their object with publicity force, the ulterior motives are successfully veiled.” To my mind —and I think a good many of your readers’ also—this ingenious argument is much on a par with the exciting article we read in a magazine, which as the story progresses, is merely a puff for somebody’s pills, or a patent medicine. We all know how irritated we feel when we have been tricked into reading it. And I am very much afraid that my audiences would see through such a device as Mr. Rothacker suggests, and I should suffer.
Advertising films are not required, Sir, and never will be, in my opinion.—Yours, etc.,
WIDEAWAKE.
Bath, January 11, 1911.

To the Editor of The Bioscope.
Sir,— I think Mr. Rothacker gives his entire case away when replying to your editorial comments of December 8th. Though his arguments are very persuasive and ingenious, yet they lack conviction, and I feel certain the majority of exhibitors endorse your opinion, that advertising films—of whatever nature—are not required.
I should like to the point out that a very large number of exhibitors are the opinion that all industrial subjects are of an advertising nature, and while not committing myself entirely to this way of thinking, I certainly agree that it is possible to produce an educational subject, dealing with any industry, without in the slightest degree advertising anyone. People visit picture theatre to see the pictures; if they wish for anything else they go elsewhere. And they will very quickly resent any attempt to introduce a “puff” in any shape or form.
You have, I feel sure, convinced all thinking men that the best interests of the picture theatre lie in entertaining and instructing. Therefore, when a film is shown merely for the purpose of advertising any commodity, or individual, or company—whether it be an industrial subject, comedy, drama, or whatnot, and even if the actual “puff” is carefully veiled—to quote. Mr. Rothacker—it is merely descending to the level of a “pictorial advertising hoarding.”—Yours, etc.,
W. H. B.
London W., January 13, 1911.

To the Editor of The Bioscope.
Sir,— As an advertising agent of many years’ experience, may I state that I am in full agreement with Mr. Rothacker’s views, as expressed in his letter appearing in a recent number of The Bioscope. There is a big field, with unlimited scope, open for a film manufacturer courageous enough to commence producing films advertising, in an inoffensive and pleasing manner, anything worth pushing. There is no need to make such films obvious advertisements, but to combine with an interesting story a carefully prepared suggestion. It is done every day in magazines and newspapers of every description, yet no one objets and says he has not got value for his money. The advertisement pages of a magazine afford much interesting reading, and are practically as much appreciated as the literary matter. So it is with the advertising film. The audience would certainly not object, but would appreciate the inclusion of an extra subject in the program, and there is no reason why such a film could not be the most popular feature of the entertainment.
No, Sir, there is no real argument to be advanced against advertising films, only by those who have not as yet grasped the fact that business can be done through them—business fort the showman, the manufacturer and the actual advertiser, to say nothing of the general public.—
Yours, etc.,
S.
London, E. C., January 12, 1911.

L’Affiche au Cinéma. Le mode le plus intéressant de publicité cinématographique est, sans contredit, l’affiche artistique qui, placée à la porte du théâtre, attire le passant et le familiarise dès l’abord avec les personnages, les costumes et les décors du spectacle.
L’art de l’affiche, dans lequel s’illustrèrent des maîtres comme Chéret, Steinlein, Grün et Capiello, a transformé en quelque sorte la publicité. Mais ce serait mai connaître le goût éclairé du public que de vouloir lui faire accepter les innombrables horreurs bariolées dont certains maisons avaient naguère le monopole. Dans le Cinéma tout se perfectionne avec une rapidité admirable, tout s’épure. De même que la scène a cessé d’appartenir à ces mercantis interlopes qui s’étaient érigés en éducateurs et en amuseurs des foules et les a remplacés par de véritables travailleurs épris d’art et de beauté, de même l’affiche a dû être confiée à de véritables artistes. Les Etablissements Gaumont l’ont admirablement compris en ouvrant dès le début leurs ateliers d’imprimerie lithographique, d’où sortent chaque semaine les superbes affiches en couleurs universellement connues et recherchées même des collectionneurs.
Mais à côté des affiches, dont la préparation est fort longue, la nécessité s’imposait de créer un autre genre plus expéditif et s’adaptant aves les nécessités d’una maison qui édite chaque semaine un programme de huit à dix bandes nouvelles et tend à avoir une affiche pour chacune. C’est pour cela qu’ont été faits ces agrandissements photographiques, avec encadrements artistiques, qui ont conquis l’approbation générale.
Ils ont un double avantage, d’abord ils donnent au public l’expression exacte de la bande et du jeu des artistes, puisque l’image agrandie est une coupure de la vue elle-même, dans le mouvement et dans l’action; ensuite ils permettent de reproduire les titres en toutes langues et contribuent ainsi plus facilement que l’affiche en couleurs à porter la joie et l’émotion dans les pays les plus reculés du monde.
C’est une affiche de ce genre qui vient d’être tirée pour la très artistique bande Les Danses Silhouettes de Mlle Hyppolyta d’Hellas, dont nous avons parlé dans notre dernière chronique.
Les Etablissements Gaumont en ont assuré la luxueuse édition pour pouvoir la livrer en même temps que la bande et moyennant un supplément de trois francs.
S. Le Tourneur

Giganti e Pigmei. Si persuadano i nostri artisti di prosa, che la Cinematografia non è l’arte del palcoscenico, ch’è loro famigliare; è un arte nuova, nella quale entra, coefficiente principalissimo, una gran parte di tecnica, e senza la perfetta conoscenza di questa, anche i giganti del palcoscenico non valgono gli oscuri pigmei che da anni lavorano, studiano e lottano, e superano difficoltà sempre nuove, crescendo sempre i valore nell’arte della cinematografia, ed essendo sempre più desiderati dai loro direttori scenici, perché hanno imparato e sanno far comprendere molte cose con un solo gesto, netto, incisivo, e riesce loro facile esprimere, con uno sguardo, i sentimenti che agitano l’animo del personaggio che rappresentano. È vero che per loro non ci sono ancora onori, non articoli laudativi, non paghe mirabolanti: ma è anche vero che i tempi stanno mutando anche per loro e che quello che fino ad ora non hanno ottenuto, otterranno ben presto. Il pubblico dei cinematografo ha già più di un beniamino: per ora distingue l’attrice con gli occhioni espressivi dell’altra bionda ed esile, o da quella fortemente passionale, veemente; ma presto s’impossesserà dei nomi delle artiste e degli artisti prediletti e citandoli spesso, formerà attorno a loro una aureola di piccola celebrità, e le Case produttrici se li contenderanno a colpi di biglietti di banca… Così, nella cinematografia, ai volenterosi ed agli studiosi, saranno riservati quelli allori e quella fortuna che i colossi dell’arte della scena non hanno saputo conquistare, perché, quantunque privi di troppe qualità per essere buoni attori cinematografici, nulla vollero fare per acquistarle. Ben vengano, dunque, giovani e nuovi discepoli, all’arte muta e giovane…: i vecchi poltriscano!
Emmeci
Roma, Gennaio 1911

Immagini e testi: Archivio In Penombra, Media History Digital Library, The British Newspaper Archive.