What would you do if you were to review a motion picture that had been adapted from either a book you had read or a play you had seen? Would you try to forget the play or the book and judge the picture solely on its merits as a picture or would you compare the cinema with the original work?
“Variety” has an obvious but sensible solution to this problem. It is an editorial rule that any reviewer who is familiar with the work is not permitted to write a review of the film adapted from the original production, the theory being that a picture must be judged by cinema standards because a film enjoys national distribution, while a play is peculiar to one or at most a few localities; and books have a very limited appeal.
Unfortunately this rule cannot be applied to all pictures. Many films are made from plays or books familiar to all of us and in such instances I believe it is but fair to inform prospective audiences of the comparative merits of the film production in relation to the parent work.
Such a case arose with the showing at the Music Hall of “The Little Minister.” Here was a picture adapted from Sir James Barie’s novel and play. Many of us have seen Maude Adams in the stage production and those who have not undoubtedly read the book, which was one of the outstanding sellers of its day.
FOLLOWS PLAY TOO FAITHFULLY
My report, I must admit, is a negative one, and to make it even sadder I must tell you that “The Little Minister” is somewhat of a disappointment because RKO, who made the picture, followed too closely the pattern of the original work. Usually the complaint is that picture companies take too many liberties with a script, but in this instance Barrie’s work needed an injection of Hollywood pep. This story of the gay, kittenish gypsy girl and her pursuit of the staid little minister of the very serious-minded and small Scottish community is very much dated and surprisingly void of heart throbs. I might hint that it was all just a trifle dull.
Miss Katharine Hepburn, whose success in “Little Women” last year was so astounding, plays the leading role of Babbie, the poor little rich girl who finds her pleasure in posing as a gypsy and consorting with the poor folks of the village. She is well cast and makes the fullest use of her very limited histrionic talents. How the more sophisticated audiences will react to her cuteness is not difficult to guess—they will suffer acutely. However, our folksy friends should dote on her as she lightly hops, skips, weaves and bobs her way through the picture. The rest of the cast is excellent and play their roles with no little skill and understanding.
Judging “The Little Minister” for its faithfulness to Barrie’s play it earns an A-plus, the adaptors having caught the spirit and feeling of the original. As a picture, however, it receives nothing more than a passing grade and just makes that mark.
MUNI GETS NEW CONTRACT
Paul Muni, stage and screen star, has signed a new contract with Warner Brothers to make two pictures a year, he told reporters yesterday. Muni and his wife arrived here yesterday from the Pacific Coast abroad the liner Santa Elena. They plan to stay in New York City for several weeks.
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
