The Cinema cult is not highly developed in Central Europe. Perhaps there is overmuch talk of "American films "sweeping the Continent"—they are in evidence enough but there is no "sweep" about it, Quite recently I have had lan opportunity of studying film productions in Austria, Hungary and Czecho Slovakia and, generally speaking, the film industry there. in about the same stage as it was in England about 10 years ago—the ims are naturally better but that ie all that can be said.
The whole business of film showing is, inconceivably different from film showing as the British knew it, Perhaps the best cinema in th" three countries is Ty was built, before busi erection, with a long hall and wide gallery which thrown back, while the screen is so thrown] up, that none of the ground floor of] the hall is visible from the gallery, ile the "rake" is negligible, Indeed most Central European einemay never have any floor "rake" of, all, since the screen is always high, 'There is no such thing anywhere as a comfortable chair, as understand the word, The' plush arnichair, tip-up or otherwise, does not exist, The usual chair is the sionally but not often, the a thin plush covering.
Never once have I seen a. hall which suggested comfort, and only quite rarely one or two characterize ed by taste in decoration, Even the floor is not always covered with, Jinoleum or with anything at all. Some of the quite modern picture houses suggest little more than an class 100m—cireular with a small gallery. The ordinary prices are. neatly always reasonable with great variation from our own. Not infrequently vates will ed which suggest the bedrock of ss—I never yet managed to neewre such a Tow priced seat and the cynical local resident will assei that no one else ever has done so-they are always "full up." On the: other hand some cinemas simply avd in price gradation, In Vier you can find a moderately sizal hall with about 20 different prices of, seats, There ig little or no indi cation of the existence of the high yates charged in the Star West End cinemas in London, People could not pay them and would not, if they! ould. It is very rare to find an orchestra, even small: a pians suffices, "Prince of Legend"
As to the display of films, it] varies. Usually much less is given for one's money than in England. Ninety minutes is the ordinary time exhibition—certainly in Vienna, ith rather more in Prague and little more stilt in Budapest, Thi period always includes the nearly inevitable "entracte" which is quite unnecessary but merely decreed. by [the management so that the ladies may have leisure to munch chocolate and the men to consume oranges, ]without a supply of which no self-respecting cinema is complete, Of course many of the' films American but if the European likes any particular local item, he is quite satisfied" with it alone, Recently they have beer producing "The Prince of Legend" in Vienna or, in other words, the supposed history of the Crown Prince Rudolph of Austria with his death at Meyerling. En passant, T may remark that the film makes Rudolph shoot himself ina ft of melancholia over the results of his Marie Vetsera liaison, while kiri takes her own life body. This film of aggerated German origin and, treattment was played in Vienna at the same time, under different names, at a whole collection of cinemas, within easy reach of one another—often it was virtually the sole exhibit though it was by no means long. The audiences were interest-but quite unemotional and uncritical, though the film dealt with events which must have come home to many with personal poignancy. Probably most mid-Buropean audiences like semi-historical films or production of Parisian type with, strong sexual interest. Still these are quite decorous and indeed is interesting to notice that in Budapest photographs of scantily clad Indies in the shops have pieces of paper posted over portio.ss of them.
In short, cinema going is not ncarly, as it is with us, a popular habit, Ithas never yet really "caught o Of course the everywhere even in the small towns, bat Visit? are mostly in the nature of an. exceptional treat. It will be along, time before films either make mum big money or really form daily life in that part of the wo.td
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.