During the last three or four years we have ' seen the foreign studios catching up with Hollywood. Gau-mont-British and London Films made a premature attempt a few years ago to challenge our world-ülm leadership, an attempt that failed not merely because the British were ill-equipped for such a test, but because they tried to fight Hollywood on its own ground, with a rather bad imitation of its own ammunition, The real challenge of recent years has not been commercial, but artistic. From Paris and from London, the two production centres yet free from political restriction, came dozens of pictures which equaled the best our industry had produced. They may not have received the distribution here to which their merits entitled them, either through a disgruntled industry Policy or because, in the case of the French films, of the language barrier. But Hollywood has felt their com-Petition and has profited by it—again not commercially, but artistically, In its zeal, and a highly praiseworthy one, to remain at the top of the heap, the American industry has done its best to buy up, the most promising and the most able figures of the foreign screen. Without. mentioning any but those who come at once to mind, we might name Duvivier, Feyder, Bram, Hitchcock, Litvak and Long among the directors; Boyer, Cavell" made in Hollywood, France's Pope Lo Moko" is remade here as Algiers" and Hedy La Marr becomes the face on the magazine-covered floor of every beauty shop in town.
All this is healthy, for the indusity's sake, for the cinema's sake and for the public's sake. It has provided our screen not merely with new faces but new ideas. It has been Hollywood's best promise—and a {ar more convincing one than Mr. Hays's annuals—of the maintenance of quality, of the continuing vitality, of the steady progression of the most "fertile ana liveliest of the arts. And now, with the war, there looms the probability that Europe's competitive assistance will be withdrawn. Paris's studios are shut down; England's are rushing through the unfinished business on hand and are making no plans for the future. Only the most shortsighted producer in Hollywood will draw any satisfaction from that fact, for now, he must face a future in which he. can. measure his stature only by his neighbours. And that is a questionable yardstick in Hollywood, for sooner or later almost every one there will be standing 5 feet 3 inches in his shoes.
"The End of the Day"
Speaking of -foreign competition brings us naturally to "The End of the Day," the new French film with which the Filmarte opened its season. We've docketed it already as the best foreign language picture of the year and, unless the Little Carnegie, the Fifth Avenue or the Fifty-fifth Street Playhouse have a whopping big surprise up their sleeve, that's the way we intend to vote when the critics get together in January. For Julien Duvivier, who directed it; Charles Spaak, who wrote it, and the brilliant troupe that played it, have collaborated so beautifully in its production that its only fault is that is faultless, French Club Mid-Weekly Dinner Dance The Wednesday Dinner Dances at the Cercle Sportif are gradually getting into full swing, as more and more people attend them each week. Last Wednesday capping the total attendance. with a well turned out el an indication: that the winter season has now commenced in earnest.
This Wednesday's programme will again include five numbers Apache Dance.......... Robertson Duo Blues 177MNe Ala Tumanova American Swing Robertson Duo p Dance M Mile Ala Tumanova Dance with ihe Fan.... Robertson Duo and it is suggested that members make early reservations.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.