SCREENS AND STUDIOS

Romain Roland and the Cinema

A few weeks ago, a large American film publishing house sent information to the Parisian press that "Jean-Christophe" by Romain Rolland was going to be put on the screen. One of our evening colleagues even published the news in his columns. It was important, and, resolved to get to the bottom of it, I wrote to the illustrious author, who answered me with these words:

« Dear Sir,

Thank you for having communicated to me the information of the "Paramount" of which I was not aware. I have, three or four times over the past few years, received offers from America to put "Jean-Christophe" on the screen. I always refused, adding that "Colas Breugnon" seemed to me, on the other hand, to be able to adapt very well to the cinema.

Like you, I find nothing more silly than putting great musicians on the screen, but (with five or six striking exceptions), hasn't cinema remained the realm of silliness? Despite everything, I believe in him. It is a magnificent art in training. Sooner or later, the masterpiece, the genius will come.

ROMAN ROLLAND »

I confess to having experienced, on receiving these lines, great joy and relief. I already saw Jackie Coogan, child prodigy-actor, play Jean-Christophe, child prodigy-musician. I saw him in tailcoat — all the more easily since he had already appeared dressed like this in "Oliver Twist" — giving his first concert with his father, Melchior, in front of the serious and stupid notabilities of his little native town. All this was not very reassuring.

So Jean-Christophe will not know the fires of the studio. So much the better. Note also that its author is quite severe towards silent art: "With five or six striking exceptions, the cinema has remained the kingdom of silliness".

That is enough of our opinion, and we can only regret not seeing the name of one or two of these striking exceptions appear in the letter. We would have liked to know if the Kid of Charlot, Robin Hood, by Douglas or the Sign of Zorro by the same, fall, for the author of Colas Breugnon, into this category of exceptional films. Moreover, let us emphasize the words of confidence that close this letter: “Despite everything, I believe in him. Sooner or later, the masterpiece, the genius will come”. Certainly it will come, and we have often repeated it: "We are waiting for the genius of cinematographic art" or again: We have not yet made a masterpiece in the cinema, because a masterpiece is immortal and a film, after a few years, is no longer presentable as it has aged.

Finally, the missive informed me in a brief postscript that the New York magazine "Vanity Fair" is currently publishing a screenplay for Romain Rolland's film, — a cinematographic fantasy entitled: "La Pensée déchaînée", or "la Revolt of the machines", illustrated with drawings by Frans Masareel. Allow us to say in passing our admiration for the curious imagination of Masereel, of whom we have recently been able to see drawings which evoke the cinema with a singular power. — So we see that the author of so many works to which we all owe hours of joy, comfort and consolation, does not limit himself to a platonic observation of the possibilities of silent Art, but that he brings to it itself an effective contribution. Romain Rolland and V. Blasco Ibanez are, it seems, the most popular European writers in America. If they could both write a few scenarios in the Latin taste, where the adventure would not always end in nuptials, that would be of great service to French film. A popular writer might have the gift of imposing our point of view across the Atlantic, where Lamartine himself is held in check. “Perfectly. "The Americans haven't bought Jocelyn yet, 'because it doesn't end in marriage.' We already knew that they had married Eugenie Grandet with her cousin. But it is true that, over there, one marries, one divorces with such facility that that does not draw any consequence.

May Romain Rolland not blame me for this “utilitarian” conclusion in favor of French film – of the most Latin kind. But according to his strong words, isn't cinema the realm of silliness? Now, if this is so, it is indeed the fault of the Americans who, "with a few striking exceptions" have produced and still produce the poorest and most childish films.

Raymond Berner