the Leopard-Rampant of Clavery
The 'icing Who Was a King. The Book of a Film. By H. G. Wells. (Henn. 7s. 6d.)
Mn. WELTS has so often appeared before the public with a billiard cue balanced on the end of his nose, juggling dex- trously with plot and politics, a love interest and an open con- spiracy, a tale of adventure and a treatise on social reform, that we are always ready for our clever conjuror to shut up his box of tricks and give us a sermon instead of an entertainment. He has done so once again, but although he is preaching, it is through the medium of the cinema, where his genius is un- trammelled and his wonderful imagination can reach us directly through the eyes.
This book is the scenario of a film against war. All who have ever been helped, or amused, or enlightened by the author during the last thirty years should rally now to his support, for this adventure of his in the ehartless sea of the Neo-cinema '? may be the beginning of great films in England and may exert a powerful influence on world opinion. The tremendous theme has taken charge of Mr. Wells the artist.- Mr. Wells the man wanted a neat moral. He wanted to clinch his argument and he clinched it—with a pistol. His hero, faced with armed aggression, whips out a revolver and murders both the typical war-monger and his high ideal. It is in its failure to• provide any solution to the problems it propounds that the greatness of the scenario lies. -
Paul Zelinka is a representative man—representative of what is kingly and constructive in us all. Ile is an American workman, who through various unexpected deaths and a bomb outrage suddenly finds' himself- successor to -the throne of Clavery, a • small European monarchy which is at enmity with Agravia,- a contiguous peasant republic. Agravia is sus- pected by the Claverians - of having instigated the bomb outrage which has made Paul the successor to the throne. Saevitt, another neighbouring country (ruled by a Princess Regent, with whom Paul falls in love) is also at daggers-drawn with -Agravia. -Both Clavery and Saevia -are egged on to attack- Agravia by sinister international interests wishing to secure the rich calcomite deposits in the latter country. The skeleton- of the film, it will be seen, bears some resemblance to Mr. Munro's -famous play, The Rumour," but the story is quite different.
The film opens with a brutish figure in a cavern, chipping a flint, who changes imperceptibly from bestial to human form. A woman appears. Man the Maker is hammering a metal im- plement on an anvil. He shows his work to her, valuing her approval. A second figure appears, Man the Destroyer, who covets only the woman and hates the Maker's work that interests her. The Maker 'and Destroyer struggle together. The cavern grows dark. Thus the argument is stated and the story begins.
We see the world rotating slowly (how good and how Wellsian !) and presently North America 'sweeps towards the audience and fills the screen. A hand appears and points to New York. We are in the conference room of a great business house. We see maps of Clavery, Agravia, Saevia : the cal- comite deposits of Agravia are marked in red, and we learn that "free access to this calcomite means for America liberation from the stranglehold.upon our metallurgy Mat luck has. given the British." Here the British Fleet cuts in, steaming along some blockade coast : it fades out and is replaced by a great American battleship with flags flying, charging down fiilt speed ahead. towards the audience which is asked, " Why should two great Powers quarrel like this ! " Then we have the thitish point of view. Our Foreign Minister discusses these calcomite deposits with the Prime :Minister. and before their eyes (and ours) float visions of Union Jacks, minarets, ele }giants, Iiiinalayas, Australians, kangaroos, to-the strain or '',‘.Rule, Britannia !" All this may- restore our possibly: lugging attention.
tf. At last we see Paul Zelinka in his factorY overalls. When: the news arrives that he is to be the. next king he goes to' Washington and decides, although unwillingly, to accept the throne. 'Novi he is in his 'capital, stiff and stern in his royal nbes, standing crowned on the steps of a Cathedral. Near_ him is Michael, his cousin, protagonist of the Greater Clavery. Movement;,WithlkliebaeliSII6P-Alielifestroffier of the prelude;
The two confer, plotting how to force Paul into the war against Agravia which Clavery considers necessary to avenge her national honour.
There is a good scene between King Paul and his old Chan- cellor discussing their hopes and plans for averting war. Above them, the heraldic leopard of Clavery (symbol of all European nationalisms) grows black and gigantic, swag- gering as if prepared to trample on the two lives below it. Paul determines to explore his kingdom and meets with' some Very vivid and ingenious experiences which demonstrate to him the futilities and miseries connected with the old narrow views of flags and frontiers. It is here and in the next seen; we think, that the producer will have his greatest scope. Paul's life is by now in serious danger from the war party in Clavery. In an eleventh-hour attempt to keep the peace he meets the President of Agravia at dawn in a frontier hotel, and we see the two men at a conference table endeavouring to Spoil the " deep, secret, silly game " of the international calcomite_ interests. " You hold' your basilisk," says Paul, alluding to the national emblem of Agravia, " and I'll tackle my patriotic leopard." This is the crux of the film. Paul returns to his capital and arrests two pro-war ministers and three jingo journalists. When he is accused of-flouting democracy and the freedom of the Press, he answers (like a true dictator) that he values the peace of the world' more than the right of free mischief making. More, he adds grimly, even than the lives of two or three editors. Did Mr. Wells remember how like he was making his hero to his idea of his bite-noire, Signor Mussolini ? Paul rides out on a great horse to confront the conspirators and shoots his cousin Michael dead. That ends all the intrigues (rather suddenly, one feels) and inciden- tally induces the Princess Regent of-Saevia to give her hand and heart to the King of Clavery. As to the moral, we must not inquire too closely. Will Paul continue to shoot every Michael and imprison every writer who does not agree with him ? Or is it only legitimate to shoot the really important people ? We are left in the dark about Paul's subsequent career and by no means convinced that his methods of seeking the peace of the world are superior to those of Geneva. -
Still, the film makes one think. It makes one wonder, for instance, why didn't Paul telegraph to the League of Nations ? We suspect that by now the King of Clavery does not share the views of his creator about that institution. In any case, whether Mr. Wells and his creatures could achieve a better world or not, by their enterprise and imagination they certainly show us the way to better films.
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