10 THECUBAREVIEW 



MOTION PICTURES AND ADVERTISING IN CUBA 



HdvaiKt. — Motion jjicturos are very i)oi)iilar with the residents of Havana and constitute 

 the only amuseineat for a majority of the pco])le. 'J'here are more than 100 of these "Cinemato- 

 grafos" as they are cialled in Spanish, in tlie vicinity of Havana, and the majoritj- give only 

 one i)erf()rmance daily, and it is (uistoinary to divide this evening performance into two or 

 more parts or shows (in vSpanish "tanda"), an entrance charge of twenty to fifty centavos 

 (about ten to twenty-five cents U. S. currency) being collected for each part or "tanda." The 

 programme usually consists of 3 or more reels accordmg to the length of each, and the romantic 

 feature dramas of several reels are the most popular. Emotional scenes of Latin countries 

 are understood the best, hence French and Italian films are much in demand. Comic and 

 chase scenes are also very popular. The weekly review of the world's happenings is well 

 hked, and melodrama, when the culprit is finally caught and punished, is always well taken. 

 It is a frequent occurrence here for the audience to become much excited when the bandit or 

 crhninal is getting the best of the affair; they act as they would if the scene were taken in real 

 life, and when the criminal is finally caught the spectators show then delight by applauding 

 heartily. Instructive views are also popular, but sad affairs do not seem to take at all well. 

 The average play is about four reels, three reels also being very popular in some theatres, and to 

 be appreciated it is very essential that they be written in good Spanish. 



Cinematograph films might be run here to illustrate noteworthy places in the United States, 

 and to show different great manufacturing industries and then* operating processes as far as 

 possible. Films of that nature would imdoubtedly awaken a healthy interest m American 

 goods as well as raise the prestige of the An^erican product by giving to the consumer some 

 dnect knowledge of the conditions under which it was produced. As the American Biograph 

 Company has a connection here it would jiroljably be a comparatively simple matter to arrange 

 through it for the exhibition of films which would be instructive as regards the United States 

 and its industries. A further value of the cinematograph form of advertising lies in its avail- 

 ability for exhibition purposes in the smaller cities of the Republic as well as in Havana, by 

 which means a valuable buying public is reached which could not be reached by ordinary 

 advertising unless it were done along \eYy extensive lines. This is written, of course, in the 

 belief that anything which tends to establish the ''MADE IN U. S. A." trade-mark more 

 fuinly and more favorably m the minds of the public would be of direct benefit to the com- 

 merce of the I'nited States. 



Films, Duty, etc., for the Entire Island. 



There is a demand for all kinds of films:— one reel comic pictm'es; five to twelve reel dramas; 

 scientific or scenic films; cinrent events, reproduction of novels, etc. The best demand seems 

 to be for six or eight reel dramas, especially for cafe use. As aheady stated ''cine" theatres are 

 fashionable and the demand here is for a varied program. One reason for preference for 

 French films, as given by a local manager, is that the audience is always interested in French 

 styles. As regards American films, the \'itagraph, Edison, American Kinema, Lubin, Broncho, 

 Thanhouser, Selig, Eclipse, Kalem, and po.ssibly others have been seen here. American 

 films are considered excellent as regards workmanship. The only objection raised is that the 

 subjects are not sufficiently varied. As one manager puts it, they ahnost invariably refer 

 to the Wild West or the Civil War. W^hile this is, of course, an exaggeration, it is claimed 

 that it is next to impossible to make up an entire program with American fihns. This is due 

 partly to the fact that the chief demand is for those subjects that are distinctly American and 

 can not be obtained elsewhere. If, as appears likely, importers in Cuba will exjaerience diffi- 

 culty in securing films froni Eiu-ope as a result of the war, American film makers should have a 

 good opening here. There should be a good market for an American joiu-nal of current events 

 and scenes from the Mexican disturbances would be popular; also dramas and detective films. 

 The reading matter must ))e in Spanish. The manager of one theatre in which several .\merican 

 films had been exhibited said he attributed the lack of interest in these films to the fact that 

 -Jthe reading matter and posters were in English, but he also added that there had been a de- 



