Few people who closely follow the screen will need an introduction to Rex Ingram, the young director who startled the whole screen world with the artistry of his work in “The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.” Mr. Ingram is one of those to whom the screen gave one of its biggest opportunities. For a long time before “The Four Horsemen” was completed the wiseacres were prowling about, shaking their beards and stating that the young director was running wild and breaking the producing company that was sponsoring the picture.
How he startled the world with a magnificent piece of work is still recent screen history. And how he followed his first big success with another great picture, “The Conquering Power,” is also still fresh in the minds of picture audiences.
Among many others one thing distinguished both “The Four Horsemen” and “The Conquering Power” and that was the remarkable atmosphere which Mr. Ingram had managed to inject in both subjects. It was absolutely startling in its effect. Those who hadn't stopped to bother about Mr. Ingram's early studies which included art in two forms, painting and sculpturing, didn't know how in the world he had managed it. However, it appears from Mr. Ingram's own words that he merely used common sense and applied the methods of the older arts to the craft of picture production.
REX INGRAM, REHEARSING ONE OF THE RACE TRACK SCENES IN “TURN TO THE RIGHT”
REX INGRAM DIRECTING ONE OF THE MANY MOB SCENES IN “THE FOUR HORSEMEN”
He has some very interesting things to say regarding the value of atmosphere in motion picture production.
He writes: “After sincerity of characterization and directness in story-telling, atmosphere does more toward making an audience accept what it sees on the screen than anything else. By accept, I mean, be entertained, engrossed in the subject.
“While good atmosphere gives an air of reality to a picture yet the most convincing and engrossing atmosphere is often far from realistic. This is so because the aim of the director should be to get over the effect of the atmosphere he desires, rather than the actual atmosphere which exists in such scenes as he may wish to portray, and which, if reduced literally to the screen would be quite unconvincing.”