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Writing About
M OVI E S
FIFTH EDITION
 Writing About
M OVI E S
FIFTH EDITION

KAREN M. GOCSIK
Un iv e rs i t y of C a l if o r n i a , S a n D i ego

DAVE MONAHAN
Un iv e rs i t y of No r th C a ro l i n a , Wi l m i ng t o n

RICHARD BARSAM
E m e r i t u s , Hu n t e r C o l l ege

B
W. W. N O R TO N & CO M PA N Y
N ew Yo r k • Lo n d o n
W. W. Norton & Company has been in­de­pen­dent since its founding in 1923, when
William Warder Norton and Mary D. Herter Norton first published lectures delivered
at the People’s Institute, the adult education division of New York City’s Cooper
­Union. The firm soon expanded its program beyond the Institute, publishing books by
celebrated academics from America and abroad. By midcentury, the two major pillars
of Norton’s publishing program—­t rade books and college texts—­were firmly estab-
lished. In the 1950s, the Norton family transferred control of the company to its
employees, and today—­w ith a staff of four hundred and a comparable number of
trade, college, and professional titles published each year—­W. W. Norton & Company
stands as the largest and oldest publishing ­house owned wholly by its employees.

Copyright © 2019, 2016, 2013 by W. W. Norton & Company, Inc.

All rights reserved.

Printed in the United States of America.

Editor: Peter Simon

Senior project editor: Thomas Foley
Managing editor, College: Marian Johnson
Production manager: Elizabeth Marotta
Design director: Rubina Yeh
Series design: Chris Welch
Editorial assistant: Katie Pak
Composition: Westchester Publishing Services
Manufacturing: Sheridan Books, Inc.

ISBN: 978-­0 -393-66490-4

W. W. Norton & Company, Inc., 500 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10110-­0 017
­w ww​.wwnorton​.com
W. W. Norton & Company Ltd., Castle ­House, 75/76 Wells Street, London WIT 3QT

1 ​2 ​3 ​4 ​5 ​6 ​7 ​8 ​9 ​0
 Brief Contents

Part I: Preparing to Write

1 The Challenges of Writing About Movies   3
2 Looking at Movies   19
3 Formal Analysis   35
4 Cultural Analysis   55

Part II: The Writing Pro­cess

5 Generating Ideas   103
6 Researching Movies   125
7 Developing Your Thesis   137
8 Considering Structure and Or­ga­ni­za­tion   149

v
 Brief Contents

9 Attending to Style   169

10 Revising Your Work   183

Part III: Resources

Illustrated Glossary of Film Terms   197

vi
 Contents

Part I: Preparing to Write

1 The Challenges of Writing About Movies 3

WHAT IS ACADEMIC WRITING? 4

GETTING STARTED 6

Consider What You Know

(and What You Need to Know) 6
Consider How to Think, Academically 7
Summarize 8
Evaluate 10
Analyze 11
Synthesize 12

ADOPTING A RHETORICAL STANCE 13

Consider Your Position 14

Consider Your Audience 16

CONSIDERING TONE AND STYLE 17

vii
 Contents

2 Looking at Movies 19

PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SCREENINGS 19

THE IMPORTANCE OF TAKING NOTES 22

Asking Why 24
Plot Segmentation 25
Shot-­Analysis Charts 28

WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FOR? 30

3 Formal Analysis 35

WHAT IS FORMAL ANALYSIS? 35

Describing Film Form 37

Doing Formal Analysis: A Screening Checklist 39

EXPLORING MEANING 50

Form and Content 50

Explicit and Implicit Meaning 52

4 Cultural Analysis 55

WHAT IS CULTURAL ANALYSIS? 56

Socioeconomic Status 57
Gender 61
Race, Ethnicity, and National Origin 67
Sexual Orientation 71

viii
 Contents

GENRE STUDY 77

The Emergence of Film Genres 78

Predictability and Innovation 79
Genre Conventions 81
Evolution of Genres 87

HISTORICAL ANALYSIS 89

Basic Approaches to Film History 91

Part II: The Writing Pro­cess

5 Generating Ideas 103

GENERATING IDEAS 103

Conversation 104
Brainstorming 104
Freewriting 106
Discovery Draft 107
Five Ws and an H 109
Tagmemics 111
Aristotle’s Topoi 112

DEVELOPING YOUR IDEAS 115

Nutshelling 115
Broadening Your Topic 117
Narrowing/Focusing Your Topic 119

THINKING BEYOND THE FRAME 121

ix
 Contents

6 Researching Movies 125

UNDERSTANDING PRIMARY AND SECONDARY

SOURCES 125

USING SOURCES 126

Summarize Your Sources 127

Categorize Your Sources 128
Interrogate Your Sources 129
Annotate Your Sources 131
Make Your Sources Work for You 131

KEEPING TRACK OF YOUR SOURCES 133

CITING SOURCES 133

7 Developing Your Thesis 137

WRITING A THESIS SENTENCE 137

ALTERNATIVES TO THE THESIS SENTENCE 139

The Implied Thesis 141

TURNING YOUR IDEAS INTO A THESIS 142

THE THESIS SENTENCE CHECKLIST 145

8 Considering Structure and Or­ga­ni­za­tion 149

LET YOUR THESIS DIRECT YOU 149

SKETCHING YOUR ARGUMENT 151

OUTLINING YOUR ARGUMENT 152

x
 Contents

CONSTRUCTING PARAGRAPHS 153

What Is a Paragraph? 154

What Should a Paragraph Do? 154
Writing the Topic Sentence or Guiding Claim 155

DEVELOPING YOUR PARAGRAPHS 158

Evidence 158
Arrangement 160
Coherence 160

INTRODUCTIONS AND CONCLUSIONS 164

9 Attending to Style 169

BASIC PRINCIPLES OF THE SENTENCE 170

Focus on Actors and Actions 170

Be Concrete 171
Be Concise 174
Be Coherent 175
Be Emphatic 179
Be in Control 180
Write Beautifully 181

10 Revising Your Work 183

WHY AND HOW TO REVISE 183

DEVELOPING A CRITICAL EYE 187

ANALYZING YOUR WORK 190

xi
 Contents

Part III: Resources

Illustrated Glossary of Film Terms 197

xii
Writing About
M OVI E S
FIFTH EDITION
 Part I
PR E PARI N G
TO WRITE
 1

The Challenges of Writing

About Movies

W hat’s so hard about writing about movies? After all,

we all “know” movies. Most of us could recite the
plot of The Hunger Games more easily than we could recite the
Gettysburg Address. We know more about the fictional char­
acters who inhabit “Middle Earth” in The Lord of the Rings tril­
ogy than we know about many of the people who inhabit our
own lives.
It’s precisely our familiarity with film, however, that pre­
sents our greatest writing challenge. Film is so familiar and so
prevalent in our lives that we are often lulled into viewing
movies passively. As a result, certain aspects of films are often
invisible to us. Caught up in the entertainment, we sometimes
don’t “see” the camera work, composition, editing, or lighting.
Nor do we “hear” the sound design. Nor do we observe the
production struggles that accompany every film—­including
the script’s many rewrites, the drama of getting the project
financed, the casting challenges, and the hundreds of other

3
 1 • The Challenges of Writing About Movies

decisions that ­were strung together to make the film reach

the screen.
However, when your film professor asks you to write about
film, it’s precisely those “invisible” aspects that you’re expected
to see and hear. You need to pay attention to the way the cam­
era moves. Observe the composition (the light, shadow, and
arrangement) within the frame. Think about how the film
was edited. Note the sound design. In short, consider the ele­
ments that make up the film and examine how they function,
separately and together. In breaking down the film into its
constituent parts, you’ll be able to analyze what you see.
You might also think about the film in the context of when
it was made, how, and by whom. Considering the context of
the film’s production, its reception by viewing audiences, and
its relationship with the culture in which it was made and
released, you’ll be able to synthesize your analysis of the film
and its context. In short, you’ll be able to write a paper that
transforms your thoughts and responses into writing that is
appropriately academic.
Before we get into the thick of this subject, let’s tackle the
most general question of all.

What Is Academic Writing?

Simply put, academic writing (sometimes called “scholarship”)
is writing done by scholars for other scholars—­and that includes
you. As a college student, you are engaged in activities that

4
 What Is Academic Writing?

scholars have been engaged in for centuries: you read about,

think about, argue about, and write about important, intrigu­
ing, or controversial ideas. Of course being a scholar requires
that you read, think, argue, and write in certain ways. You will
need to make and support your claims according to the cus­
tomary expectations of the academic community.
How do you determine what these expectations are? The
literary theorist Kenneth Burke has famously described schol­
arship as an ongoing conversation, and this meta­phor may be
helpful. Imagine you have just arrived at a dinner party. The
discussion (which in this case is about cinema) has already been
going on for quite a while when you arrive. What do you do?
Do you sit down and immediately voice your opinions? Or do
you listen, try to gauge the lay of the land, determine what con­
tribution you might make, and only then venture to make it?
The etiquette that you would employ at the dinner party is
precisely the strategy that you should use when you write aca­
demic papers. In short, listen to what other scholars are saying.
Familiarize yourself with the scholarly conversation before
jumping in. Pay attention to both what is said and how it is said.
A book like the one you’re reading now can be a helpful “din­
ner companion” that helps get you up to speed and fills you in
on the conversation that preceded you. But you should make
use of other resources, too. Your professor, for instance, is a
living, breathing expert on what film scholars care about.
Books, journals, and reputable Internet sites also offer an oppor­
tunity to eavesdrop on the ongoing scholarly conversation

5
 1 • The Challenges of Writing About Movies

about movies. Once you understand the substance of that con­

versation, you can begin to construct informed arguments of
your own.

Getting Started
C O N S I D E R W H AT YO U K N OW
( A N D W H AT YO U N E E D T O K N OW )

A short paper written in response to a viewing of Alfred

Hitchcock’s Rear Window (1954), for example, may not require
you to be familiar with Hitchcock’s other films or to have a
broad familiarity with film’s formal elements. In other words,
you don’t need to “know” about a film—its history or how it’s
constructed—in order to formulate a response to it. All you
need to know is what the film made you feel, or what it made
you think about.
However, if you’re asked to write an academic paper on
the film, you’ll need to know more. You’ll need to have a firm
grasp of the technical and formal elements of film so that you
can explain how Hitchcock and his collaborators created the
movie. You’ll need to be familiar with Hitchcock’s other
films so that you can understand what themes are important
to Hitchcock and his work. Finally, if you’re watching this
film in an upper-­level film class, you’ll need to be aware of
different critical perspectives on Hitchcock’s films and on
films in general, so that you can “place” your argument within
the ongoing critical conversation.

6
 Getting Started

C O N S I D E R H O W T O T H I N K , A C A D E M I C A L LY

The aim of thinking academically is to come up with new

knowledge or new ideas. Scholars in all fields build on existing
knowledge; they do not replicate what is known or what has
already been said. Similarly, in terms of the film or films that
you will write about, your goal is to come up with fresh obser­
vations. It’s not enough to summarize in a paper what’s obvi­
ous, or what’s already known and discussed. You must also add
something new, something of your own, to the ongoing schol­
arly conversation.
Understand, however, that “adding something of your own”
is not an invitation to allow your personal associations, reac­
tions, opinions, or experiences to dominate your paper. To
create an informed argument, you must first recognize that
your writing should be analytical rather than personal. In
other words, your writing must show that your associations
with, reactions to, and experiences of a film have been framed
in a critical, rather than a personal, way.
This is not to say that your personal responses and opinions
are irrelevant. Indeed, they are often good starting points for
the academic work to come. For instance, being terrified by
The Babadook (2014; director: Jennifer Kent) can be the first step
on the way to a strong analysis. Interrogate your terror. Why are
you scared? Which elements of the film contribute most to your
fear? How does the film play with the horror genre in order
to evoke a fear that is fresh and convincing?

7
 1 • The Challenges of Writing About Movies

Interrogating your personal responses is the first step

in making sure that your argument will be appropriately aca­
demic. However, to further ensure that your responses are
critical rather than personal, you will want to subject them to
the following critical thinking pro­cesses: summary, evalua­
tion, analysis, and synthesis.

SUMMARIZE

The first step in thinking critically about any film is to

­summarize what the film presents onscreen. You can con­
struct several different summaries, depending on your goals,
but beware: even the most basic of summaries—­the plot
summary—­isn’t as simple as it seems. It’s difficult to write
both eco­nom­ical­ly and descriptively, to discern what’s essen­
tial to your discussion and what’s not.
Consider this: Orson Welles’s Citizen Kane (1941) has a very
complex plot using seven narrators and consisting of nine parts
(five of which include flashback sequences). Further compli­
cating matters is that the story duration is about seventy years,
while the plot duration is one week of a reporter’s research.
Citizen Kane is a notoriously difficult film to sum up—­though
the following plot summary by Jesse Garon, taken from the
Internet Movie Database (IMDb), does an excellent job:

Multimillionaire newspaper tycoon Charles Foster Kane

dies alone in his extravagant mansion, Xanadu, speaking
a single word: “Rosebud.” In an attempt to figure out the

8
 Getting Started

meaning of this word, a reporter tracks down the people

who worked and lived with Kane; they tell their stories in
a series of flashbacks that reveal much about Kane’s life
but not enough to unlock the riddle of his dying breath.

What makes this summary effective? It follows the basic

structure of any film: a conflict/riddle/problem is proposed;
someone tries to solve the problem, meeting obstacles along
the way; finally, the problem is resolved. The writer of this
summary traces the conflict without being sidetracked by the
many plot complications. He sticks to the theme and to
the basic conflict/resolution structure. He also makes sure
that his sentences are simple and clear. In the end, he pro­
duces a summary that is faithful to the film but that ­doesn’t
overwhelm the reader with details.
The exercise of summarizing a film in this manner is a
useful one. In most student film essays, plot summary is an
important touchstone for the rest of the paper’s argument: it
helps to ground your argument in concrete details. Summa­
rizing a film’s plot helps you to see its structure, conflicts,
and themes. But if you choose to provide a plot summary in
your own writing, use it judiciously—­as a tool that aids your
analysis, not as an excuse to avoid analysis. A common begin­
ner’s error is to hand in a paper that claims to offer an argu­
ment about a film but instead merely retells the movie’s story.
You can avoid this by resisting the urge to structure your paper
around the movie’s narrative chronology. Use the narrative

9
 1 • The Challenges of Writing About Movies

events to support your argument, but don’t allow those events

to overwhelm it.
When thinking critically about a film, you needn’t limit
yourself to plot summary. Equally useful, depending on your
purpose, are summaries of a film’s production values (light­
ing, editing, sound), its production history (financing, cast­
ing, distribution), or its critical reception (reviews, scholarship,
and so on). The point is that summarizing is useful in helping
you to clarify what you know about a film, laying the founda­
tion for the more complex pro­cesses to come.

E VA L UAT E

Evaluation is an ongoing pro­cess. You can evaluate a film the

moment you encounter it, and you can continue to evaluate
and to reevaluate as you go along. It’s important to under­
stand that evaluating a movie is different from reacting to it.
When you evaluate for an academic purpose, you must find
and articulate the reasons for your personal response. What in
the film is leading you to respond a certain way? Which influ­
ences that are not in the movie might be contributing to your
response? Watching Citizen Kane, for instance, you might find
yourself caught up in the film’s suspense. What in the film is
making you feel this way? The editing? The acting? The script?
Something ­else? Can you point to a moment in the film
that is particularly successful in creating suspense? In asking
these questions, you are straddling two intellectual pro­cesses:

10
 Getting Started

experiencing your own personal response, and analyzing the

film.
Evaluation also encourages you to compare a film with
other films that you’ve seen. How does the acting in Citizen
Kane compare with the acting in other films from the same
era? What about the editing? The composition and design of
the images in the frame? The sound? The story? How do they
compare? Evaluating what’s special about a film allows you
to isolate those aspects that are most interesting—­and most
fruitful—­to investigate further.

A N A LY Z E

In the analysis stage of constructing an informed argument,

your first task is to consider the parts of your topic that most
interest you, and then examine how these parts relate to
one another or to the w ­ hole. To analyze Citizen Kane, you
will want to break the film down by examining par­t ic­u ­lar
scenes, point of view, camera movements, sound, and so on.
In short, you’ll want to ask, What are the components of
Welles’s film, and how do these components contribute to
the film’s theme? How do they contribute to Welles’s work
as a ­whole?
Films are filled with so much information that it is difficult to
see even a small part of their formal and narrative arrangement
in one viewing. You can learn a good deal by carefully analyz­
ing individual shots and scenes, viewing them several times,

11
 1 • The Challenges of Writing About Movies

and taking notes each time. Multiple viewings enable you to

recognize how the parts of a film interrelate, how some ele­
ments recall previous events and foreshadow others, how motifs
and subplots function, and how actors create characters through
voice, gesture, and expression. When analyzing complex scenes,
you might focus on one par­tic­u­lar formal or narrative element
in each viewing: lighting, editing, camera movement, setting,
costume, dialogue, music, sound effects, and so forth.
When you analyze, you break the ­whole into parts so that
you might see the ­whole differently. When you analyze, you
find things to say.

SYNTHESIZE

When you synthesize, you look for connections between ideas.

Consider once again Citizen Kane. In analyzing this film, you
might come up with elements that seem initially disparate.
You might have some observations that at first don’t seem to
jell. Or you might have read various critical perspectives on
the film, all of them in disagreement with one another. Now
would be the time to consider whether these disparate ele­
ments or observations might be reconciled, or synthesized.
This intellectual exercise requires that you create an umbrella
argument—­a larger argument under which several observa­
tions and perspectives might stand.
In an analysis of Citizen Kane, for example, you might
observe a series of elements that initially seem at odds with

12
 Adopting a Rhetorical Stance

one another. For instance, you might note the range of con­
flicting emotions that the actors experience (each shifts among
various feelings that include tenderness, joy, annoyance, guilt,
and rage), and how the interior and exterior actions contradict
our typical expectations (whereas outside in the snow the boy
Charles plays gleefully, inside the ­house, which one would
expect to be warmer, the lamps remain unlit and the action
is cold and strained). You might argue that, by calling our
attention to these conflicting aspects of the film, Welles is
constructing a scene in which appearances are deceiving.
Through this scene, you get the sense that any interpretation
of the film’s surface details might be mistaken. This warning
leads you to think more broadly about what Welles might be
saying—­about appearances, and about the secrets that we
hold within. You might then be inspired to look for other
examples in which Welles seems to be commenting on appear­
ances, and synthesize them into a broader observation of the
film. In this way, you will be able to transform a list of
observations into a powerful and intriguing argument.

Adopting a Rhetorical Stance

When writing an academic paper, you must consider not
only what you want to say but also the audience to whom
you’re saying it. In other words, it’s important to determine
not only what you think about a topic but also what your
audience is likely to think. What biases does your audience

13
 1 • The Challenges of Writing About Movies

have? What values, expectations, and knowledge do they pos­

sess? For whom are you writing, and for what purpose?
When you begin to answer these questions, you have
started to reckon with what has been called the “rhetorical
stance,” which refers to the position you take as a writer in
terms of both the subject and the reader of your paper.

CONSIDER YOUR POSITION

Let’s first consider your relationship to the topic ­you’re writ­

ing about. The first ­thing that you’ll want to determine when
approaching your topic is what kind of paper you are being
asked to compose. In other words, the assignment w ­ ill let
you know what kind of relationship you are expected to
develop with your topic. For example, if you are asked to
write an argument paper, you are being encouraged to take a
stand. Maybe ­you’ve been asked to write a paper about the
film industry’s habit of hiring “abled” actors to play disabled
characters. Do you support this practice? Do you challenge it?
Do you support it for some reasons, but challenge it for
­others? Regardless of what position you take, you need to
have a clear sense of your “relationship” to that topic so that
you can communicate clearly to your reader where you stand,
and why.
More often in your film class you ­will be asked to write
not an argument paper but an analy­sis paper—­a paper that
looks at how something is constructed and then offers an

14
 Adopting a Rhetorical Stance

argument regarding the effectiveness or the implications of

that construction. (We discuss at length the pro­cess of writ­
ing an analytical paper in “Analyzing Film,” l­ater in this
guide.) For now, it’s sufficient to note that writing an analy­sis
paper also requires you to make an argument. In other words,
when you analyze a film, you ­don’t want simply to describe
what the director, or editor, or costume designer did. You also
want to indicate why t­ hese decisions ­matter—­why t­ hese deci­
sions ­were impor­tant to the film, or to filmmaking in general.
You’ll also want to convey to your reader a sense of why your
analy­sis ­matters to the ongoing conversation about the film.
In the end, argument is a crucial part of any analy­sis paper.
To ensure that your relationship to your topic is appropri­
ately analytical or argumentative, ask yourself some ques­
tions. First, consider ­whether your relationship to your topic
is rooted in argument and analy­sis, or in opinion. What’s the
difference? Opinion is subjective and can be justified by the
opinion holder’s personal tastes and preferences; analy­sis
and argument require more objective evidence and must be
defended via reason. To ensure that you are producing argu­
ment or analy­sis rather than opinion, you ­will first want to
consider why you chose this par­tic­u­lar topic. Why did you
find this film, or some aspect of it, more impor­tant or in­ter­
est­i ng than ­others? What personal feelings or biases does the
film (or this aspect of the film) engage? Can you defend this
bias critically? Have you thought carefully about responses to
the film that might challenge yours? Might some part of your

15
 1 • The Challenges of Writing About Movies

response to the movie cause readers to discount your paper as

one-­sided or uncritical? If any of t­hese questions raise a flag
for you, rethink your relationship with your topic with t­ hese
questions in mind. Use them to transform personal opinion
into academic analysis/argument.

CONSIDER YOUR AUDIENCE

Your position on a topic does not, by itself, determine your

rhetorical stance. You must also consider your readers. In the
college classroom, the audience is usually your professor and
your classmates—­although occasionally your professor will
instruct you to write for a more par­tic­u ­lar or more general
audience. No matter who your readers are, you’ll want to con­
sider them carefully before you start to write.
What do you know about your readers and their stance
toward your topic? What are they likely to know about the
topic? What biases are they likely to have? Moreover, what
effect do you hope to have on the readers? Is your aim to
be controversial? Informative? Entertaining? Will the readers
appreciate or resent your intention?
Once you’ve determined who your readers are, you will
want to consider how you might best reach them. If, for
example, you’re an authority on a par­tic­u ­lar subject and
you’re writing to readers who know little or nothing about
that subject, you’ll want to take an informative stance. If
you aren’t yet confident about a topic and you have more

16
 Considering Tone and Style

questions than answers, you might want to take an inquisi­

tive stance.
In any case, when you’re deciding on a rhetorical stance,
choose one that allows you to be sincere. You don’t want to
take an authoritative stance on a subject if you cannot be con­
fident about what you’re saying. On the other hand, don’t
avoid taking a position on a subject; readers are very often
frustrated by writers who refuse to take a clear stance. What
if you are of two minds on a subject? Declare that to the
reader. Make ambivalence your clear rhetorical stance.
Finally, don’t write simply to please your professor. Though
some professors find it flattering to discover that all of their
students share their positions on a subject, most of us are hop­
ing that your argument will engage us by telling us something
new about your topic—­even if that “something new” is simply
a fresh emphasis on a minor detail. Moreover, it’s impossible
for you to replicate the ideal paper that exists in your profes­
sor’s head. When you try, you risk having your analysis com­
pared to your professor’s. Is that really what you want?

Considering Tone and Style

So now you understand what’s required of you in an aca­
demic paper. You need to be analytical. You need to create an
informed argument. You need to consider your relationship
to the topic and to the reader. But there is one more aspect
of your writing that you must consider—particularly in

17
 1 • The Challenges of Writing About Movies

terms of your relationship with your reader—and that is the

tone and style of your work.
The tone and style of academic writing might at first seem
intimidating. Students new to academic writing sometimes
feel that they have to employ the jargon and complex sentences
that they find in scholarship. But that’s not the case. Profes­
sors don’t want imitation scholarship. They want students to
write clearly and intelligently on matters that they, the stu­
dents, care about. The tone of an academic paper must be
clear and inviting. Your task is to render a good idea in clear
language that is a pleasure to read.
After all, professors are human beings, capable of boredom,
laughter, irritation, and awe. They have lives outside of their
duties as teachers, and they don’t appreciate having their time
wasted any more than you do. Understand that you’re writ­
ing to a person who will be delighted when you make your
point clearly, concisely, and persuasively. Understand, too,
that they will be less delighted if you have inflated your prose,
pumped up your page count, or tried to impress them by using
terms that you didn’t take the time to understand. (For more
on how to craft an appropriate but engaging academic tone
and style, see “Attending to Style,” later in this guide.)

18
 2

Looking at Movies

B efore you start writing anything about a movie, you

must first look at it—­closely, with an analytical eye, and
armed with the specialized vocabulary that is an integral part
of serious film study. Looking closely at movies, and taking
notes as you do so, is the first step toward having something
interesting to say about them. This chapter should help you
to get the pro­cess started.

Public and Private Screenings

Most film courses require attendance at public screenings.
Often the movies being viewed are the ones that your pro­
fessor wants you to write about. Even if public screenings
aren’t required by your instructor, viewing a movie with an
audience in a theater is something that every student of film
should experience. The reaction of your fellow audience
members may, after all, be different from yours. Being alert

19
 2 • Looking at Movies

to their reactions could help you to notice things about the

film that you might have overlooked if your only screening
happened in the privacy of your own room. Use the time in a
public screening to enjoy the experience along with the audi­
ence, but also to note those moments when the audience
reacts strongly to what’s happening onscreen. If you can
manage it, take shorthand notes (as discreetly as possible)
about what was happening onscreen immediately before,
during, and after those moments. These notes will be valu­
able when you later view the movie in private.
There was a time not so long ago when scholars, critics,
and students of film ­were forced to write about movies with­
out the benefit of private viewings after public screenings.
Relying on notes and memory, they often got the details
wrong, sometimes in ways that undercut the arguments they
­were attempting to make. Thankfully, those days are past.
Most of the movies that instructors assign in film courses are
also available in digital formats for private viewing. These
formats have been tremendously pop­u­lar with consumers,
obviously, but they are also a godsend for film scholars and
film students, who can rewind, fast-­forward, pause, and select
specific scenes as often as they need to.
The benefits of private viewings and these simple playback
options for film analysis ­can’t be overstated. The pause button,
for example, allows you to look carefully at the composition of
a shot, to note details of the setting, design, lighting, and indi­
vidual characters’ appearance. The ability to watch a scene first

20
Other documents randomly have
different content
 Outside these symptoms, the impression conveyed by many of the
Interned is that of personalities profoundly changed. Their relatives
find them altered out of recognition. A distinguished British General
of forty years' service who visited his compatriots in Switzerland
made the remark, "I thought I knew all there was to be known of
British officers and men. I must confess I no longer understand my
Interned comrades after their experience as 'Ps. of W.' in Germany."
Dr. Clement remarked that under the changed conditions due to
internment in Switzerland, psychical troubles would, it was hoped,
rapidly cease to exist, but this did not prove to be the case. This
optimism was only justified in a certain measure. Symptoms which
persist for a long time, and only gradually disappear, are, a mental
instability and a want of power of concentration. The British Interned
designate this state by the characteristic expression, "difficulty to
settle down."
Troubles of memory are extremely frequent even amongst those
who have been a long time in Switzerland, and this symptom
differentiates itself from other neurasthenic manifestations by the
fact that the sufferer is conscious of his state.
Amongst the intellectuals, an excessive impressionability manifests
itself. Despite themselves, they misinterpret a gesture, a play of
feature, a tone of voice, a silence even. Sometimes a certain
misanthropy has been noticed amongst the Interned, which tends to
a desire for that solitude of which they have been so long deprived.
One of them explained this by saying: "It is not a dislike of our
fellows, but simply the absence of all pleasure, and perhaps a
sentiment of discomfort at finding oneself amongst people whose
condition is other than our own."
The happy influence exercised by the visits of relatives in bringing
back the realities of life to the Interned, and in re-establishing
contact with the family, is especially dwelt upon by Swiss medical
officers.
 CHAPTER XIII
HOMES
—VISITS OF RELATIVES
—RECREATIONS AND SPORTS OF THE BRITISH INTERNED

A S soon as the first contingent of officers and men were installed

at Château d'Oex, there arose the need of some place where the
men could meet in their leisure hours instead of finding attraction in
the local cafés, and in July, 1916, the Rev. A. Sutherland, in
association with a lady interested in the scheme, succeeded in
finding suitable quarters where the men might foregather, much to
my own and Colonel G. Vansittart's ("S.B.O.") satisfaction. Within a
few days, with the assistance of the "World's Alliance of the
Y.M.C.A." at Geneva, the "B.L.R.C.O." at Berne, the "Patriotic
League" at Lausanne, and private friends, the necessary funds for
installation, rent, etc., were provided. In this Home, generally known
as the "Foyer," the men were able to write, read newspapers and
books, listen to music, join in debates, and smoke. It was, moreover,
strictly non-sectarian, and welcomed Roman Catholics, Anglicans,
and Presbyterians alike to join in the comfort and enjoyment offered.
In the long run the very popularity of the Home was its undoing, the
accommodation being unequal to the strain put upon it. When,
therefore, in October, 1916, Sir Starr Jameson, on behalf of the
"B.R.C.S.," London, offered to establish a large hut in the camp, to
be staffed by a section of V.A.Ds., I gladly accepted the offer. I
afterwards learned that we were indebted for the gift to Mr. (now Sir
William) Cresswell Gray, of West Hartlepool.
The "Gray" Hut was built during the winter 1916-17 under the
supervision of Mr. Middleton Jameson (brother of Sir Starr), who
came out to Switzerland expressly for the purpose, and was opened
by Lady Rumbold in January, 1917.
In the opening speech by Lady Rumbold there occurred the
following words: "Now that this Red Cross Hut has been built, it will
replace the Foyer which has been found too small for the needs of
the increasing numbers of British Interned at Château d'Oex. I
cannot let this occasion pass without paying a tribute to the initiative
of Mr. Sutherland and his friends who inaugurated the Foyer and
carried it on for the benefit of the men. Now that the Foyer has
ceased to exist as such, Mr. Sutherland is resuming his work at
Lausanne. I am convinced that his departure will be greatly
regretted by many."
With the closure of the Foyer, and the imminent arrival of Military
Chaplains to take up duty at the camps, Mr. Sutherland decided to
return to his congregation at Lausanne, carrying with him the warm
regard and affection of large numbers of the men.
The "Gray" Hut had a prosperous and useful career; and as
canteen, club, and social centre, fulfilled, I would fain believe, the
intentions of its generous donor. On the termination of the
Internment, in December, 1918, the hut, I understand, was formally
presented by the Commandant, Miss Murray, to the "Conseil
Communal"—a brass tablet recording the fact that it was handed
over by the "B.R.C.S.," London, in accordance with the wishes of the
donor. It is to be used by the Swiss for their "Colonie des Vacances."
We were indebted to two English ladies, Miss Annan and Miss
Metcalfe, for the establishment of Homes for the men at Rougemont
and Rossinières. These ladies provided for the initial outlay, rent, and
running expenses, and must have drawn largely on their own
financial resources, besides carrying out all executive work
connected with the Homes, and, to use an Eastern hyperbole, they
both "fathered and mothered" the men. Miss Annan organized
basket-making and fancy work classes, which, pro tem., gave the
men occupation, and put money into their pockets. I cannot lay too
much stress on the practical and idealistic nature of the work
accomplished by these two ladies and their friends.
At the same time the National Council of the "Y.M.C.A.," realizing
that the benefits they could provide would be particularly acceptable
to British soldiers arriving from Germany, made proposals to me for
the establishment of their work at Mürren, and so it came to pass
that, when the second contingent of Interned arrived at that
mountain resort, in August, 1916, they were greeted by two
representatives of the "Y.M.C.A." National Council, in the persons of
Mr. Alfred Brauen and Mr. R. I. Whitwell, who had already secured
and opened comfortable quarters in the Hôtel Jungfrau for the use
of the men. Here the usual refreshments and pastimes were
provided, and made available to all.
These gentlemen now made a tour of the camps, and, at my
request, turned their attention to Leysin, where the need of a social
centre for the men had made itself greatly felt. As a result of this
tour and the recommendations made by Mr. Whitwell, Lord Tavistock
very generously offered to build a hut to meet requirements there.
The hut was constructed on Mr. Whitwell's designs, and was opened
by him in February, 1917. It was well equipped with workshop,
billiard table, library, etc., and under the leadership of Mr. J. G.
Griffiths, and later of Mr. S. K. Morrison, proved most successful. The
influence, disciplinary and moral, of the "Y.M.C.A." work at Leysin
was a revelation to me, and was beyond praise.
A lady to whom the British at Leysin owe a debt of gratitude was
Mrs. Anderton, of Vevey. All schemes for the welfare of the Interned
received her support, but the sick at Leysin were the object of her
predilection, and her generosity was unbounded. In recognition of
her numerous charities the Holy See conferred on her in April, 1919,
the Pontifical Cross, pro Ecclesia et Pontifice, which was transmitted
to her by Mgr. Maglione, the successor of Mgr. Marchetti at Berne.
Mr. Whitwell subsequently laid plans for work on a more
comprehensive scale at Mürren, to give effect to which the National
Council of the "Y.M.C.A." erected a splendid hut, the finest of the
kind ever seen in Switzerland, and the highest in the world, it being
at an altitude of 1,630 metres.
The inauguration ceremony occasioned considerable interest in the
Bernese Oberland, and attracted visitors from all parts of the
country. Lady Rumbold, in opening the hut, mentioned it as having
been erected for the British Interned as a mark of gratitude for their
services, and I had the pleasure of thanking the "Y.M.C.A." for their
warm-hearted regard for our soldiers.
This "Y.M.C.A." hut, equipped with canteen, cinema, billiard and
bagatelle tables, stage, library, "quiet" room, lantern for lectures,
etc., was of the most up-to-date kind, and round it revolved the
social life of Mürren. An Entertainment Committee was organized,
and weekly concerts were held. The theatrical company, composed
of officers and men, had a successful career both at Mürren and
Interlaken, and drew large houses, in which figured many visitors
from Berne and elsewhere. Popular lectures, mock trials, and a
General Election, roused great interest; and various classes for
fretwork, basket-making, embroidery, and languages, were
established. Agriculture was not forgotten, a large piece of land
being leased for market gardening. Here scores of men found
agreeable occupation, and produce was raised which assisted in
supplying the garrison during the winter months.
In January, 1917, Mr. J. W. Hobday was appointed Secretary of the
"Y.M.C.A." in Switzerland, and co-operated with Mr. Whitwell, whose
place he filled at a later date, when that gentleman returned to
England.
When Interlaken was opened as a British Camp, Mr. Hobday
installed a canteen, under the direction of Mr. and Mrs. R. Hughes, in
one of the best hotels of the place, to which was adjoined a concert
hall, with the finest decorated interior within a large radius. Here, as
elsewhere in all "Y.M.C.A." centres, the daily arrival of British and
Colonial newspapers kept the men in touch with the outside world,
and concerts, sing-songs, lectures, tennis, and billiards, gave them
plenty of amusement and recreation.
 At Meiringen the "Y.M.C.A." acquired the local "Casino," which was
admirably adapted for its purpose, and to it Mr. John Mahler, J.P.,
and the Rev. D. Dowling devoted much of their time and energies.
The winter of 1917-18 was very severe, but the "Y.M.C.A." made a
point of keeping their quarters well warmed, thus adding to the
comfort and health of the men.
By the courtesy of the "Châlet" authorities, and of Mrs. Mitchell of
Seebourg, near Lucerne, a large hall was placed at the service of the
men, where, likewise, the "Y.M.C.A." opened a "Home" under the
experienced leadership of Miss Leckie. Thanks to her sympathetic
efforts, and the assistance given by Mr. and Mrs. W. Cecil Stronge,
the local clergy, and Mrs. Hauser, of the Schweizerhof Hotel, a fine
piece of work was performed here.
Previous to the opening of this hall, Mrs. Hauser (English by birth,
and the wife of the proprietor of the Schweizerhof Hotel of Lucerne)
had, together with her husband, placed at the disposal of British
Interned a room in their hotel, which served all the purposes of a
club. This lady also acted as visitor to those in hospital, and supplied
them with hospital comforts, both on her own behalf and, later, on
that of the "B.L.R.C.O.," whose representative she became. Her
generosity and untiring service were of great value.
At Couvet in the Canton of Neuchâtel, our men were indebted to
Monsieur Pierre Dubied, a Swiss gentleman, for a fine hall, where
the "Y.M.C.A." were installed in the interests of a British working
party who were employed in cutting fuel during the summer of 1918.
Mme Dubied and her friends gave unstinted help, and endeared
themselves to the men.
In connection with the Motor Classes at Vevey, Colonel A. K.
Gillespie founded the "Soldiers' Club," which, later on, was
amalgamated with the "Y.M.C.A.," who had taken up their quarters in
the excellent premises of the Swiss "Y.M.C.A." (Union Chrétienne des
Jeunes Gens), on the Boulevard St. Martin, and proved a happy
meeting place for social intercourse, concerts, and sports. I may
mention that Colonel Gillespie's name has become a household word
to the British Interned in Switzerland, owing to his association with
the "B.L.R.C.O.," the "Soldiers' Club," and the "Bureau de Secours
aux Prisonniers de Guerre."
At Gunten, on the Lake of Thoune, and in connection with the
Carpet Workshops, Miss Martin and the late Mrs. Cooke Daniels
opened a much appreciated club for the use of the British, French,
and Belgian Interned; and Miss Simpkin, of Manor Farm, also
established a tea-room at Interlaken, which proved of great service
to the men passing to and from Mürren.
I think I have said enough to show how active was the part taken
by the "Y.M.C.A." and others in Switzerland, and how beneficent
were their labours. The Association appears to me more than well
served by its staff, and evidently has the happy faculty of choosing
the right man for the right place. Nothing could have been better, for
instance, than their choice of Mr. Whitwell and Mr. Hobday,—the
former for his large-heartedness, the latter for his administrative and
executive abilities.
In anticipation of the arrival of the first contingent of "Ps. of W." in
May, 1916, the wives of several of the officers had found their way
to Switzerland, and many others followed as soon as they heard of
the arrival of their husbands at Château d'Oex. It struck me as
eminently desirable that N.C.Os. and men should also, if feasible,
have an opportunity of seeing their wives or members of their
families, and I accordingly addressed myself to the War Office, in the
hope that arrangements in this sense might be made. My hopes
were realized later through the kind initiative of Lord Northcliffe, who
had seen the camp at Mürren, and much approved of the idea.
Thanks to his lively interest in the question, Lord Northcliffe, by
means of The Times, collected sufficient funds, and caused steps to
be taken for providing the necessary machinery for the care of the
women whilst in transit and during their visit to Switzerland.
The arrangements in England were entrusted to Mr. Harold
Wilkins, on behalf of the "C.P. of W.C.," and after examination of
local conditions by Mr. (now Sir Ellis) Hume-Williams, preparations
were made for the despatch of parties of sixteen to twenty women
under the guardianship of "chaperones," for a fortnight's visit at the
camps. The Young Women's Christian Association very kindly
cooperated with the "C.P. of W.C." by leasing a house in Bedford
Square as a hostel where the women were assembled and lodged
before departure. On arrival at the camps, they were taken charge
of by an Interned officer, by whom all arrangements regarding
finance, accommodation, and catering were made.
The first conducted party of women reached Château d'Oex in
September, 1916, and their reception by the Swiss was as thoughtful
and considerate as in the case of the men themselves. It was a
comfort to hear a wife, when sympathized with for having only a
fourteen days' visit, reply: "Yes, but I would have come if only for an
hour"; and another: "The bairns think that I have gone to fetch their
daddy home. I just let them think it."
The arrival of the first party at Mürren was memorable as
symbolizing a return to home life, and the men, one and all, turned
out to demonstrate in honour of the event. An excited crowd of
soldiers, armed with every conceivable instrument of noise, amongst
which figured numberless cattle bells requisitioned from the
peasants far and near, met the women at the railway station, and
escorted them by the light of torches to their hotels. The visit must
have passed like a dream, for Mürren remained en fête during the
whole fortnight, and our countrywomen had the time of their lives.
From time to time, and not infrequently, the movement to and
from Switzerland was interrupted owing to the exigencies of the
military situation in France, but in all not less than 600 wives and
mothers were privileged to visit their husbands and sons in
Switzerland. I have often been asked by people who evidently bore
in mind the cost of the operation, whether the visits were a success.
The financial records of the "B.R.C.S.," London, for the year ending
October, 1917, show that £12,187 were received from the public as
donations to the fund for "relatives' visits." The records for 1918 are
not yet published, but I am given to understand that the total
expenditure will amount approximately to £15,000, thus averaging
£25 per visitor, a reasonable figure when war-time conditions are
envisaged.
I think we have only to place ourselves in the position of the
Interned to realize what such visits must have been to them. To my
mind public sentiment did not err in responding so graciously to the
special appeal made by Lord Northcliffe for funds to enable him to
deal with this question, and in doing so struck a note which vibrated
in sympathy with the hearts and souls of their Interned countrymen
in Switzerland. Major Edouard Favre, in his official publication,
"L'Internement en Suisse, 1917," gives the Swiss view of these visits.
He writes: "We cannot sufficiently insist on the happy influence
exercised by the visits of relatives. By this means a living contact
with the family, that basis of social life, is re-established."
In the field of sport, the men soon realized that they were in the
midst of a sporting community, and football, lawn tennis, boxing,
skating, ski-ing, and ice-hockey, were freely indulged in according to
the season. Football was especially popular, many matches being
played against Swiss and Allied clubs. The former were generally too
strong for our men, who were never really fit enough to compete
with the best Swiss teams. Boxing also was popular, the Swiss
sending some of their best amateurs to take part in the tournaments
held at Château d'Oex. The spirit was willing—for our men were ever
ready to meet the Swiss—but the flesh was weak, and here again
the condition of our men told against them.
As regards ice-hockey, the Canadians showed excellent form, and
practically carried everything before them. They appeared to me to
be the equal of the best teams the Swiss could put into the field. In
the realm of lawn tennis, some of the best players were
handicapped by wounds and other disabilities, and therefore unable
to make a mark in the championship games. It is of interest to
record, however, that one of the members of the British Legation at
Berne (not an Interned officer), who played under the name of
"Marcel," won the International Swiss Championship for the third
year in succession, and in so doing became entitled to a handsome
cup, which bore on the shield the names of Wilding, Decugis, and
others who had won the championship in previous years.
Some of our Interned gymnasts took part at a Swiss Military
Tournament at Neuchâtel, at which officers and men of the Swiss
Army and our Allied comrades competed. Our success was practically
limited to the bayonet competition, where we beat all comers in the
team matches, and took the first and many other prizes for
individual fighting. Our Belgian and French Allies distinguished
themselves with foil and sabre, and, as some of them had been
fencing professors before the war, they held their own with success
against the best Swiss exponents of the art.
As regards subjects theatrical and musical, the men at Château
d'Oex formed a Variety Company to give concerts, with the laudable
ambition of building a châlet as an annexe to the Children's
Convalescent Home of the region, as a remembrance of the time
spent there by British soldiers. How far they were successful in their
purpose I have not heard, but I doubt whether they were able to
achieve their full intention. Château d'Oex also boasted an amateur
theatrical company, recruited from amongst officers and men. As a
side show, they were able to count on a foursome of Scottish
dancers, whose services were in great request for charity bazaars at
Geneva, Montreux, Bâle, Lausanne, etc. They invariably brought
down the house, and made themselves the life and soul of any
entertainment at which they assisted. Their kilts, sporrans, etc., and
bearing, were a never-ending joy to the spectators.
A small orchestra, with brass and stringed instruments, and which
played twice a week, was started by Mr. Sutherland at the Foyer.
This formed the nucleus of a band afterwards organized by the
"S.B.O."
Mürren developed on similar lines. In one respect, however, it was
more fortunate than Château d'Oex in having available a larger
proportion of musicians, and was able, therefore, to create a very
useful band, which added notably to the amenities of its social life. I
remember well the astonishment of Colonel Hauser and his Staff on
the occasion of a visit of inspection, when he was entertained by the
officers, to find an orchestra of stringed instruments discoursing
music during dinner, the procedure followed being identical with that
of a Line Regiment at home.
I must not omit to mention that the Mürren foursome of Scottish
dancers met with the same success in the Bernese Oberland as that
of Château d'Oex in the Cantons of Vaud and Geneva. I recall with
special pleasure the furore they created amongst the Bernese public
on the occasion of a bazaar for the disposal of the work of the
Interned (vide Chapter XIV).
Under the heading of "Pastimes," I may mention the publication
by the Interned of a paper called the "B.I.M." (British Interned,
Mürren). Major Charley started this paper in June, 1917, in
connection with a printing press installed at Mürren, with the
financial assistance of the "B.L.R.C.O." The management and
editorship was undertaken by Lieut. Hubbs, 4th C.M.R., and later by
Lieut. Evans. It concerned itself almost entirely with the doings of
the Mürren garrison until January, 1918, when it was converted into
a magazine for the Interned in general, and was then printed at
Vevey, under the supervision of Captain Button, Oxford L.I. The
paper appeared monthly until September, 1918, and bi-monthly up
to October 29, 1918—its last issue. Major Charley, writing to me on
the subject, states that, compared with the magazine published by
French Interned, "it was rather a poor effort." It was, however, of
interest to our men, and the effort was not wasted.
Thus were spent the leisure hours of the men in camp life in
Switzerland.
 CHAPTER XIV
BERNE IMPRESSIONS: ARTISTIC, MUSICAL, AND
SOCIAL UNDER WAR CONDITIONS

T HE nucleus proper of Berne (the old mediæval town) is situate

on a promontory running between two arms of the River Aare,
high above it, however, and connected on three sides, by long-
spanned bridges, to the newer outlying portions of the town, where
are to be found the more modern residential quarters. Along the
southern side of the promontory, facing a splendid view of the
Bernese Alps in the distance, with the river running below in the
immediate foreground, stretch the handsome buildings of the
Federal Palace and other Government offices, flanked on either side
by the two most modern hotels, the Bellevue Palace and the
Bernerhof, where, when not occupying private residences, members
of the Diplomatic Corps and Bernese society congregate. Further
along the promontory, beyond the Kirchenfeld Bridge, runs one of
the most interesting old streets of Berne, a relic of the Middle Ages,
the Rue des Gentilshommes, where many of the houses date back to
the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, and several, I believe, even
to the fifteenth. This street, in times gone by, was the residential
quarter of the old Bernese noblesse, and walking down now under
the old arcades, past the Cathedral Square and Terrace, one can still
see the dates and emblazoned arms indicating when such and such
a house was occupied by the d'Erlachs, the de Wattenwyls, or some
other illustrious family. Indeed, many delightful hours can be spent
evoking, and peopling with old world silhouettes, the now deserted
street, where only stone and beam remain to tell the tale. The very
silence, perchance, induces one to note the care evinced in the
preservation of every old house, sign, knocker, and quaint bell,
evidence of the feeling in which the Bernese hold their departed
glories and traditions. The same families still inhabit many of these
old houses, but gradually the advantages offered by the more open
and modern residential quarters are drawing them slowly, but surely,
away.
In matters artistic, especially musical, Berne, though small in
comparison, offers many of the advantages of larger capitals. It
possesses a fine concert hall and a good theatre, visited, especially
during the war, by the best European as well as Swiss talent. Owing
to Switzerland having maintained her neutrality, and being situated
geographically at the very centre of the main belligerent countries,
and therefore easily accessible from these, she has become, par
excellence, the focus of artistic as well as other propaganda from all
quarters.
To begin with the most popular form of artistic propaganda, the
cinemas presented films of the war in an ever increasing number,
the Germans making great use of this means of impressing the
public, but sometimes with a result the reverse of that which they
had intended. In this connection the Moewe film, given all over
Switzerland, and portraying the exploits of that pirate ship in sinking
numbers of British and Allied vessels, may be mentioned. This was
one long succession of views of merchantment and beautiful sailing
vessels riding the waves, to be seen the next moment struck, and
slowly disappearing beneath the surface. The most revolting part,
however, of an altogether revolting film, was the brutality and
delight evinced by the crew of the Moewe, who continued their
sports and dancing in sight of their drowning victims. If the Germans
hoped to impress the Swiss by their prowess and merciless
inhumanity, or by showing them how easy a thing it was to
accomplish the starvation of the Allies, and especially Great Britain,
they utterly failed in their aim, for the public in general, mostly
Swiss, was horrified at the sight of the destruction of so much
constructive human endeavour, and, above all, at the brutality and
disregard evinced towards the unfortunate crews of the doomed or
sunken vessels. All over Switzerland the impression conveyed in the
main by this film was one of disgust and horror, and comment bore
more than all else on the entire absence of anything to indicate so
much as the slightest endeavour to save human life. In a word, the
Germans could not have chosen a subject more unfavourable to
themselves, or done better propaganda work in favour of the Allies,
than by exhibiting their Moewe film.
When, later, the British Battle of the Somme film was given in
Berne, in 1916, in the huge Concert Hall of the Casino, the contrast
in the spirit of the whole performance was all the more noticeable
when the feelings of horror evoked by the Moewe performance are
recalled to mind. Amongst other films, the remembrance of which
stands out, the Champagne, the Italian Izonzo, the Tank, and
England's Effort, all of which were very fine productions, may be
noted.
As regards painting, not many exhibitions took place, owing
mainly, presumably, to the ever increasing difficulties of transport.
During 1916, however, the Society of Belgian Artists sent a number
of paintings done at the Front; and the French held an exhibition of
old engravings and woodcuts. In 1917 the Musée du Luxembourg
organized a magnificent collection of about 200 pictures of the
"chefs-d'œuvre" of the École de Barbizon, which represented most of
the leaders of this great school: Corot, Cézanne, Daubigny, Degas,
Monet, Manet, Millet, and many others. This exhibition was opened
at the Musée d'Art in Geneva, and created a good deal of stir, and
when I left Berne it was just about to be transferred to that place.
Another exhibition of interest was that of the works of Franz Hodler,
the great Swiss painter, one of whose canvasses fetched in America,
it is said, the enormous sum of frs. 500,000.
It was, however, in matters musical that Berne offered the
greatest artistic enjoyment. Not only were a series of concerts given
by the "Liedertafel" and "Cäcilien Verein" and the Berne "Stadt
Orchestra," which, in the winter of 1917, under the conductorship of
M. Brun, gave excellent interpretations of the complete nine
Symphonies of Beethoven, but we also had a visit from the famous
"Orchestre du Conservatoire de Paris," as well as recitals by Risler,
Louis Vierne and others. With reference to the visit of the "Orchestre
du Conservatoire de Paris," a rather amusing incident occurred,
typical of the spirit of war that had so insidiously, during forty years
of military preparation, made its way into the very heart of
intellectual and artistic Germany, and even Austria, prostituting
these, also, to the ends of "Deutschland über Alles." The French
Orchestra had, for some time past, announced their arrival for a
certain date, together with their programme, when suddenly, a few
days before the event, which was creating a good deal of interest,
Weingärtner, with his Philharmonic Orchestra of Vienna, advertised a
concert to take place just three days prior to the French
performance, and with an almost identical programme. This naturally
created excitement, but, judging by the overflowing hall and
tremendous enthusiasm displayed at the French concert, left the
palm of victory in the hands of the French musicians. In a word, the
Germano-Austrian artistic tours in Switzerland were throughout
marked by a competitive spirit, and every detail of them was, I
understand, arranged under the ægis of high German officials.
Many were the artists of European renown who visited Berne
during the war: Mesdames Réjane, Leblanc Maeterlinck, the Russian
dancer, Nijinski, as well as those of the Central Empires, such as
Moïssi (who gave "Hamlet"), Nikish, and others.
Of all artistic enjoyments, however, two series of operatic and
dramatic performances remain pre-eminent: the Wagnerian series of
operas given by a Swiss company, and the series of classic and
romantic drama presented by members of the "Comédie Française"
of Paris. The vocal rendering of the Wagner operas could scarcely
have been excelled. Herr Rudolph Jung, a young Swiss tenor,
interpreted in turn Lohengrin, Tannhäuser, Tristan, Hans Sachs, and
Parsifal, and not only was his tone one of perfect purity and beauty,
but, what is rare, his physique lent itself to the glamour of knightly
armour as harmoniously as his interpretation was satisfying mentally
and emotionally. Unless I am much mistaken, this young man is
destined to become one of the world's greatest singers and artists.
He had made his the spirit of knighthood, the spirit evoked by
Wagner as opposed to the old German ideal of brute force, a fact
which appears to have entirely escaped the German public and
critics. It is always of knighthood that Wagner sings, of knights in
conflict with material forces; and if he rescued from oblivion the
sagas of a dawn of civilization, it was but as the forces against which
his knights hurled themselves in the true spirit of knightly honour
and disinterested service. Lohengrin rescues Elsa from false and
deadly intrigue; Tannhäuser, his soul from the snares of the
Venusberg; and Parsifal, proof against all false allurements, reaches
the serene heights of absolute command over himself and life.
Whether aware of it or not, Herr Jung ideally portrayed the
knightly spirit, to save which practically the whole world is fighting
the Central Empires in this terrible war. It is a trite saying: "No one is
a prophet in his own country." Assuredly Wagner was not in the way
he intended, as an apostle of World-Brotherhood; and perchance it
was for this reason that he was banned and exiled, and forced to
spend most of his life away from his native land. As to the life-work
of Wagner and the lessons it teaches—fully explained in his writings
—Germany appears merely to have extolled his evocations of the
past, the nebulous historical sagas, and to have deified these, the
better, presumably, to serve her one end and aim of conquest.
Another series of performances, well worthy of remembrance, was
that given by members of the "Comédie Française," with Madame
Bartet and Messieurs Paul Mounet and Lambert in the title rôles.
These artists scored great successes, Monsieur Lambert being
recalled no less than eight times in Berne, and sixteen in Zürich, the
very centre of German influence. With regard to these performances,
it may be of interest to note a passage in the Third Act of "Les
Horaces et Curiaces." In Horace Corneille typifies the Roman ideal,
and in Curiace the Gallic. When, in the Third Act, the two friends and
brothers-in-law, chosen by their respective States to fight each other
to the death, meet in a last farewell interview, Horace brutally says
to Curiace: "Rome a besoin de moi—je ne te connais plus." (Rome
needs me—I know thee no more.) Curiace answers with emotion:
"Et moi—je te connais encore, et c'est cela qui me tue." (And I—I
know thee still, and it is that that is killing me.) Could any words
better portray the two fundamentally differing attitudes of mind
between the Roman and the Gaul, or better illustrate the brutal, if
heroic, insentience of the Roman, or the tender and no less heroic
(for the Gaul overthrows the Roman) humanity of the Gaul?
It is said that one nation, in the absence of means of contact, to a
great extent estimates other nations by what it sees of these on the
stage; and doubtless a good deal of truth lies hidden in this saying.
To those who understand both the English and French "théâtre pour
rire," the realistic farce provides an evening's desultory laugh, the
memory of which dies with the last joke; but to foreign eyes and
ears strained, whether consciously or not, to catch traits of
character, a farce may give birth to very wrong impressions, and
become a positive international danger through false estimates of
values. For this reason, chiefly, it was with the keenest pleasure one
welcomed the advent in Switzerland of the "Comédie Française," the
embodiment of all that is best, highest, and most ideal in France.
During the first days of the war, and the ensuing unprecedented
situation, before the horror of it had become uppermost, many were
the incidents of awkwardness whispered from ear to ear. Berne
being a small capital, certain sets in it meet daily, and the Diplomatic
Corps assumes almost the aspect of a "vie de famille." Many of its
members were on intimate terms, friends often of years' standing,
when the curtain descended on the old order of things on those
fateful August days of 1914. One night perchance the French were
dining with their Austrian colleagues, or the British with the
Germans, and the next morning were to meet as strangers. The
situation seemed unreal and impossible, and naturally led to much
groping and questionings to find a new "modus vivendi." In one case
a Minister's wife meeting her Austrian colleague, whom the day
before she had called by her Christian name, would be at a loss to
know what to do, the result culminating on both sides in a half-nod
with averted eyes; or an Allied caller at a Swiss house would
unavoidably come face to face with a new enemy—an erstwhile
familiar friend. Such incidents were at first of daily occurrence. I
remember one especially, more humorously long drawn out. An
Allied Military Attaché was calling on Swiss friends, when the servant
came in, and, with a perplexed look, whispered something in the ear
of the hostess. "Be quick," said the latter to her Allied caller, "the
servant has said I am in; but if you go through my boudoir here to
the left, you will escape an awkward meeting." The caller, following
directions, tiptoed through the boudoir to a door leading to a
passage, but only to find himself confronted by the Austrian Military
Attaché, who, conducted by the no less tactful servant, had also
made the same détour. The Allied caller, quickly closing the door
with the hope that he had not been recognized, retraced his steps to
fly by the usual entrance—only to meet his new enemy again. This
time escape was impossible, the Austrian ejaculating: "Well, Colonel,
bad luck this time!" at which both laughed and passed on.
In a very short time, however, events in Belgium and France made
too deep an impression for any room to be left to the lighter side of
things, and such incidents were avoided by more careful forethought
and organization. The Swiss and other Neutrals held separate
reception days for the Allies and their antagonists, and official
receptions at the Palais Fédéral were accurately scheduled as to
time, so as to avoid any untoward meetings of the representatives of
the belligerent nations. The severance became complete, though it
required a little time to accomplish. The Diplomatic Tennis Club, for
instance—a favourite resort for tennis in summer and skating in
winter—had likewise to modify its rules to meet the changed
conditions. As a mode of partition between the Allies and the Central
Empires the even dates were allotted to one side, the uneven to the
other. How it came about no one exactly knew, but the Central
Empires secured the uneven, thus gaining the advantage of seven
extra days in the year, as the least calculating found out in the
course of time. Gradually the new "modus vivendi" became
established; and, indeed, the news reaching Berne of the urgent
demands from many quarters for help developing the instinctive
desire to be of some service in the struggle at hand, more and more
restricted the purely social functions.
 When the idea of the "B.L.R.C.O." was suggested by Lady Grant
Duff, she, together with Mme. Pageot, organized a "Thé-Tombola,"
the first social function started in German Switzerland for charitable
purposes in the Allied cause. The success of this so far exceeded all
calculations, that arrangements for tea made for about 300 visitors
were called upon to provide for more than double that number, the
net result in funds amounting to the gratifying total of frs. 22,000
towards French and British Red Cross work. Later, again, when the
prisoners of war had arrived and been interned some little time in
Switzerland, and had accumulated a good deal of work to be
disposed of, a series of bazaars was held in the large towns by the
French and Swiss. In these the British took part, their stall of
carpets, arranged by Miss Martin, making a handsome and very
successful exhibit amongst others, such as bookbinding, leather
work, etc. It was a pleasure, too, to see some, however few, lovely
wooden box designs, one with figures and animals in high relief.
Wood-carving was a talent I had no idea our men possessed, but
which these samples conclusively proved they did.
It was at the bazaar of this series held in Berne that the Scottish
dancers carried off the palm of attraction. The long hall set aside for
the buffet had a stage at one end, and long before the afternoon
performance was to take place every tea-table was occupied. This in
itself meant 200 spectators, but by the time the dancing began,
every available inch of room was crammed, tremendous cheering
greeting the Scotsmen. The same thing occurred in the evening,
when my wife, who was in charge of the buffet arrangements, and
had fortunately had the doors closed until eight o'clock so as to
allow holders of reserved tables to reach their seats, was warned
that some 400 people were massed outside. On the doors being
opened, the effect was like that of a river breaking a dam and
flooding the entire hall. The success of our Scotsmen was
phenomenal, and their services, always attended with the same
results, were never dispensed with at any bazaar later on.
Another scheme put in motion for the disposal of Allied Interned
work was that afterwards called the "Suisse-Amérique." This
consisted in disposing of some of the work in America, and received
its practical application through Mme. Grouitch, wife of the Serbian
Minister to Switzerland, and American by birth. Mme. Grouitch had
just returned from the United States, and suggested organizing a
Pavilion of Allied Interned "Ps. of W." work at the great war bazaars
taking place yearly in some of the large towns in the States, such as
New York, Washington, St. Louis, Chicago, and Philadelphia. A
Committee was at once formed called the "Suisse-Amérique," under
the ægis of Mme. Schulthess, wife of the President of the Swiss
Confederation, as President. Mrs. Stovall, wife of the American
Minister to Switzerland, and Mme. de Sprecher, wife of the Swiss
Chief of Staff. Some 300,000 and more articles were despatched to
the States, Mme. Grouitch graciously volunteering to return thither
to act as delegate of the Committee. If, fortunately for the Allied
cause, America shortly after entered the war, it was not so fortunate
for the scheme in hand, as only one of these bazaars—that in New
York—was held during the winter of 1917, when, no doubt rightly,
the scheme, now that America had entered the struggle, was
stopped by the U.S. Government. At this one bazaar about $600,000
were taken in entry fees alone, so that it was a blow to hear of the
cancelling of the others. Owing, however, to the splendid energy and
spirit of Mme. Grouitch, who at once took other measures for the
disposal of the consignments, no loss occurred to the venture. To
meet the initial outlay required by the despatch of the Interned work
to America, my wife was asked to organize another "Thé-Tombola"
at Berne, and was much touched by the support and sympathy
shown by the Allies and Neutrals, more especially by Russians who
had been hard hit by the revolution in their country. This "Thé-
Tombola" made a clear profit of frs. 8,000.
These activities, together with the daily office routine, occupied
much of our time, so that little was left for other social distractions,
which had diminished proportionately. Small dinners, teas, soirées
and bridge, with an occasional amateur dramatic performance for
some war need or other, filled to overflowing the remainder. One
eventful evening, however, I cannot pass without mention—that of
the arrival of General Leman, the heroic defender of Liége, who, it
will be remembered, when unable to offer further resistance to the
Germans, had had the fortress mined, and ordered it to be blown
up, himself remaining in it, preferring death to surrender. That he
was still alive when rescued from the debris is one of the marvels of
the war. What the Allies owe General Leman for that heroic
resistance to the first German onrush will probably be only generally
known and valued when history has made the facts clear, but on the
night of his arrival, the sight of his small and compact figure, very
like Lord Roberts in build, was well-nigh overwhelming. The
enthusiasm of his reception at the station and en route to the Hôtel
Bernerhof could be gauged by the echoes of the cheers reaching us
in the Central Hall, where we had congregated. Many Germans,
mostly members of the Diplomatic Corps, were present at the time,
and were sitting at various tables over after-dinner coffee, when the
General appeared, surrounded by compatriots: members of his own
and Allied Legations. Every one rose as at some magic signal—even
all the Germans, men and women alike, their faces reflecting
curiosity and wonder, quite different from their usual supercilious
expression. Deep was the general emotion. Of all present, however,
General Leman was probably the only one unaware of the depth of
the feeling he evoked.
Especially agreeable and sympathetic is the remembrance of the
charming hospitality of Swiss friends, whose salons have an old
world atmosphere peculiarly their own. One is tempted to believe
that, owing to their forming more or less a society, removed from
the excitements and stress of larger capitals, they have been able to
maintain an atmosphere of quiet conducive to thought and
sentiment regarding the more abstract interests of life.
Looking back from this distance, the first months of the Great War
appear to have passed in a strange semi-hypnotic state of mind,
made up of surprise, anxiety, and horror. Mentally unprepared for
the inhuman catastrophe—a "lèse-humanité" in its truest sense—one
felt as must a tree at blows levelling its growth and blossom to the
ground. At the same time, a deep sense of indignation little by little
restored the mental balance, which was soon to enable one to return
to a sense of the immediate and growing necessities of the situation,
and endeavour to meet these as they arose; and one cannot but feel
a great thankfulness at having been privileged to find work in the
many war activities in Switzerland, herein detailed, towards the relief
of our suffering brotherhood.
As I mentioned at the opening of these chapters, I little thought
when taking up our residence in Berne that it would be for four
consecutive years. Yet, looking back, these long years appear to
have passed as a flash, so great was the anxiety, so full the daily
task, so steady the conviction of an ultimate successful issue to the
horrible drama of the World War.
 INDEX
Ador, Monsieur Gustave, President of the Swiss
Confederation, 1918; President of the International
Red Cross Society of Geneva, 27, 133
Allied Military Attachés in Switzerland, 1914, 14
Annan, Miss, 176, 177
Arago, Monsieur, French Deputy, 52
Armée-Sanitäts-Anstalt (A.S.A.) (Lucerne), 108
Arndt, Dr. (Berne), 103, 107
Artificial limbs, 116
Austin-Lee, Sir Henry, Hon. Attaché British Embassy,
Paris, 42

Bohny, Colonel Dr., Chief of Swiss Military Red Cross

Department, 72, 73, 77
British Hospitals, Boulogne, Calais, etc., 42
British Interned, Mürren (Magazine) "B.I.M.," 189,
190
British Legation Red Cross Organization in Switzerland
(B.L.R.C.O.), 34, 40-46, 49, 77, 101, 103, 146-148,
155, 174, 181, 182, 189, 203
British Red Cross Society, London (B.R.C.S.), 45, 46,
70, 108, 110, 115, 146, 151, 153, 156, 158, 175,
176, 185
"British Section" of the Bureau de Secours aux
Prisonniers de Guerre, 57-61, 63, 64, 67, 68, 70,
182
Brüstlein, Captain Dr., 102, 126