Page Fourteen
T HE MIC H IGA N D A ILY
Thursday, February 7197
PageFoutee TH MIHIG NIDILYTh ,/ , 1
I
'THE KING AND I'
It Still Remains a Photograph of a Broadway Play
By ERNEST THEODOSSIN gether with such precision and the film's participants. This makes Jerome Robbins' choreography,
THE KING AND I, one of last genuine grace, that on their merits the artist's camera serve the same originally designed for the stage
year's most prosperous Holly- alone The King and I deserves rec- function that a newsreel camera where only one wall is cut away,
wood productions, is sure tr be ognition. serves, recording an occurrence remains the same in the film.
mentioned as a possible Academy The King and I is vicually im- for the masses, in this instance a
Award contender in the next few pressive, with tons of colossal Broadway musical. EVEN MORE disconcerting is Mr.
weeks, a situation emlnrassin to scenery, tuneful, vnd full of good- For example, in the "Shall We E Brynner's "It's A Puzzlement"
those who consider films a dif- natured fun-but it is mostly what Dance" polka, the dancers are per- number, which is staged facing
ferent medium from the stage. the publicity department calls sirtently photographed from the the audience: this is fine in the
Hollywood has sarely done better "faithful to the original," which same angle: the distance may theater, ridiculous on the screen.
by The King and I than by its means, in this instance as in vary, hut the position does not. And then there are the lit'e asides
Rodgers and Hammerstein pre- others, that it is a filmed stage Not using the devise of having the to the audience-sometimes just
decessors, Oklahoma and Carous- production and not a movie, camera follosw the performers, a glance, at other times entire
al. The latest -"duction is prob- giving added movement, provides lines. What makes these theatri-
ably as charming and delightful THE cinematography devised by a good illustration . of Director calisms extremely disconcerting is
"pure entertainmen' as one is Director Walter Lang for The Lang's lack of imagination, that they jarr the mood of Holly-
likely to uncover for many years. King and I consists of an infinite What the film audience sees is wood realism that Director Lang's
Del.srah Kerr and Yul Brynner, number of dull, listless box shots, exactly, what a theater audience property men and set designers
whc play the respective leads of where the camera is pointed head would see, if its members were free have tried to achieve: these stage
Mrs Anna an" the King, work to- on and movement is restricted to to change seats. In fact, all of gimmicks are completely out of
elpar to Interview nineers
-Physicists and Mathematicians
OneONatIon s Leading Elecron0Ic Melpar Expanding
Firns Offes Uniqe Opportunities Steadily EverYear
sounoen aa« inyses, asoespar ea
Mechanical and electronic engi-
neers, as well as those majoring in
physics and math will want to in-
vestigate the unusual opportunities
for rapid professional growth and
advancement offered by Melpar,
Inc., one of the Nation's leading
electronic research and develop-
ment organizations.
A subsidiary of Westinghouse Air
Brake Company, Melpar is now en-
gaged in a program of expansion
involving both increases in staff
and facilities. The organization's
headquarters laboratory is located
in Fairfax County, Virginia, only
10 miles from Washington, D. C.
No Formal
Training Period
At Melpar
The college or university graduate
who joins Melpar is not required to
undergo a formal training program.
Instead he immediately becomes a
member of a project group and is
assigned to work with an experi-
enced engineer whose guidance and
assistance enable him to advance
rapidly. Members of Melpar proj-
ect groups gain experience in all
phases of engineering problems by
free and frequent interchange of
ideas during group meetings. Such~
experience is valuable in leading to
eventual managerial responsibility.
Financial Assistance
Offered by Melpar for
Graduate Work
The list of universities located near
Melpar laboratories that offer
t graduate and undergraduate
courses in engineering subjects in-
oludes: Georgetown University,
George Washington University,
American University, Catholic Uni-
versity, University of Maryland,
University of Virginia, Harvard,
Massachusetts Institute of Technol-
ogy, Northeastern University, and
Boston University. Melpar offers
financial assistance for study at
Melpar Locales Offer
Fine Living Conditions
Melpar's R & D operations are Melpar's Boston area plants allow
centered near and in Washington, engineers to enjoy the pleasant
D. C. and Boston, Mass. Both are tempo of New England living
rich in cultural and educational coupled with Boston's splendid cul-
facilities. The Washington, D. C. tural and educational advantages.
area in which Melpar's headquar- Melpar pays re-location expenses.
ters laboratory is located is within
easy driving range of beaches, Booklets Available
lakes, mountains, as well as other
recreational and scenic points. The An attractive, fully-illustrated
climate allows outdoor recreation booklet describing living conditions
215 days of the year. Fine homes prevailing in the Washington, D. C.
and apartments in all price ranges area can be obtained from your
are readily available. campus Placement Officer.
Performance Determines
Advancement At Melpar
At Melpar there is no waiting neer's achievement is reviewed at
period for "automatic" advance- least twice a year. In this manner
engineers deserving advancement
ment. Ican be quickly "spotted" and pro-
less of his age or tenure, may move moted. As soon as an engineer is
ahead as rapidly as his skill and ready for more complex responsi-
performance dictate. Each engi- bilities they are given him.
Company Policies Geared
To Engineer's Needs
Offjered PaidMelpar's personnel policies empha-
size individual consideration, objec-
tive treatment, and opportunity
Jn~cnhftsn Trms based on ability. Specifically, these
policiesnare implemented by pro-
motion from within, wherever pos-
After a personal interview on their sible, merit reviews that are truly
campus, qualified candidates may meaningful, work assignments in
be invited to visit Melpar's head- keeping with the engineer's most
obvious capabilities.
quarters laboratory near Washing- In addition, of course, the Com-
ton, D. C. at Company expense. pany makes available to each of
Information on opportunities avail- its staff members a wide program
able for graduates together with of company benefits, including
details on living conditions In the group insurance with life, sickness,
hospitalization and major medical
Washington, D. C. area is available expense features, a retirement plan,
by simply writing: Mr. William and provides for paid sick leave,
Schaub, Melpar, Inc., 3000 Arling- vacations and holidays.
ton Blvd., Falls Church, Virginia. Salarles at Melpar compare most
favorably with those of the ina-
dustry as a whole.
Many University
Courses Offered Make Appointment
At Melpar's Main Lab Melpar Interview f
Melpar staff members, both holders
and non-holders of degrees, may To secure an appointment with
take advantage of the-many fully- he visits your campus, contact
accredited courses inengineering tsingon, D.C. area. We believe
subjects which are offered at Mel- interest. a
Founded in 1945, Melpar h as
doubled in size every 18 months for
"the past 11 years. Recently it com-
pleted erection of a complete new
headquarters laboratory near the
Nation's Capital, and is presently
making substantial additions to its
Watertown, Mass. laboratory (6
miles west of Hoston), and to its
research department in Boston.
Located on a 44-acre landscaped
tract, Melpar's main laboratories
encompass over 265,000 square feet
under a single roof. Fully air-con-
ditioned, they are equipped with
every facility. In addition to the
new, ultra-modern headquarters
plant, Melpar maintains additional
facilities in Arlington, Virginia,
Hoston and Watertown, Massachu-
setts, encompassing a total of
460,000 square feet.
Challenging Openings
Availahle At Melpar
In Many fields
Engineers who join Melpar may
choos'e their assignments from one
or more of these challenlng fields:
Flight Simulators e Radar and
Countermeasures a Network
Theory * Systems Evaluation e
Microwave Techniques e Analog &
Digital Compuiters a Magnetic
Tape Handling e UHF, VHF, or
SHF Receivers e Packaging Elec-
tronic Equipment e Pulse Circuitry
e Microwave Filters e Servo-
mechanisms a Subminiaturization
a E lec t ro-Mechanical Design e
Small Mechanisms a Quality Con-
trol 8 Test Engineering.
Members of Melpar's research and
engineering staff are ably sup-
ported by many designers,drafts-
men and technicians. Coordinated
supporting services include a chem-
istry laboratory, a quality control
group, an environmental test labo-
ratory, a number of shops, and
other specialized facilities.
Now For
4ebruary 20th.
the Melpar representative when
tyour Placement Officer today.
oklets on Mepar and the Wash-
you will find them of unusual
place,
The same can be s-id for the
staging in such numbers as "Get-
ting To Know You," with its hori-
zontal hand-shaking movements,
and the "Small House of Uncle
Thomas Ballet," photographed on
a stage in the palace. This is not
screen d rce; it is stage dance
filmed.
THE ENTIRE point to this is
that what there is of value
in The King and I and indeed
there is much om value, owes its
excellence to its performers and
to Rogers and Hammerstein.
Furthermore the problem here
is one which has existed for many
years in Hollywood and is only
brought to immediate evidence
with The King and L The stand-
ard pattern in filming stage shows
has b-en to either fllow the orig-
inal script to the letter, perhaps
providing a few exterior shots, or
to completely rewrite the original
work, sometimes to the extent of
doing new songs or adding and
subtracing characters Somewhere
between these two extremes-be-
tween the filmed play and the re-
worked movie-lies the answer to
a successful transference of thea-
tee to the screen.
The two mediums de--1 di-
similar approaches, and they de-
mand individual artistic imagi-
nation: Diretor Lang has supplied
u=ne of these, and he has hence
acheved what an astute investor
might have achieved, if to a lesser
degree, had he just placed a cam-
era before a stage presentation of
The King and I.
TRAVEL:
Finnish
journey
(Continued from Page ill
point of austerity. Yet to a strang-
er whom he had only met a few
hours before he was willing to
offer his money.
I thanked my friend very much
for his generosity but explained to
him, through the girl, that I
needed no money. I went on to
tell him who I was, where I had
been, and, briefly, where I was
going. The others seemed satis-
fied with my account. When I
had finished, the man spoke and
the girl translated; If I wouldn't
mind waiting an hour while he
took care of a few business mat-
ters, he would like me to continue
on with him to his home which
lay not too much further up the
northbound road where I could
have dinner and spend the night.
I thanked him again for his hos-
pitality and accepted. Then the
girl extended an invitation of her
own: Since I had an hour to spare,
would I like to come inside while
I waited and have a cup of coffee
with her and her mother? She
went on to say that she studied
piano in Helsinki during the win-
ter, and, if I liked, she would play
for me. Once more I accepted;
and I think Chopin will never
sound btter 'o me than he did
that afternoon in aFinnish living-
room.
Y FRIEND picked me up later
and in another hour or so we
had arrived at his home - a
house, a barn, one or two out-
buildings, a forest to the rear, and
in front a lake. I had the feeling
that I had arrived at a frontier
settlement on the edge of a wilder-
ness where people have fought
hard to attain relatively little. It
was supper time and the other
members of the family were in-
side; but when we drove up beside
the house, several men, girls, and
children came out. They saw, of
course, that a stranger had come
and as we walked towards them
my friend began talking and I
heard him use the word that could