FAMOUS FILM.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIX, Issue 4, 6 January 1938, Page 8

FAMOUS FILM.

THE LIFE OF CHRIST.

VICAR'S SUCCESSFUL SEARCH. CANNOT BE RE-MADE. The Rev. Brian Hession, twenty-seven-year-old vicar of Holy Trinity Church. Aylesbury. Bucks, recentlv returned to England from a mission to New York to find the only Passion film ever made in Palestine. The film. "From the Manger to the Cross," was made in 191u by the American Vitapraph Company. It was the first film shown bv Louis B. Mayer, now vice-president of Metro-Gohlwvn-Mayer. when he owned one small cinema in Haverhill. Massachusetts. It made his fortune. It also founded the fortune of Samuel L. Rotliafel. builder of the Roxv Cinema, New York. Captain Henderson-Bland, the a-ctor-poet. went to Palestine to play the part of Christ. He still keeps the crown of tlioi ns used in the film as a memento at his Hampstea*! home. The film was translated into 2<\ languages. It has been seen by the Pope, by Royalty and Church dignitaries in nearly every Christian countrv.

Copy Found in Vault

When revived in London in 19-20 it filled the Albert Hall three-times a d;sy for three months. \\ ith the of talkie? it was forsotten.

Mr. Hession and Captain HendersonBland decided to fro to America fur the Church Him S<vietv to buv the film and reissue it with sound in Enslnnd.

"Kir a week I tramped round almo-i every film vault and library in Xe« ■\ork." Mr.' Hession Told a reporter. "Xc one seemed to knOw what had become of it. In the end we found a copv in a film company's vaults.'' He added: '"It wift never be possible to make another film of this kind in Palestine for political and other reasons This is the only film ever made in the actual localities. The Garden of Oetlisemane has since been built over." 1 lie film will be shown first in a catnedral. then issued to cinemas and churches equipped, for film projection.