THE PICTURE WORLD

Evening Post, Volume XCI, Issue 143, 17 June 1916, Page 11

THE PICTURE WORLD

The photoplay made from Helen Hunt Jackson's famous story, ".Roman a-," has been praised in New York as one of the most elaborate and beautiful ever shown on the screen.

H. R. Durant, a prolific magazine short story writer, and for five years on the .editorial staff of Munsey's Magazine, has been placed in charge of the Famous Players' literary department. Mr. Durant has written several photoplays Eor Rcliance-MajesVic. A new series of the George Ade fables is to be filmed by Essanay. These fables are, perhaps, more remarkable for the length of the titles under which they appear than anything else. "Tho Preacher Who Flew His Kite, But Not Because He Wished to Do So," is tho first of tho new crop. The author admits that he himself laughs at these fables.

Frank Keenan, who is starred with Mary Boland in "The Stepping Stone," a Triangle drama listed lor early release, began his theatrical career in 1878. Since that time ho has played "all sorts of parts," as he expresses it. Keenan, who is often referred to as "he of the talking face," raised the standard of facial registration of thought to a higher level than before in his initial Triangle drama, "The Coward." In "The Stepping Stone" he is said to excel that performance, and to hold the onlookers spellbound, forcing them to follow every thought and emotion indicated by his mobile face.

By the last American mail came news that Miss Minnie Love, of the Royal Comic Opera Company, had received a tempting offer from . tho Mutual Film Corporation to play lead in several big productions by that company. Miss Love told a West Australian paper she would probably be leaving for America in October. Miss Love in all her stage work bears a. striking resemblance to Billie Burke.

Charlie Chaplin is proceeding against the Essanay Company, charging them with padding the film "Charlie Chaplin's Burlesque on Carmen," so as to spoil it and injure his fame. Chaplin states that under his contract with the Essanay firm no picture1 could be released without his permission, and that after he : left the employ of the Essanay, the two-reel picture was expanded into four reels; The point is of great'interest to the motion picture industry, because it will provide- some guide as to th« rights of an actor over the representation, of his acting after he has finished posing for the film. Mademoiselle Theda Bara, the young French actress, was one of the stars at the Theatre d'Automne, in Paris, but her contract was cancelled on the outbreak of the war,. since when she hasbeen associated with the Fox film organisation, and is now appearing. in a "movie" version of "The Vampire," founded on Burne-Jones's picture,' which was shown at the Royal Academy, London) some years ago. Her beauty, and talent are Eaid to have made a sensation in Paris, and she now bids fair to become one oE the most famous cinema actresses in the United States.

Many of us remember Ola Jane Hum : phrey,. the tall, graceful SwedishAmerican .woman who starred here raider Williamson management in " The Squaw Man." The motive of that drama turned on the colour : line, but strangely enough the moral preached had no effect on the star actress, for within a year or two cabled notification came of her marriage to an Egyptian prince. Her marriage was not a happy one, but few Australians felt sympathetic with the lady, and when the outbreak of war led the dusky prince to leave Egypt and join the Turks they were inclined to think the desertion served the princess right. However, that is beside the question. To-day the lady is turning her marital adventure to profit —cashing in her domestic counters by taking the leading part in " The Purple Iris," a film story which purports to tell her own sweet, sad tale through the medium of the camera, in ten or so episodes.

Fox's-latest film, "The Soul of New York," has the reputation of being the most lavishly-staged picture ever screened by that corporation. Tho outstanding feature is the remarkable opportunities afforded Valeska Suratt.to vindicate her reputation ;as one of the most original diessers appearing on the screen. During the progress of the piece she wears over 100 different costumes, some daringly simple, others that are calculated to astonish the feminine portion of her audience. In the scene depicting the Gambling House of tho' Masked Woman Valeska. Suratt does a most sensational fall down a flight of stairs 45ft in height. An unusual feature regarding tho groat picture spectacle, "The Birth of a Nation," now running ill Sydney and Melbourne simultaneously, is that there was no written scenario from which the picture was made. D. W. Griffith read the books, "The Clansman" and "The Leopard's Spots," from which' a play called "The Ciansman" had been made years ago, and s%w in them an ideal theme for a. photo-play. He started straight away taking the pictures. In all, 132,000 feet .of film were used. This was cut" and condensed to 12,000 feet. Some of- the scenes were taken over and over again. ■

In an article on the actor in film plays, a. writer in the London Era asks, "with the coming of tho motion picture theatre and the tins sa.la.ries offered to the stage player by film managers, will the' best of ■ our . actors permanently desert the 'legitimate'?" v In America the "flicker play" is offering such-big'inducements that actors on the regular stage think charily of putting it befori the "screen." Week by week, they are deserting to the film. The temptation has proved too great even for such stars as Sara Bemhardfc, and Rijane,' as well as for Sir Herbert Tree and Mr. Cyril Maud. Yet half a decade ago players of repute were reluctant to act for the screen, and so fearful were they of incurring the displeasure of those controlling legitimate drama houses that they were known to give fictitious names. Some controversy has arisen as to whether the picture play will supplant the' spoken drama.' On this score Mr. Chevalier, whose legitimate experience during a long, arduous, and successful stage career, and whose present engagement as a film actor enables him to speak' with authority, says: "I do not believe that, however successful the cinema, may be, it can possibly supplant the theatre. Nothing can ever take the place of the spoken word, but still there'is a great future for the genuine film play, written by masters of stagecraft."- There has, too, been a good deal of discussion as to the difference in the arts of picture acting and stage acting. Cecil Hepworth, a master in cinematography, is quoted as having said that picture acting is a much more spontaneous thing, and requires a very much higher degree of initiative and possibly of personal understanding than stage acting. Still, it is reasonable to suppose that the highly accomplished actor, with a thorough theatrical training in all branches of dramatic art, must ahvays.be on a higher plane of intelligence and understanding than the hastilycoached novice, however gifted, who has not learned the elementary principles of omotional expression.