TRAIN-CRIMES, FILMED OR REAL

Evening Post, Volume CII, Issue 34, 9 August 1921, Page 6

TRAIN-CRIMES, FILMED OR REAL

Seeking to show that Amerioa still leads the world, New York cables " an extraordinary one day's record of crime," ' including train "hold-ups" and other robberies. As the " movies" have carefully shown how the " hold-up" is effected, and have specialised in the details of train crimes, it is.not surprising that such educative activity should continue to produce record results. When the train-bandii came to the aid of the "producer," it may not have he§n in thei contract that the " producer " should promote the business of the trainbandit,, yet it should' haye be,eu foreseen that the. creation of a. ccl 1' tain class of picture film, lively to be a recruiting agency for criminals, was bound to react upon the statistics of the older of the two

professions. Even now,/the possibilities of this reciprocity are by no means exhausted. An understanding might easily be promoted under wtiicTi the " hold-up " gangs would carry with them one or-two supernumeraries who could work cameras and record the proceedings at firsthand. Such a film would be the last word in realism, without unduly contracting the already close ties that unite some of the activities of the picture-world ujjth the underworld. To " get it at. first-hand " would not'be essentially' different to creating crime second-hand, with the semi-certainty that some of the beholders will make first-hand experiments on their own account.