MOVING PICTURE ITEMS.

Evening Star, Issue 15035, 18 November 1912, Page 6

MOVING PICTURE ITEMS.

New Zealand is certainly well supplied with moving picture theatres, it is_ estimated in all that there are now 170 kinematograph shows in the Dominion, distributed over 108 towns. Out of this 170 Hay wards' Picture Enterprises handle 73, a very considerable proportion of the total. There are now 33 theatres owned by this proprietory. Two important new picture, theatres under the proprietorship of Haywards' Picture Enterprises are about to be opened in the Dominion. One is the " Globe," in Queen street, Auckland, which will bo opened on December 7 ; the other is the "Octagon," in Dunedin, which will be ready for use on December 14.

_Moasr« Thompson and Payne, of Napier, have combined with Haywards' Picture Enterprises in the control of the Empire and Gaiety Picture Theatres in Napier, and these popular houses are now being run under the joint control.

_ ' Sherlock Holmes ' has just been put into serious pictures. Sir Arthur C'onnn Doyle has superintended the work himself, and has been very handsomely paid for the rights of his stories. Mr George Sims, the famous dramatist and critic, in a recent interview predicted an even greater "boom" for moving pictures. "In the future," he says, " I can see the kinomatograph theatre becoming larger and larger and attracting more and more people to its doors as the standard of the programmes improves. The clay of the talking film is at hand, when the individuality of the artist is preserved and the speaker's voice produced with perfect fidelity. Film reproductions will become more perfeot—more gorgeous, for more money will bo spent for them than at present; prices will rise in proportion with the expense incurred in providing the entertainment, and the kinomatograph theatre of the future will be in the open air—when the weather permits." News from Naples tells us that films of the Crater of Vesuvius, taken recently by Professor Maladra at great risk, have been screened with success. Will some enterprising camera man tackle our own Vesuvius? Away up in Winnipeg (Canada) the Board of Health appreciate the value of moving pictures, for they recently arranged a series of kinomatograph entertainments in a school play ground. The films are chiefly educational, with a comic "relief " now and.then. These entertainments are free to all. The famous Italian tragedienne Elenore Buse, is about to act for the kinematograph in Berlin in a subject specially written for her. Another celebrated actress, Lina. Cavalieri, said to be the most beautiful woman in the world, has lately been filmed. Now that Mr N Roosevelt has been turned down hy the electors of his country he will have more time for other things than politics, but he will always manage to keep well before the footlights, or, what is more up to date, the electric light. News comes that he is going to pose for his life story hefore the kinomatograph camera—early days, bnckjumping, cowpunching, fighting Indians, chasing terrified Spaniards, and the rest of it. It will suit the strenuous lifer right down to the ground. ' Fools of Society,' a big picture play starred at Shortt's Theatre, Wellington, last week, prior to being sent on circuit, is a quite up-to-date drama with some thrilling situations. There is first of all a pretty young society girl, who flirts with two admirers, but who, of course, can only have one of them. She is wedded to an army officer, who after a while seems to find more pleasure in his sports than in the society of his I wife. The other old admirer visits the lonely wife, and she permits liim to make ver> A indiscreet love to her. There is a particularly awkward passage, out of which the foolish wife escapes by the skin of her teeth, so to speak. Then there is a race scene. The admiirr rides in the steeplechase as a gentleman jockey, and to the horror of all, is thrown and killed. The husband at the death bed discovers his wife's infatuation for the unfortunate rider, and shortly after he decides for retribution. He places a revolver on the table and orders her to shoot herself. Will sho do it- H The answer is given in the final scene of this uncommonly thrilling film. Tlie popular moving picture actor, Max Linder, is the hero of a more than usually laughable fibi, wititled 'Their Honeymoon.' The story concerns a young couple newly married, who start off for their month of joy. They reach their haven of rest after many woeful adventures, and in a state of apparel more like that of a Waihi Redflngger who has run the gauntlet of n score of angry workers and half a hundred policemen.

Vi'ilcl West Pictures never pall on picture-goers, in spite of what, bilious \ newspaper letter writers dpclare now ; and then. Tho reason is to bo found in j various, subjects and settings. There is a go and dash about an exciting; { outdoor film, particularly with plenty | of good horseback riding, that always ! fetches the _ house. A particularly | strong American play is now being j shown at Hayward's Picture Enterprise I Theatres and at various cither hotises entitled ' A Wife of the Hills.' in which there is sonic good riding and plenty of sinart_ gun play. One of the greatest- successes ever sent out from the Vitagraph drama headquarters is the ' Money Kings,' a film nearly 3.000 feet in length, which was played at the King's Theatre and the Star (Newtown) Wellington this week, prior to its being sent through- j out the Dominion. It is a story deal-I ing with diplomatic- affairs and with high finance on both sides of the Atlantic. Poy lirein, who is in love with Helen Montopier, is sent to represent the United States at a place of conference at The Hague, at a time when the affairs of Europe are exceedingly strained The multi-millionaire, James Montcpicr. the father of Helen, and the American financial magnate, sees an opportunity of a big contract for his steel interest if war is declared. The young diplomat is given the peace agreement which he is to take back to Washington to have tho President's signature attached within a stipulated time, otherwise war will be declared. The President informs iJrein that he will give him the document on the eve of his departure, in a month's time. Here begins the thrill of tho play. The money kings determine to frustrate the Government's plan. There is a secret agent, a very beautiful woman, who captivates F.oy for the time being, and who, through a clever stratagem, robs him of the, document by substituting a bogus paper. The diplomat sails for Tho Hague unknowing of his loss, and there will be shortly the devil to pay if all goes as the money-kings wish. But Helen Moutepier hears her lather and tho secret agent congratulating themselves on their clever piece of work, and she. then sends the diplomat a wireless telling him to be on the lookout for a hydro-aeroplane which bears the real document, which she, by a clever stratagem, recovered from her father's safe. Her cousin Prank in his hydro-aeroplano overtakes the steamer and delivers tho paper to the anxious Roy. The scene in which the hydroaeroplane circles round and settles alongside the groat steamer- is a- fine piece of work. Then there is a final picture showing the discomfiture of tho foiled money-kings. A real life play with any amount of excitiug action.