What' the Movies are Doing.

Free Lance, Volume XVII, Issue 924, 28 March 1918, Page 10

What' the Movies are Doing.

Faramount —" The Eternal City." FinHE red-letter Easter attraction at -"- the Paramount Theatre will be Pauline Frederick in Hall Caine's "The Eternal City." The management threaten to smash all records with this big feature film and .picture-goers are advised to book their seats early. "The Eternal City" is a drama of modern Rome, and after witnessing this film production of his great work Hall Caine said: "Never before, to my knowledge, has modern Rome been so faithfully, so vividly and so dramaticrally presented." ■» •» # # Pauline Frederick impersonates the beautiful Donna Roma, whose love for David Rossi, a Socialist, forms the theme of the tragical story. The supporting cast includes such well-known actors as Thomas Holding, Fuller Mellish, Frank Losee, and George Majerbni, who has frequently acted in the flesh before a New Zealand audience. «■#■»•& For the production of "The Eternal City" inside scenes of the Colisseum, the gardens of the- Vatican, etc., have been secured for the first time for the motion pictures. For the taking of the riot scenes the producers were fortunate in arriving in Rome during the great tramway strike. "The Eternal City" season starts on Good Friday. » * * #■ Empress —'• Alimony." There is not a moment to think about the high cost of living when watching "Alimony," to be screened at the Empress Theatre, beginning Saturday. This is the first of the pictures released by "The First National Exhibitors' Circuit," and if the standard set by this wonderful production is kept up the newj trade mark will be a welcome acquisition. "Alimony," as its name implies, deals with the practices that have grown up round the divorce courts in great modern cities and is a pointed lesson on the results of making divorce too "free and easy." A thwarted woman sets about a plan of revenge so ingenious that it seems hopeless" for things ever to right themselves. The play is crammed full of sensational incidents and two beautiful stars head the cast. • . ■ » e # » Everybody's—" Chicken Casey." The queer title of the latest Triangle drama, "Chicken Casey," gives no idea of the delightfully original nature of the plot. Dorothy Dalton is the heroine._ She portrays an actress who is anxious to take the part of Rags, a girl of the slums. The author, knowing her for a girl of wealth and luxury, will not hear of it. So Dorothy puts up a

remarkable stunt as Chicken. Casey, a tough and. altogether undesirable young person. Through an ingenious trick, she gets the author into a most compromising position, and the love story that develops is full of emotional strength. Charles Gunn is the hero. The whole play is an interesting sidelight on the way things are managed behind the scenes in the production of stage plays. "Chicken Casey" tops the new programme at Everybody's on Saturday. 9 # * * King's—'« The Battle of Arras." This is claimed to be the most diversified and interesting film of the war taken sO far. It is really the great Hindenburg Line Retreat. The attack is vivid in detail, and its taking was the work of a reckless and skilful camera-man. The troops are seen in thousands, advancing, falling, and rushing again, with the shrapnel bursting close over their heads. Just in front of them can be seen the line of our barrage with its relentless explosion hail. The Tank picture is wonderful. The views of the difficult problems afforded by the rivers Somme and Scarpe, the ingenious river transport, are quite novel. Quite new, too, are the panoramas of cavalry and the long lines of artillery. Lieut. Longhurst, a returned soldier, will lecture with the film, and he gives an illuminating address. Bainfather's Cartoons and "The Neglected Wife" complete the programme. » » « © There is a story of an author who sought out the scenario' editor of a large movie producing company, not very long ago, and spoke as follows: — "I have a great idea for a scenario. Listen: A King has a brother-in-law. The brother-in-law wants to be King. He and his sister, the Queen, frame up a plan to poison the King by putting poison in his ear. The King dies, but he has a nutty son in love. Later the ghost of the dead King v appears and tells the son how he was killed, and the son gets a lot of actors together and has them act a play he wrote, which tells what the ghost told him. Then he finds out that the story the ghost told him was true, and he kills the poisoners and then himself. What do you think of it?" # "Nothing doing," replied the scenario editor. "That ghost stuff is all bunk, and how'could a guy be poisoned by putting poison in his ear? There isn't any plot to it." And "Hamlet" had been rejected. «. *. « e This is what a medico in an article to the "Buffalo Medical Journal" has to say about the mueh-talked-about eye-strain got from seeing pictures: "Eye strain a factor of importance for ragged pictures and those. shown from unsteady instruments does not seem to be excessive under proper conditions, unless, perhaps, for those whose attendance is excessive, and even then it is questionable whether it is greater than for any comparable form of amusement. The glaring lights at some of our highest grade musical entertain-

ments and the subdued lights in manychurches involve more eye strain than most of the better-grade picture snows." & a & « O. Henry's stories are naturally fine material for moving pictures, and the first company to grasp this has been Vitagraph, who have made a great number of two-reel dramas of his best short tales. These will shortly be screened .in New Zealand. One fivereel feature has been made from the story called "A Municipal Report," and has the picture title of "I Will Repay." ■&■»■»■& Rubye l>e Remer, who plays Lorelei Knight in "The Auction Block," Rex Beach's story, was selected for the role after over a hundred prominent picture actresses had passed before Rex Beach, the author. Miss De Remer was selected for her remarkable beauty, combined with her acting ability and personal charm. Florence Johns, who takes the role of Adoree Demorest, was selected by Rex Beach on account of her remarkable likeness to the celebrated Gaby Deslys.

A next-of-kin is wanted in the estate of William Gourley, farmer, late of Derrywilligan, in the County of Armagh, Ireland. The attention of all persons (or their legal representatives) •claiming to be next-of-kin. in this estate is directed to an advertisement appearing on page 19 of this issue. Auckland's Peter Virtue comes to the rescue and elucidates the wheat and flour question in a characteristic letter which he addresses to the Hon. W. D. S. Macdonald and published in another column of this issue. Mr. Virtue hits the nail on the head by declaring that with our heavy taxation there should be no hampering of our essential industries. . Railway and tramway arrangements in connection with the Easter holidays are advertised elsewhere in this issue. The Railway Department announce that they can only provide a limited train service for the holidays, and that no special facilities will be provided for race-goers. Passengers are advised to travel, if possible, before March 28th and after April Ist. The New Zealand Natives' Association deserve praise for their prompt action in diverting ,their efforts from raising funds for the erection of a Memorial Hall to assist in the relief of the sufferers by the Main Trunk bush fires. They have organised a big Easter Egg Art Union, every egg sold to represent a prize. The prizes range in value from 6d to £315, amongst them being a fine Chevrolet motor ear. A car full of "eggs" will leave Wellington for Wanganui, stopping at every town en route, so as to give our country cousins a chance to help in the good work.