"QUO VADIS?"

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLI, Issue 13300, 9 February 1914, Page 4

"QUO VADIS?"

PRODUCTION IX lilhWOliXK. 1 There was an animated scon** at 1 lie doors of His Majesty's Theatre on Sate '» urday riight, when the' wisddm of booking m" good time ' was impressed uptiri c hundreds who had to be turned away, being unable, to gain- .admission to ft-t I the Uoman picture play "Quo Vadis'f . However, as the picture will be shown s again to-night and to-morrow night all r those who wish to s?e it should have T an opportunity to do so, though early booking is recommended. Some had . thought that the picture would not •> sustain the interest throughout, but it I was found on Saturday night that m ! Gisborne, as m other places, the attention of the spectators 'is at once x secured, and the intensity increases un- } til the close, when Nero's death occurs. 3 "Quo Vadis?" means m English I "Whither goest thou?" and ' the 'play » deals with the persecutions of the Chris- [, tiaiis m Rome during the reign of the , Emperor Nero. = Th? story is well f known, and at the present stage aii outline of how the film was prepared Srill [ be of great interest. * The time occupied m producing the I film — the biggest and most wonderful [ thing of its kind that has ever been seen m moving pictures up till now — . was exactly one year; but before start- ; ing on the actual; work many months j were spent m negotiations with the . Italian Government. Their permission i was essential, for it 'is hardly an exaggeration to say that Rome was turned r topsy-turvy for the rehearsals. To be- ;• gin with, the ruined amphitheatre, the ' vast open air "circus," wherein the > gladiatorial -games of ancient Rome were carried oh, had to-be rebuilt as it was m the days of the Caesars* This work alone kept an army of workmen busy , for -many months. 5000 PEOPLE IN THE REHEARSALS [ Then whole streets' had to be temporarily remodelled; the • catacombs, ; where the.. early -Christians, worshipped, had to be repaired, and m places reexcavated; and the interiors oi famous churches' and priceless historical buildings were, for the time being, altered out of all recognition, i Five thousand people took part m the final rehearsals, which extended over about three months. The length of the film ribbon on which their actions were recorded was almost- exactly 1£ miles. Altogether, the sum of £20,000 was expended m the production from start to finish. This amount, however, was got back within a week of the. film bein<2; released for sale.. For the English rights alone £6500 was paid. An enterprising Australian bought the exclusive rights for Australasia for £3500. There is no-country m the iworld -now where th© film is- not being shown, and the sums received 'by the proprietors', up to date" Aggregate something over £60,000. It is 'estimated thatnot' fewer than a million' of peOple-^-day are viewing the . play: In London alone, including the ! outer - .suburbs, it has been' "seen by s 50,000 people a' day since its ifelease, 1 the Albert- Hall by itself accounting for > 20,000 of these, spread over the three performances. ■ .• 5 The biggest and most sensational . scene: of all is that where the lions are > let 'loose- "on the Christians, '-huddled to- ■ gether- m -the arena., and this was the ■ most troublesome to "film." At the first ' attempt all the "Christians." except - three bolted away as fast as their legs > could carry them directly the lions be- ' gan to' move towards them. This spoilt * the film, -of .-.course ; and the 4CCO odd t spectators seated tier above . tier round the vast building had to be dismissed ■ for the day. ' WILD BEAST TRAINERS SENT FOR > A second attempt was hardly more 3 successful, and . this notwithstanding ' that the word » had gone forth that every 1 "Christian" who remained m his place * to ths end was to receive the equivalent 1 of half a sovereign "bounty money." " Only about half of them earned it ; the t others bolted as before. J Not until the fifth attempt, m fact, } was the : perfect film, now shown on the * screen, •obtained, ftnd their only; by dint fof enlisting tlie- services- -of some 3 of professional trainers of .wild* beasts * from all Over Italy, and . placing them " m the forefront of the mob of "Cliris--1 tiaiu-." ■ ;.-■ '■• ■■ '' ■ J The" actual, number, of lions appear- * ing m. the scene is. 20, as anyone views' ing the play can see for himself, if he t cares to count them. They . were driven " to within a few yards of the""Christians" 3 by men standing behind and s-h'ghtly r on one side, so as to ; be out of the * camera ; and m the picture the savage * beasts seem to spripg right m among ' the shrinking, cowering- crowd of men, : women and children, bowling them * over like ninepins, earing and mangling 2 them. But this, of coursej is.' only a cunningly contrived illusiohi the camera ; being cut off at the critical moment, and dummy figures substituted- for the 1 living ones. As a matter of fact, this latter part of the scene was filmed some * -days after the other portion, although on the screen the incidents follow di- * reotiy on the heels of one' another. \ ?'HOW THIS BULL WAS THROWN. J " . The method adopted m 'order to stop , thet.agvapce p$ the lions upon the living ' actors and actresses was' to 'five a series : of volleys dmult'ancousiy from about 40 magazine pistols, that bad -been - pra- - viously loaded with blank cartridges, and distributed amongst the performers. This caused the frfchtefned brutes to ) turn tail and bolt— all except one, who had to- bs 'Shooed" -away -t>y his parl ticular trainer. t There .was however, one outstanding r animal which cbuld not be 'faked. It was m the . scene where „t he gigantic British slave, Ursus, seized by the horns anyS twists' over -on its back, the charging wild bull which is bearing to destruction tt-he-' '-/persecuted Christian heroine, Lygia-. . Scores- >'<tf trained , athletes from all over- -the ■•world essayed \ this feat one after the other, and were j badly worsted m the atruggte. ' Only at the llth hour, and when it \ t had been almost decided, to cut out the scene altogether, was a man found j. .strpner enough'- to ' accomplish; the task, . m •' Signor Castellain, a professional ( athlete and -wrestler,.-.-. *■ "Qiio i Vndis?'i ! >^ill be shown .again at His Majesty's ""theatre to-night" and to- [' morrow night, and a full house is assured each pjght. /