THE SHADOW WORLD.

Southland Times, Issue 19482, 4 April 1922, Page 7

THE SHADOW WORLD.

Latest Real News of Reel Folk.

(BY 1

THE RECORDER).

Universal has just purchased Ouila’s “Under Two Flags” for Priscilla Dean’s use. Priscilla is to play the colourful role of Cigarette, heroine of this famous play and noveL Production will be started immediately following Miss Dean's completion of work on “That Lass o’ Lowries.”

Rudolph Valentino, whose characterisation in ‘The Sheik” is one of the most predominant features in the screen artistry and who reached the pinnacle of fame in Metro’s Classic “The Four Horsemen of thr Apocalypse” was recently divorced from Jane Ackers.

0 Henry stories are always entertaining. Some of them lend themselves splendidly to screen presentation. Such a one is “A Double-Dyed Deceiver” in which Jack Pickford is starred and which will be showing soon at the Civic. This is a Goldwyn picture.

Based upon an attempt to solve the utopian scheme of regenerating criminals by inoculating them with a sense of honour “Three Sevens” starring Antonia Moreno is one of the finest melo-dramas of ite kind. In ‘Three Sevens,” Antonia Moreno has a role requiring every ounce of latent energy and skilL Society is shown in contrast with the dens of the underworld. But with all the contrast, love is shown to be the same in all positions and stations and the man is always the man, no matter where he is found.

James R. Sullivan, producer and director of Miss Annette Kellerman’s Tivoli Follies, announces that his second enterprise will be the presentation of the Cook-Carpentier fight pictures, which have just arrived from England.

Two weeks were spent by Eva Novak and her company in the Yosemite National Park, and two weeks more in Northern Canada, to obtain the proper atmospheric scenes for “Wolves of the North,” the story of the Alaskan snows, showing at the Civic. The scenic results secured fully warrant the time and expense devoted to the production.

Miss Agnes Ayres made her official debut as a star in “The Lane That Had No Turning,” a photoplay made from Sir Gilbert Parker’s story and directed by Victor Fleming. The story tells of the selfsacrifice of a young opera star who gives up all in order to make happy the husband who finds that heredity is turning him into a hunchback. Theodore Rosloff plays the part of the deformed husband. Miss Mahlon Hamilton and Frank Campeau also have important roles. The scenario was prepared by Eugene Mullin.

A First National attraction “Bits of Life” coming to the Albion presents a new theme in the art of the silent drama. The picture combines four magazine stories in a continuous theme of splendid dramatic construction. The cast includes Lon Chaney, gWesley Barry, Harriet Hammond, Noah Berry and many others of not.

The general impression one gains from these various cross currents of Griffith’s new picture “Orphans of the Storm, is that of two little water bugs being swept along on the tide of great forces, which is a fine conception in a symbolic way, but is so impersonal that some spectators may notice more history than heartache. It is exactly what Griffith touched upon in his written introduction when he said something about this being a story dealing witih two weak straws ground between the upper and the nether millstones of tyranny.

William Fox now has the Famums— William and Dushin —under contract. Dushin will make an appearance at the Civic next week-end in “Primal Law” a picture with many of the virile characteristics which have made the name of Farnum famous. Mary Thurman is the leading lady.

The management of the Albion Theatre has pleasure in announcing that. “Not Guilty” a special First National feature will be presented on Friday week. This is a powerfully appealing story of a brother who assumed the guilt of his twin for a crime which makes him an outcast. Many of the wonderful scenes in this feature have their locale in India along the shores of the Ganges. Thousands of native Hindu women will be seen bathing in the sacred river. The world-famed temples of that country will add great beauty to the production especially the scenes showing the Taj Mahal, that pure white marble Mausoleum built at Agra by the Mogul Emperor, Shah Jehan. The colourful tea houses, built over the picturesque harbour at Rangoon, are another feature of the production.

When Alice Brady regains her health, she will begin work as a star with Famous Players under a three-year contract. Miss Brady formerly was one of the most highly rated stars of Realart, the famous subsidiary corporation recently absorbed by the Zukor concern.

In “39 East,” a Realart picture featuring Constance Binney, which is due at the Civic we have a comedy-drama that will make a direct appeal. Much of the humour of the story lies in the many and varied types of “paying guests at 39 East Street. Some of the characters are highly diverting and in no ease over-drawn. The story contains an element of interest that is well sustained right through, and the diversity of characterisation makes the picture one that will please and be thoroughly satisfyiiig to any audience.

Yellow journalism, it appears, has its playmate to-day in yellow photoplay making The result of the existence of either ia to do away entirely with the sense of proportion. A yellow newspaper’s evetyday headlines are so big that when a really important news story comes along, its readers are at a loss as to just what significance to attach to it. There isnt any bigger type in the composing room, so the publisher can’t emphasize his news. So with pictures. The only remedy is a surgical operation, cutting out the yellow.

It is possible for a man to unpersonate another, but when that man goes one further and tries to carry the deception as far as the other man’s fiancee, he is liable to discovery. That’s what a young German military commandant tried to do, the “other man” being an English nobleman, and the idea was to act the spy for the Kaiser It is all told in “The Great Impersonation,” a Paramount attraction coming to the Civic with James Kirkwood in the dual role.

One of the noteworthy features of George Fitzmaurice’s Paramount picture, “Experience,” featuring Richard Barthelmess will be coloured decorations in the subtitles. For titling Paramount, has used the Prizma process of colour photography to reproduce some fine pastels as illustrated backgrounds for the introduction of the symbolic characters shown in the production These pastels are said to be a striking innovation in the art title field. They were done by Prince Jean Paleologue, the French artist, whose work has been popular for many years in France and England. The Civic will screen it.

An extraordinary spectacle was witnessed at Te Puke the other evening. Te Puke is the home town of the big Maori who acted a prominent part in the filming of “My Lady of the Cave,” and fully an hour before the advertised time of screening the film hundreds of Maoris, unable to gain admission, thronged the vestibule and vicinity of the theatre demanding another screening the following evening. Despite clear explanations that the film was promised elsewhere, the Maoris loudly proclaimed their “rights,” and were not appeased until a second screening was arranged for on the same evening, with the result that the operator was kept at his work until long alter midnight. Spectators describe the excitement of the Maoris as very amusing, for many of them look upon their “Rua” not as a screen character, but as a hero in very real life. All previous records were smashed by Director Tom Forman in filming the Paramount picture “Gappy Ricks,” with Thomas Meighan and Agnes Ayres which is now showing at the Civic. Rain and mist hung over the location -for several days, bolding up the picture. The day the sun broke through, Forman succeeded in filming no ; less than forty-six scenes. In the sea scenes which predominate in the picture, a five masted schooner, a three master and two tugs ware used. William V. D. Keiley, inventor of the Prizma colour process in motion pictures, states that in many important respects greater progress in the development of the art of colour motion photography has been made in the last year than in the preceding twenty years of investigation and experimentation in this field.

No one can see the work done by Norma Talmadge in her latest First National feature “The Branded Woman,” which will be screened locally soon, without being moved and understanding the qualities about her acting that placed her next to Mary Pickford on the world’s popularity. The role she so admirably interprets covers the life of a girl from childhood at college to wifehood and motherhood, passing through times of sore tribulation and misunderstanding that gave her wonderful opportunities of showing her wonderful emotional ability and magnetic personality. “The Branded Woman” gives us Norma Talmadge at her very best, and what more than that could one desire?

Miss Norma Talmadge takes her picture making seriously. In fact she can be serious to the point of tears if occasion requires it. This came to light during the making of her latest picture, “Love’s Redemption.” One who had seen the picture said that the story carried an unusual appeal for sympathy, due to the situation involved in a unique plot. Miss Talmadge took issue with the statement at once. “Oh, no,” she retorted. “The situations only give you the speed and action; but< you derive sympathy from your characters. That is the secret of why so many pictures fall flat. They have adhered to the recognised formulae of arousing heart interest, bringing in pathos and tragedy. You know —the smile behind the tear and a convenient handkerchief. W here they have failed it is due to the fact that characters haven’t come up to the mark. They may have appeared artificial. They may have aroused feelings of hostility rather than sympathy. A character does not have to be endowed with all the virtues in the world to receive or create sympathy. “We know that Robin Hood was an outlaw, and still his rollicking joviality has been popularised so that his defects have.been forgotten. Alexander the Great was a cruel, brutal soldier, and still his achievements have served to immortalise his character. That is why I contend that while your situations and story arouse interest in their action* the amount of sympathy the picture receives, with the interest it arouses, depends entirely upon the characters.”

The starring attraction at the Albion Theatre to-night is “Stranger than Fiction.” a First National Feature with Katherine Macdonald and Wesley Barry. In this feature Barry takes the part of “Freckles” a role that is somewhat reminiscent of • Dinty.’ The little fellow attracts the attention of Diane Drexel, society girl, played by Miss Macdonald, during one of her 1 isits to the slums. She takes him into her fashionable home. Some splendid comedy situations arise as a result of the fact that 13-year-old Freckles falls in love with his beautiful protector. Into the story is woven a clever plot that deals with the efforts of society to cope with criminals, When the police of one of the largest cities fails to apprehend the Black Heart Gang, society takes a hand with the result that the gang is finally caught after many thrilling and gripping situations.

Getting a parrot to act for the movies is no easy task, especially if the green bird nappens to have cold feet, Alfred Green who is directing Thomas Meighan in his latest Paramount picture, “The Proxy Daddy,” has discovered. The scene was supposed to be aboard a Pullman car, out was made in the studio. One of the characters plays a saxaphone at niight in his berth and an old lady witn a parrot remarks that the bird is being kept awake by the noise. Then a close up is shown of the parrot dancing to the music, swaying back and forth and lifting its feet clumsily to the melody. They worked hard to get the bird to dance. It was in the morning and the set was none too warm despite the heaters. “Come on, Polly,” said Green, “be a nice bird, dance for us.” Meantime, Arthur Freed played lustily on the piano' the most enticing and sinuous Oriental melodies. But the bird refused to dance. Finally after much coaxing, the parrot said: “My feet are cold.” A heater was brought closer and presently polly was literally, “dancing her head off!” MY FIRST PICTURE. (BY WALLACE REID.) My chief recollection of the first motion picture in which I appeared is that Lake Michigan is a very cold body of water in the merry month of May. The picture was made in Chicago, by Selig. I was given a job as juvenile because I had been a volunteer life saver on Lake Michigan and could swim. My chief duty in the picture was to dive into the Lake and rescue various fair damsels from watery graves. The water was the same temperature as the North Pole, and between scenes there was nothing for me to do but stand on the landing in my bathing suit and shiver. The picture was called “The Phoenix,” which, I believe is the name of a bird which has a peculiar habit of rising from its own ashes. I sure would have welcomed some ashes when I rose from Old Lake Michigan. Milton and Dolly Nobels, two recruits from the speaking stage, had the leading roles in the film, and the cameraman was Alvin Wyckoff, who is now director of photography at the Lasky studio. We worked differently in those days than we do now. Often the atop' was made up as we went along. Sometimes the director doubled as leading man or even turning the crank of the camera in an emergency. It seldom took over ten days to make a picture, which usually measured one or two reels.