THE PICTURES.

Colonist, Volume LXI, Issue 15041, 8 April 1919, Page 4

THE PICTURES.

In a brightly written article in "Harper's Monthly," Mr. Harrison Rhodes surveys without bias or prejudice, the place occupied by the cinema in the amusement field. "Even the worst enemies of the cinema," he says,"must admit its educational value—this, though, is mostly outside .the movie theatres, in lecture halls and classrooms —and its great and thrilling every-day service as history's handmaiden, in such vivid recording pi events as faaa never before been possible. It is in the more definitely, artistic fields that there is most controversy. There are enthusiasts who say that he who will may, make the laws of a nation, provided they make its moving pictures.

And at least no one .can deny.that there is no nook or corner of the land.where the film is not daily and nightly unreeled, and that no other vehicle of oxpression has access to-so many million's." A great moving picture company gets reports each week from the manager of every house as to what success the week's films obtained with the local audience. By the aid of such accumulating statistics the experts at the central office construct fascinating and instructive chart of emotions and ' tastes. "Pleasure generally has its concomitant disadvantages, and the film has not always brought unadulterated sweetness and light to the communities it gladdened.- Some incipient vampires and some potential crooks of tender age may have^had their ambitions fired by the pictures. But this reproach might, too, be directed at the theatres which have so long and so devoutedly exploited the criminal with a heart of gold. In any case no philosophic observer can .fail to acknowledge how greatly the pictures have, contributed to the vivacity, to the bearableness, of our national existence." Cheapness, too, has helped the j movie. Many people go to the pictures because they know no cheaper--way to kill time. A film may be followed if one likes, with a minimum of intellectual effort.; The reviewer mentions that a gentleman who had his seats regeularly reserved (and specially padded), and went every evening of his life to the movies, thus explained his philosophy: "I don't follow the picture unless the picture makes me follow it. If the picture isn't exciting enough to catch my attention, it doesn't catch it. I merely sit and rest. It' gives my wife and me some place to go, and really we very often enjoy it." It seems very often as if the stories of picture plays did not measure up to the settings in which they are placed. But this is not to be wondered at. The film can do unthinkable, epic things in the way of scenery. With all nature to summon at his bidding, and many legions of performers, the movie writer has indeed a magician's wand in his hand— there is, indeed, no flight for which his imagination, might not conceivably spread v wing. But too often it is only the girl of the magipne cover who, as his* heroine, wanders half frightened through this world of wonders and tries to make us believe that her trite and trivial-; story is worthy of attention. Fortunately, concludes Mr. Rhodes, all the movie people themselves believe that their art is as yet only experimental