DOUGLAS FAIRBANKS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 17218, 8 December 1923, Page 1 (Supplement)

DOUGLAS FAIRBANKS.

HIS NEW STATUS. Douglas Fairbanks has placed himself in a very awkward position in the kinema world (says a writer in an American movie magazine). This star must new make each one of his productions upon a larger scale than the previous effort or it is almost certain to be a l ox-efii. e failure. Yet his photoplays arc not improving, nor is the smiling gent himself. While Robin 1 food ” was a splendid strip of celluloid in some respects, spectacularly and pictorially ; it was not—taken all in all- so woi tlsv a piece of silent drama or so enjoyable a film as many of tlie star’s earlier efforts. Doug’s films arc getting bigger, but are they getting -better? As a producer Fairbanks is gaining prestige: as an actor and as a personality he is losing ground. Tin* success of " Robin llood "■ was not a triumph for Fairbanks. the actor, tut for Fail-banks the* iniprbsano. It was the production as a whole that scored the hit and not ; ti..- star. Back in the old clays one i went to see " Doug-.’’ the great personality , regardless < t tbe plav. It was this sort of adm: .atic-ii which‘made him the leading male tiguie on the screeni To--lay, it is different. One now goes to the kinema. not so much to see • I Fairbanks, as to view’ liis latest opus. • This new status mav be quite satisfactorv to the star, it mav even be . more profitable humic.allv ; but to, me. . it is a regrettable turn of affairs, the passing of one of tie greatest per- , sonalities the screen j.as ever had. 1 And it IS all fi.tM-cy unnecessary. ■ lost tlu* whim of another motion pic--4 tun, celolnitv whose ambition is to 1 make, not something fine, but suinc- ; tiling “ big.”

deft, her native land iust after the Russian revolution. On October 18, at Fort Worth, Texas, Miss Coriune Griffith was greeted a decree of divorce from William M. Campbell, moving picture director, on the grounds of desertion. According to the record her maiden name was Coriune Griffin. Miss Grif-