PICTURE GOSSIP

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXXXII, Issue 19443, 31 October 1925, Page 22 (Supplement)

PICTURE GOSSIP

* Stella Marie,” by William J. Lofke. has hern completed at Universal City with Mary Philbin, the heroine of •‘The Phantom of the Opera.” in the greatest role of her career. The cx-Empress Zita of Austria has accepted an offer from an American | motion picture company to play the; lead in a scenario written around the I tragic House of Hapsburg. It is ex-; peeted that the picture will be taken in Austria and Hungary, as the present Government are convinced that in her return th*re would be no political propaganda involved. She is now in San Sebastian. Spain. * « * further details are now avail-1 able in regard to “The Wanderer/ Iwhich is announced as Paramount's big' 1 picture for the year of 1926 prodtKtion. is now under way. and the lead- . lag roles have been assigned to Ern-1

est Torrence, William Collier junr., Greta Nissen. Tyrone Power, Kathlyn Williams. Wallace Beery, and Kathryn Hill. Judging from the cast alone, the picture may be anticipated as something very important. It is claimed that “The Wanderer.” is a very worthy successor to “The Ten Commandments.” ❖ * * * In the Master picture, “Wildfire,” the right horse wins the race, whereupon the villain skulks off and the hero and heroine fall into each other’s arms. Aileen Pringle heads the cast. jjt Motion picture history is being made these days on the Pickford-Fairbanks lot. Hollywood, where the Mary Pickford company and the Douglas Fairbanks organisation are competing to see which group first start on their next production for the United Artists Corporation release. Miss Pickford will make “Scraps,” a story of a baby farm in the swamp country. Fairbanks is to Drake “The Black Pirate,”

scheduled as a rollicking story of the swashbuckling days in the Mediterranean. Certain technical difficulties have to bo overcome in connection with each of these productions, and it is through experiments now being conducted at the studios that picture, history is being made. Both companies no doubt will do some location work, but most of the picture, in each case, is ito be made right on the lot. Miss [Pickford is building a four acre swamp on the lot, and experiments are being made to get a practical “mist” effect ;that -will float, up out of this swamp las fog rises from a bog. Corn ami potatoes are being grown on the set. and ;the houses are constructed with four sides and an interior. Other innovations many of a secret nature, are being planned for this unique production. The Fairbanks company is experimenting with colour photography and a number of devices, and it is planned to make the entire picture in colour. Carl Oscar Borg, one of the famous painters lin the United States, is doing sketches for “The Black Pirate.” Both the Pickford and Fairbanks companies now

expect to begin actual shooting within a short time. ❖ * * * First National have just landed a print of “Wines of Chance,” the picturisation of Rex Beach’s well-known novel. This picture is full of action from stlart to finish, and should prove very popular with all classes of picture fans. ❖ ❖ ❖ * Richard Dix it as present working on “The Vanishing American.” It is expected that this role will bo to Dix what the role of “Moses” was to Theodore Roberts in “The Ten Commandments,” that is to say, the role by which he will be best remembered in the history of his screen career. After finishing this picture he will commence work on “Womanhandled,” an (adaptation of the story by Arthur Stringer. It will, of course, be released by Paramount.

The Beaumont Smith attraction “The Adventures of Algy,” will be released at the Paramount, Wellington, on November 20. This picture, which features the well-known Claude Dampier, and an Auckland girl. Miss Bat hie Stewtart, was taken in various parts of New Zealand, and has drawn capacity houses everywhere it has been shown.

A baby girl has arrived at the homo of William Beiaudine, one of Warner Bros, principal directors Mr Beaudine has been directing Miary Pickford’s latest picture ami named the baby Lucille Mary Bcaudine.

One of the longest and most imposing casts ever assembled at Universal City was for the production of “Siege,” in which Virginia Valli is starred under the direction of Svend Gado. Among the thirty-one pllayers mentioned in the cast are: Eugene

O’Brien, Mary Alden, Marc McDermott, Beatrice Burnham, Harry Lorraine. Helen Dunbar. Rolfe Sedan. Kingsley Benedict, Anton Vaverka, Wyndham Standing, and Spottiswoode Aitken. “Siege” will shortly be seen in this town.

“A Kiss in the Dark’’ is a smart comedy of sophisticated society laid in Havana and New York. Menjou is a ladies’ man whose philandering drove his sweetheart, played by Miss Pringle, to destruction. Miss Rich plays Betty King, in love with her husband, Johnny (Kenneth MacKenna'), but also interested in each and every other handsome young nVan who happens along. She carries on a flirtation with Menjou and almost ruins things with Aileen Pringle for him. “A Kiss in the Dark,” featuring that admirable screen villian, Adolphe Menjou, in company with Aileen Pringle and Lilian Rich is an early Paramount release to be shown here. A * *

A rousing romance seasoned with several spectacular thrills and some genuine laughs—that’s “Code of the West,” the new Paramount film now showing in New Zealand centres. It is a picturisation of the story of the same n*ame by the well-known Zane Gray. The author has every reason to feel grateful to Lucien Hubbard, who wrote the screen version, and William K. Howard, who directed the picture, for the plot has lost none of its virility and vitality by its transfer to the silver sheet. Moreover, the actual locations mentioned in the book —the picturesque and rugged country !n the Ton to Basin, Arizona—were used as backgrounds, so that the colourful scenery is not the least of the photoplay’s worth-while .features. Interest in the picture is further heightened by the performances of an exceptional cast headed by a quintet of popular players including Owen Moore, Constance Bennett, Mabel Ballin, Charles Ogle and David Butler.

Henryk Sienkiewicz, world-famed author of the literary classic, “Quo Vadis,” from which First National adapted its present huge spectacle, was awarded the Nobel prize. This prize coveted by all the truly great men of the world, is awarded annulally to the author of the best literary work of the preceding year. The film version of “Quo Vadis” will be shown at the De Luxe Theatre, Wellington. Emil Jannings, a famous Continental player, does a splendid characterisation as Nero, with Lilian Hall Davis, the English stage star, appearing as Lygia, his beautiful Christian hostage. The picture was filmed in Rome on the actual site of Nero’s tyrannies. Twenty thousand men, women and children make up the stupendous cast. For beauty, for perfection of detail and perspective, for dramatic interest, and historical value “Quo Vadis” has never been equalled, and First National’s 1925 version will have ti new and intimate appeal. * * * :r:

An ocean voyage from Los Angeles with her husband, Janies A. Cornelius, to her old home town, Pawtucket, R. 1., by way of the Panama Canal, is being planned by Ruth Clifford. She is at present finishing a featured role in Warned Bros,’ Master picture, “The Love Hour,” in which she shares honours with Huntly Gordan and John Roche.

Ernest Belcher, famous moving picture dance master and impresario, has spent the last week rehearsing about forty couples for the great ballroom scene in the “Sea Beast,” a Master picture starring John Barrymore. The principal step used was the Berlin pc.lka, which came in about 1841 and lasted ten years. Jt had the greatest popularity of any of the variations of the polkii.

The pomp and splendour that was Rome in. Nero’s time is vividly revived lin First National’s new and gigantic production of “Quo Vadis,” which is to be shown at the De Luxe Theatre, Wellington, shortly. In one scene alone the tyPant is shown surrounded by i thousands of beautiful girls in. ancient ; costume, in one of the terrible qebaucheries of wine and feasting for which he was notorious. The picture was filmed in Rome, and this scene is an exact replica of the Palantino of Nero. The regeneration of a heartless, selfish father, who had tried to win the love of his only son’s sweetheart, provides much of the intense drama of “The Midnight Girl,” Lila Lee’s newest picture, which is being released in New Zealand shortly through Universal.

Metro-Goldywn-Meyer’s exquisite picture and sensational screen success, “The White Sister,” which reproduces in masterful fashion F. Marion Crawford’s fascinating novel, has been acclaimed to be “the greatest dramatic story ever brought to Australia. ” The international fame of “The White Sister” has caused an eager rush to secure it for all the best houses in the Dominion. It will be the opening attraction on December 18 at the palatial “Majestic” Thetitre at Auckland, which cost over £161,000, as well as the special New Year holiday offering at the De Luxe Theatre, Wellington. “The White Sister,” will be the New Zealand Cup-Carnival Week offering at the Liberty Theatre, Christchurch, and at Dunedin the picture enterpretation have gone one better for two prints have been engaged, and the great firm will bo shown in two theatres simultaneously—The Octagon and Tho Empire. The presentation will be made in each case on “a grand opera scale.” Lilian Gish is credited with reaching the highest pinnacle of dramatic art in the niame part. ❖ *

“ Scaramouche ’ ’ is the name of the biggest picture of the French Revolution that has been made. You say it “skarra-mouch,” and it means a clown. It is a story of a young noble who ‘was born with a sense of humour and instead of sticking to the vain aristocracy of the day. became a clown and as such had a great influence in the affairs of France in the dread days of the guillotine. Rafael Sabatini is the famous novelist who wrote the story “Scaramouche” from which Rex Ingram’s spectacular motion picture of the French Revolution was made. Other stories of this noted writer to find their way to the screen have been “Captain Blood” and “The Sea Hawk.” For his work in ”Scaramouch©” Sabatini received special royalties on account of it being made into the best motion picture of 1924. “Scaramouche” will be released in New Zealand at an earlv date.