Moving Picture World (Dec 1917) - Learn About Movie Posters

1770 THE MOVING PICTURE WORLD December .22, 1917
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MAY
By J. B. Sutcliffe.
MACLAREN, American
two successful productions
film actress and star
still being exhibited
of
at
the Philharmonic Hall, London, is shortly expected to
appear in British film productions.
* * *
Occasionally managers of moving picture theaters in different
parts of the kingdom have complained to me of the
petty pilferings bred of the souvenir habit. One picture
theater, which shall be nameless, has a reputation for its
decorative tapestry and lace, but every night when the
manager makes his final rounds one, two and sometimes
more pieces are, thanks to light-fingered patrons, invariably
missing. "It's the souvenir habit," he remarked, "more
than an inherent desire to steal. Some patrons when they
come into a nicely furnished lounge or lobby seem to
imagine that any little trinkets or ornaments employed in
the general decorative scheme of the lounge are there to
be picked up with the handbills." I have often heard of the
retention—in the temporary absence of the attendant—of
the metal tickets issued by the automatic ticket issuing
machines and here the motive is quite apparent. But to
managers who are troubled with souvenir hunters I would
commend the remedy of the one quoted above and fasten
loose effects down to some substantial fixture.
The mention of metal tickets reminds me that a York
exhibitor has had one of his sent to him by a soldier on
h tive service who found the metal disc in the ruins of a
Get man fortress at Thiepval.
* * *
The Ideal Film Renting Co. is not to abandon the project it
had under negotiation at the time of Winston Churchill's appointment
to the Ministry of Munitions. This was the production
of an imposing spectacular war picture entitled,
"How the Great War Arose," and Mr. Churchill was to
write the script and superintend the production. Should
this yet be done, or a suitable substitute for Mr. Churchill
be found, it is likely that the picture will be sponsored by
the Allied Governments as an official statement of their
cause in going to war. Apart from this the Ideal Co.'s
diary of production is a full one. Versions of Fielding's
"Tom Jones" and Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice" are
near the completion stage, while "The Bachelors' Club"
(Zangwill), "Shirley" (Bronte) "Quinneys" (H. A. Vachel),
"Kipps" (H. G. Wells), and revised adaptations of "Nicholas
Nickleby" and "Westward Ho" are well under way.
* * *
"The Manxman," a London film company's creation after
Hall Caine's novel, already shown in the States, made its
appearance in London at the New Galley Kinema.
* * * .
Sir Johnston Forbes-Robertson sails for the States in a
day or two to fulfill his engagement with the newly constituted
Hyclass Producing Corporation of New York City
to appear personally in his greatest dramatic success of the
spoken stage, "The Passing of the Third Floor Back," by
Jerome K. Jerome.
* * *
The principal contribution from America to the trade
shows of the week is perhaps the third of the Kitty Gordon
subjects, entitled "One Week." While undeniably within
the category of vampire plays, it unfolds its story upon
original lines and amongst those exhibitors with audiences
of an appetite for strong meat it is assured of an extensive
showing. It is handled here by the Apex Film Co.
* * *
The past few days have seen the removal of one of the
landmarks of moving-picti're development in London, the
closing down of the old King's Hall in Commercial Road,
East End. Time was, now nearly a dozen years ago, when
the Old King's, as it was familiarly known, was the cradle
of moving pictures on London's most densely populated
side. It kept well in pace with the times and before competition
in the East End became keen always showed an
attractive program.
* * *
Considering the nature of the ground and the prices
charged for admission it is no exaggeration to say that the
Commercial Road area of eastern London offers the most
remarkable record of kinematographic development in the
whole of the Metropolis. There are theaters in this district
which carry specialization to a fine art, the Polish Jews'"
kinema, for instance, has a set of Russian titles made for
every film shown there. In design and furnishing, while
not comparable to the best West End theaters, I know of
many in central London which fare worse.
Effect of Picture Depends on Exhibitor
Raoul Walsh Says Operators Who "Monkey" with Tempoof
Action Undo Work of Careful Directors.
THE
director may labor like a trojan; but the ultimate
effect of his picture on the screen depends on the
artistic integrity of the individual exhibitor. That is
the belief of Raoul A. Walsh, the American director who
has used his short leisure before beginning work on his
first Goldwyn production to make a tour of some of New-
York's moving picture theaters.
"Frankly," says Mr. Walsh, "I have been very much disturbed
over the way I have seen many of my own picturesrun.
The Twentieth Century Express is a horsecar beside
some of the speed I have seen careless operators or shortsighted
house managers put into their films. In my opinion,
such haste is nothing short of criminal. It is unfair to the
director who has timed his action as closely as possible
"
to the right tempo. And any manager who thinks he will
profit by crowding in an extra show by such methods is
making a big mistake. He is ruining good entertainment,,
and when he ruins good entertainment, he is making disappointed
audiences, audiences that won't come back.
"I have been just as much impressed by another mistake
in projection. It isn't a case of mistaken avarice. It's
really well meaning. But it's stupid and criminal just the
same. This is the trick which some operators have of Hitting
up the speed of the machine when big, swift, dramatic
scenes flash on the screen. Their intention is right. They
want to make a distinction in tempo between the scenes
of quieter action and those with punch in them. In the
early days, it was often necessary for the operator to dothis,
because the director had failed to provide the proper
tempo himself.
"My own practice is to watch this matter of tempo very
closely indeed. I take the bulk of my straight scenes at
13 or 14 exposures a second. When it is swift comedy or
big melodramatic action—a chase or a fight or a raid, for
instance—my cameraman slows down to 11 or 12. And then,
of course, when the complete film is run through the projector
at a normal, constant speed of 14, all the tempo
runs true, the quiet scenes at a quiet pace, the melodrama
with a rush.
"But all this is—and should be—the director's business,,
not the operator's. Sometimes it takes some very difficult
manipulation of lights to keep the exposures right; but
there is no difficulty here that a competent director cannot
solve. Unfortunately, the maker of a film is at the absolute
mercy of the man who shows it. And perhaps he is to be
congratulated that so many managers and operators doappreciate
their responsibilities."
BUSINESS GOOD IN EMPIRE STATE.
Lewis D. Brown, owner and manager of the Moving Picture
Machine Company of Binghamton, New York, was a
caller in the New York office of the World last week. He
is moving to a new address at 28 Henry Street and states
that he has built up quite a little business in machines,
repair parts and theater supplies in his vicinity. Being
an expert electrician .he is in a position to make installations
and covers a considerable section of the northwestern
part of the Empire State, where his services are in demand.
Mosf of the theater managers he has visited recently report
good business that has not been effected by the war
tax to any appreciable extent.
MORE METRO MEN ENLIST.
Dwight Begeman, cameraman, is the latest Metro employe
to enter the service. He has left for his home in
St. Louis, to enlist in the navy, and he hopes to be assigned
to the work of taking motion pictures for the Government.
Jack Lamond, another of Metro's photographic force, is
already engaged in taking pictures of naval manoeuvres.
Irving Flisser, formerly a member of Metro's electrical
force, under the supervision of Frank Detering, is in the
navy.