Motion Picture Magazine (Feb-Jul 1915)

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1 58 MOTIOX PICTURE MAGAZIXE ally. Harry Morey is at ease at all times, is strong and yet perfectly natural. I really cannot express my deep admiration for him and his work. Julia Swayne Gordon makes a trifle too ranch use of her eyes and does not always costume her parts to the best advantage, and yet she is a splendid character woman. Anita Stewart has made wonderful progress, clue, no doubt, to brother-inlaw Ralph Ince. but there is a great deal of credit due her even at that. I have seen some actresses who would never amount to anything even under the directorship of G. W. Griffith, which is saying a great deal, for he could make almost any one act. I do not care for John Bunny. Flora Finch and P>illy Quirk, but Sidney Drew and Wally Van are extremely funny at times. I must admit that Mr. Quirk was good in the "Evolution of Percival," but aside from that he has done nothing really good since he left Mary Pickford and the old Biograph. To sum up. Charles Kent is the best "old man" in the business ; William Shea is a perfect Irishman; Anders Randolf is a typical banker or politician ; Rose Taplev makes the ideal mother of young children, and the two little Costello girls are ■ fine. Bobby Connelly and Paul Kelly are good too. but the latter is growing up too fast. This, I think, is a fairly good beginning. and so will rest for the nonce. I trust that you will take the former portion of this epistle as it is meant, and that you will publish the remainder in whole or in part. The Mary Pickford letter, written by Miss Grace Falvey and published last month, has aroused a storm of protest from admirers of this charming little photoplay star, and we regret that we can publish only a limited defense. Miss Hazel Seneca, Waltham, Mass., no doubt voices the sentiments of thousands in her letter: As an ardent admirer of Miss Mary Pickford and her screen work I must take exception to the adverse criticism by a Dorchester correspondent in the March number. It has been my observation that the general public is not captivated by a beautiful face alone. The real reel fan expects more. He goes to see a much advertised picture and expects each player to act his or her part as if he or she were actually living the part at all times. Miss Pickford is wonderful. One cannot call her work "merely acting." She goes beyond that stage. Her portrayal of characters is real, life-like. She does not smirk, look into the camera, make wild gestures and agonizing expressions to show the different emotions. Hers is a natural, unconscious of self, graceful manner that seems to belong to her alone. Her roles are difficult, and if the correspondent thinks them "childish" I wish she would concentrate her thoughts more and then perhaps she will understand why Mary Pickford is chosen for the parts she carries. It is no easy task to do and do well such characters as she portrays in "Tess of the Storm Country," "Such a Little Queen." "Hearts Adrift" and others equally as good. I dont think there is any actress who can take Tess or any other of Mary Pickford's plays and portray it in her excellent manner. A word for a few other favorites. Cleo Madison is a clever actress and deserves more credit than she is getting for her dual work in the "Trey o' Hearts." Anna Little is another good one. Her characters are human, easily understood and always well portrayed. Vera Sisson is fine. 'The Bolted Door." and in fact all of her work opposite Jack Kerrigan, bespeaks careful study. These three girls are really much better actresses than some who are being boosted highly by their companies, and I hope the time will come when an actress is recognized on her merit and not because flashy posters proclaim her a great artist. To paraphrase a well-known verse a little : There is so much good acting in the most of them and some bad acting in the best of them, so that it hardly behooves a "fan" to severely criticise any of them. Mrs. Harry Opel, of Toledo, Ohio, whose stage name she requests we do not make public, hastens to Mary Pickford 's defense: May I beg a small space in your worthy magazine for the purpose of replying to the very unkind and unjust criticism of Mary Pickford which I note with indignation in your Marsh issue? It seems incredible that any one, no matter how defective her appreciative faculties, could be so blind to genuine talent and personal charm as to pass unfavorable judgment upon one who surely, in her particular role, stands alone and unequaled in filmdom at the present time. To say that Miss Pickford has received undue publicity is but to insinuate that the thousands of enthusiastic Picture "fans" who fill to capacity the theaters where the work of the little -star is featured, are wanting in their taste and appreciation. Furthermore I ask, if Mary has not earned her present world-wide popularity