Motion Picture News (Oct 1913 - Jan 1914)

14 THE MOTION PICTURE NEWS The Motion Picture News MOVING PICTURE NEWS EXHIBITORS' TIMES Published Every Week by EXHIBITORS' TIMES, Inc. Business Offices 220 West 42nd Street, New York City Telephone Bryant 7650 Chicago Office 604 Schiller Building WILLIAM A. JOHNSTON EDITORS THOMAS BEDDING, JOHN M. BRADLET ADVERTISING MANAGER JAMES F. F AIRMAN ASSISTANT MANAGER WILLIAM M. PETINGALE WESTERN REPRESENTATIVE C. J. VER HALEN Subscription $2.00 per year, postpaid in the United States, Mexico, Hawaii, Porto Rico and the Philippine Islands. Canada and Foreign $2.50 per year. Advertising Rates: Dis ^gSpgESg^ Entered as Second-Class play Rates on Application. CE^^^^ffl§g!^t>52 matter in the New York Classified Rates 10c a line. ^teHEES^ Post-Office. Cuts and copy are received subject to the approval of the publishers, and advertisements are inserted absolutely without condition expressed or implied as to what appears in the text portion of the paper. Vol. VIII October 25, 1913 No. 16 This publication is owned and published by Exhibitors' Times, incorporated under the laws of the State of New York. The offices and principal place of business are at 220 West 42nd Street, New York City. President, V/m. A. Johnston ; Vice-President, Henry F. Sewall; Sec'y, E. Kendall Gillette; Treas., Wentworth Tucker. The address of the officers is the office of the publication. AN ACKNOWLEDGMENT Hp HE logical growth of The Motion Picture News into its present form has brought us numerous words of congratulation and encouragement. These have been freely expressed by word of mouth to all members of the staff, and they have also taken form in many letters addressed to the individuals whose names are printed on the top of this page. We take this opportunity of gratefully acknowledging these appreciative words. They are an encouragement to us to adhere as closely as possible to the policy that we outlined in May last, namely, to stand for the best interests of the motion picture art and industry. Will all those, therefore, who have written us on this subject or have spoken to us, accept the thanks of the staff of The Motion Picture News for their compliments and encouragements? The highest aspiration of The Motion Picture News is to represent the art and industry of the motion picture in a dignified, honorable and progressive spirit. The editorial policy of the paper is animated solely by principles of justice allied with a determination to promote the interests represented in these pages to their best possible advantage. As proximate time progresses, it wili be seen that these pages will mani fest a literary value, artistic finish and consistency of policy not excelled by any other publication of the kind in the world. IS THE SHORT LENGTH FILM DOOMED? 117 EEK by week, as we study the motion picture * * press of the world, we find that this theme is constantly to the fore. At the moment of writing we have French and English publications in which the subject is discussed. It is a serious matter for the manufacturers to consider. A great deal of nonsense is said and written about feature films. Feature films, as we pointed out in these pages many weeks ago, only respond to a desire on the part of the public for longer and better pictures. For that matter, every film is a feature film if it is good enough and long enough. Mr. Paul Kimberley, representing J. F. Brockliss, of London, was in New York last week. He is a shrewd, intelligent young man. He gave us a concise survey of the conditions of the London market — that market which is the principal centre of the art and industry in the world. On that market at the present time, short length films, that is, half-reels and one-reels, as made in this country, are becoming useless. They are not wanted and they don't sell. They must be superlatively good if they do. Mr. Kimberley named many alleged American brands of films which won't sell. In mercy to these manufacturers we suppress their names. All the evidence tends to show that the answer to our question is in the affirmative. Better and longer pictures, not too long, are needed. Careful study of the situation persuades that the unit of the future is likely to be the five-reel picture. The I wo-hour-and-a half-entertainment — the two-hour-and-a-half net — is the one that practice has proven out to be the need of the public. The motion picture public is rapidly manifesting its needs, in the way that the theatregoer manifested its needs. Those needs as they are making themselves apparent seem to supply other and additional affirmative replies to the question heading this article. The picture is at its transition stage in every possible one of its many aspects and features. Prominent state right men and others tell us that these smalllength pictures, half-reel and one-reel, are doomed. These state right men should know. They are probably correct. A MOTION PICTURE COLLEGE OR INSTITUTE TN another part of this week's paper, an enthusiastic young correspondent whom we personally know to be interested in the scientific progress of the motion picture, makes a suggestion to which we extend our cordial endorsement. It is this : that there should be founded a society for the study of the (Continued on page 16)