The Moving Picture World (October 1907)

488 THE MOVING PICTURE WORLD. witnessed the Passion Play as there presented, believe for an instant that the alleged moving-picture representations of that play, which are being exploited all over the United States, are what is claimed for them? Certainly not. Does any intelligent person, whether he has traveled extensively or not, believe that the motion-pictures claiming to represent royal functions in which King Edward and his Queen are participant.- are authentic? Certainly not. Why not ? Because the citizens of Ober-Ammergau are too sincerely devout in their religious appreciation of the great drama which they enact and too jealous of the commercial value of that event, and their exclusive right to all that is represented by that value, to permit any picture-making corporation to trespass in any such fashion upon their inherited and novel source of in- come. Because the royal dignity of the heads of the British gov- ernment would not, at any price or consideration, allow itself to become so common a property. The immaculate impudence of the showmen who advertise authentic representations of either the Passion Play or any other" important function presenting the chief dignitaries of any of the leading empires of Europe is incomparable. All such pictures are, pure and simple, theatrical fakes in which hired actors and ac- tresses, costumers, property men, stage machinists and scene painters are the essential factors; and the only legitimate manner in which to announce or advertise such attractions is to declare frankly that they are theatrical illustrations, minus the oral and musical accessories. "What's the harm?" asks someone, " so long as nobody believes that these presentations illustrate the real thing?" And the en- quiry reveals the harm: There are thousands of people in Grand Rapids who are firm in their belief that they have witnessed ab- solutely accurate and adequate representations of the Passion Play which were photographed from nature—the real Ober-Am- mergau edition—when they have merely been deceived by a clumsy and wholly insufficient fake. And all over the country in hundreds of moving picture shows the Passion Play films are being exhibited with obligato lectures (?), delivered by gentlemen of the cloth, who themselves believe they are talking to a time-honored and universally-respected topic unlittered by cheap pretense and misrepresentations. There are few men more easily imposed upon by those who are seeking "easy ones" than are the clergymen, when the in- terests of some enterprise alleged to bear direct and correct re- lation to some phase of the Sacred Scriptures is concerned. The Agony in the Garden, the Crucifixion and ths Resurrection have long been favorite topics of the faking showmen, who exhibit these daubs alone at the end of a long black vista, with rows of lights around the four edges of the picture, and all concentrated upon the works of art ( ?) painted for just such displays. And churches, pastors and Y. M. C. A organizations have time and again been wheedled into lending their influence—for a per- centage of the receipts—toward creating patronage. Such things are, so far as the exhibitors are concerned, bad enough, but they are not nearly so reprehensibe as are the Passion Play fakes referred to. And, indeed, a large proportion of the moving pictures in the five-cent theaters, so-called, should be prohibited from exhibition as dangerous to public morals and individual well-being. Moreover, it is the practice in many of the large cities to detail policemen to special duty as censors at such places of entertainment to aid in preventing the exhibi- tion of these immoral illustrations and such other pictures as come under the charge of obtaining money under false pretense. — Michigan Tradesman. * ■ * * * NEW INCORPORATIONS. The Interstate Amusement Company, Inc., has filed a certificate of incorporation with the recorder of deeds. The company pro- poses to engage in the general amusement business, including the exhibition of all sorts of moving and stationary pictures. The capital stock is placed at $10,000 and the incorporators are Jeffer- son G. ThalaTcer, R. Golden Donaldson, John A. Holmes, Sidney Bieber and Louis J. Simons. Empire Vaudeville Co., Cohoes, N. Y.; moving pictures, theatri- cals, eta; capital. $10,000. Incorporators: Michael T. O'Brien and Henry T. O'Brien, Cohoes, N. Y.; Michael J. Duffy, Troy, N. Y. Aerial Amusement Company, N. J., to install aerial illusions and moving pictures; capital, $100,000. , * * * EASY PREPARATION OF HYDROGEN. Lanternists and enlargers now frequently use compressed hydrogen (or coal gas as a substitute) in producing the limelight. but - Dr. Jaubert now urges "hydrolith,"- or hydride of calciun as a source of hydrogen, the gas being evolved when the con pound comes in contact with water, a portable apparatus con parable to an acetylene generator being used. One kilogram calcium hydride evolves over a thousand litres.of hydrogen. Tl manufacture of hydrolith comprises the preparation of metall calcium and the combination of the metal with hydrogen. Tfa metal is obtained by the electrolysis of fused calcium chlorid and the hydrolith is prepared by exposing the metallic calciu to a current of hydrogen in horizontal retorts heated to a hig temperature in a suitable furnace. Both calcium and hydroge can be produced so cheaply that the price Of hydrolith is n. prohibitive. * * * UNIQUE MOVING PICTURE EXHIBITION TRAVERSE! PRINCIPAL STREETS. While great numbers of people of Stranton, Pa;, thronged th central city during the pleasant weather an automobile carryir moving pictures, stereopticon views and business announcemem attracted considerable attention./ While the float moved gra« fully along projecting select views on the large screen, it receiv loud applause. Stops were made at prominent places where great many people viewed the exhibit. A PROTEST AND A GUARANTEE Editor Moving Picture World: .Dear Sir.—Information comes to us that we are importin films purporting to be dupes of a French manufacturer. V hereby emphatically deny it, and wish to inform our numeroc customers and the trade generally that thev may have no hesib tion in using the films of the Society Italian Cines, who ai original manufacturers, while-other firms may be pirating fra them. We guarantee our films to be original, and we will b pleased to publish the many letters which compliment us on th films of the Society Italian Cines. Yours truly, Chas. E. Dressler.