Camera - April 14, 1923 to February 16, 1924 (April 1923-February 1924)

A M E R A ! "The Digest of the Motion Picture Industry" Page Seven Ten Million Stories Begging Places on the Screen [The apparent success of their efforts to Lnslate the life and events of Abraham hcoln into motion pictures, the production ing now so far advanced that its release forecast for September, has caused Al and Rockett, of the Rockett-Lincoln Film "impany, to announce that they will henceth look exclusively to history to supply leir screen stories. We are through with original stories and t sellers, magazine play-ups and weekly riodical leaders as material for picture feys," declared the Messrs. Rockett in a nt interview recently, "and from now on, will make our pictures from the real ppenings of life, not what some writer agines might have happened, for an event real life is better than an event of like ture in fiction. 'Henceforth, therefore, we shall draw our piration from history, the life story of nkind, and we shall dramatize the events history as our offering for the ideal type vehicle of the cinema art. The stage with 2500 years of history betid it— and perhaps with 25,000, nobody ows — has found its archetype in the plays William Shakespeare as produced by >oth and Barrett, Forrest, Sothern and arlowe, Henry Irving, Walter Hampden others past and present, and Shakeeare made his plays from history, actual ppenings and doings of people in real life d recorded in what we call history. And lat is history but the visible record of the olution of life and form in the universe, nluding man" And what is evolution but work to do to find an archetype? That, inifestly, is the purpose, the work and the stiny of the soul. "It is the divine purpose that runs rough all nature and it is the inspiration every artist, high or low. The greatest uius among artists is he who catches the rarest glimpse of an archetype. This is he flame snatched down from genius' lestial fire,' and it will be noted that these e the works which live and that do most inspire and make men happy. "If all evolution, therefore, is the seeking ter archetypes, why should not the nema, even though it be but an infant in > life as an art form, aspire to find its chetype? And if we look to Shakespeare a guide and motor, are we taking anying from the stage? The immortal Bard of Avon dramatized story and his works have come to be the knowledged archetype of the drama. Iiy, then, should not the cinema look for 4 archetype in the dramatization of history terpreted by animated pictures? "We believe that we have glimpsed our ■chetype in such pictures as we purpose 'he Dramatic Life of Abraham Lincoln' to •■—the dramatization of the life and times [ this great world figure, not as somebody reamed he might be, but as he, indeed, •ally lived and moved and had being among ie men and events of that period of human ■ olution marked by his career. "A mere series of episodes taken from his fe as we find these things presented in ost of our student's text books of history ould interest nobody. To get into the 5art, a subject must be dramatized, must > presented intimately, must appeal to the nermost self. Anything else merely adesses the intellect and intellect is only lucation achieved through eye knowledge. passes away, but the lessons the heart arns do not pass away. The self records iem and they remain a part of the eternal ;o. "To instruct the heart, therefore, is the chiefest business of the cinema, according to our idea, and the heart can best be taught by presenting human interest stories from real life — life that has really been lived — in the form of dramatized history, a form that not only instructs but entertains. "There is no end to history. It is as old as creation and eternally in the making. There are ten million stories to tell and more making every day. There need be no fear that the supply will run out. "In the crusades, alone, there are a thousand picture plays. The story of the Medes and Persians, the Assyrians, the Egyptians, has never been attempted. Who will be first to tell even the beginning of the story of Alexander the Great? What has the screen shown of the ancient Greek immortals? What have we offered in relation to the philosophers and teachers — Confucius, Lao Tze, the Buddha, Zarathustra; the Aryan sages; Plato, Anistotle, Pythagoras and the host of lesser ones? "The story of the Prince of Peace has yet to come to the screen in a convincing way and the stories of the e arly Christian fathers, the saints and the martyrs are still untouched. "Who has told the wondrous stories of Charles XII, of Charlemagne, of John Sobieski, of Peter the Great, of Bruno, Savonarola, Luther, Hypatia, and ten thousand others? What of the riches of Rome, of Carthage, of Venice, Florence, the middle ages and the Renaissance; of the world discoverers and pioneers? "There is one charmed book of the east that has 150,000 stories in it of pure historic fact, more interesting than the Arabian Nights; and there is in Siberia and China an unworked and inexhaustible mine of cinema wealth. "In the history of England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland, there are mighty stories to be told in pictures, but why continue? The list is as long as the Bible text. "Also, nobody seems to be interested in presenting the amazing story of the rise and spread of Islamism. There is a story, or rather a thousand stories of incomparable drama, romance, human interest, poetry and pageantry — work for many a great cinematic genius." Owen Moore, who, despite the fact that he is one of the screen's very first stars, is now more popular than ever. He is now playing an extraordinarily difficult dramatic role in "Thundergate," he being the principal male character. In this film he will be seen in three characterizations.