Cinema News and Property Gazette (1912)

20 THE CINEMA. March, 191 2. CHRISTOPHER ! INTERESTING DETAILS OF THE SELIG COMPANY'S GREAT HISTORICAL FILM, AND A CHAT WITH MIL MONTAGU. ^HOSE of us who have seen the Selig Polyscope Com pany's film, " Christopher Columbus," must neecu A be acutely interested in the production. When we ™™H"I see upon the screen the statement that " the ships ■Scfffe>»l used are genuine reproductions of the caravels of ■«■■»» Columbus sent by the Spanish Government to the Columbian Exhibition," it is obvious that a big story is involved. Fired with enthusiasm, therefore, I hurried off to interview Mr. E. H. Montagu, the representative of the Sel g Company for all the world outside of North America. How the Film was Made. I found Mr. Montagu in his office, wearing a big cigar and no coat (this is his invariable habit — he says that it enable:* Him to think quicker), and in a subdued voice I asked him how on earth the Selig Company had managed to produce such a film. "Well," said he, "it was not all done in five minutes. It took us some three years to get it in going •order. First we had to find out all about Columbus and his personal habits ; then we had to fit it into the period that he lived in. To do this we retained the services of antiquaries and research artis;.= , and put Mr. C. E. Nixon, a wellknown author, in charge of thiliterary end, with instructions to control our research staff and write the scenario. Then we dug the Spanish caravels out of the mud of Jackson's Park, gave a ,£20,000 bond as guarantee that we would not dent or sink them, repaired, caulked, outfitted them, and set crews aboard, and soon they were manoeuvring under their own sail in the waters of Lake Michigan.'" Here I put in a mild "Tinman interest" inquiry, "Are all the Selig Stock Company good sailors? " Mr. Montagu looked injured, rind remarked that " The Selig Stock Company can do anything and go anywhere. Wrhy, many of our leading artistes are drawing salaries of over £80 a week, and we keep a number of producers with salaries from £1,500 a year. Of course, they are good sailors ! " Well, we obtained the support of the Knights of Columbus, the great American org: 1 ili n— a friendly society, as you would call it over heri — and under their auspices we produced the film last year." The Film Cost £6.000. "It must have cost something to run all the rehear; ah; and risk bad weather?" I remarked. " The estimated cost of that film was £6,000," replied. Mr. Montagu, "and it cost every penny of it. We took plenty of time to get things right. On one occasion the ' Sana Maria ' went aground on a sandbank in the harbour, and had to be pulled off by a tug. The tug captain, when he got alongside the caravel, said he never heard actors curse so like real sailors before! Yes, there was lots of fun in the production. When Columbus landed, and 'discovered America' on the beach between Hammond and Carey, a local mob of hoboes, who had Lien camping along the shore, were struck dumb with terror. When Columbus landed, and waved his sword, that finished it. The hoboes turned tail 'and hiked for Chicago, claiming that they had seen the flying Dutchman." The Pope to see it. " What was the opinion of the people in the States with regard to the film?" I asked. '•They went wild over it," said Mr. Montagu, "and Seligs have been publicly thanked for their staging of the production by the highest authorities. We gave a special performance of the film before Cardinal Gibbons, of Baltimore, and we have jast received a command from his Holiness the Pope to arrange for a command performance of the " Christopher Columbus ' film at the Vatican, and we expect to have similar requests from many of the crowned heads of Europe." Mr. Montagu, who was originally intended for the English Bar, left London, and remained several years in the States. He was one of the first business men to enter the cinematograph industry, and he still claims that the industry has not yet cut all its milk teeth. In film consumption England leads the world, and our colonies are rapidly following the lead of the Mother Country. Mr. Montagu is distinctly impressed by the future of the big historical and educational film, and it is certain that his firm, Messrs. Selig, have placed upon the market one of the most important films in this respect in the history of the cinematograph industry. MR. E. H. MONTAGU. CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS. An Appreciation. A representative of The Cinema. who attended a special demonstration of the " Christopher Columbus " film at the office of the New Century Film Service, Limited, writes as follows: — A big film is always of more than general interest, and a big historical film strikes a stronger note of appeal sensational. Company's film, " Christopher New Centurv Film Service, Ltd. than a mere story, however The Selig Polyscope ( 'clumbus," for whirh the have secured the exclusive right for Great Britain, is not only amasterpiece of -production from the dramatic standpoint, but it strikes an entirely new note in the history of cinematography. A Man cf Renown. • Take Christopher Columbus the navigator. He belongs not merely to the country of his birth, but to the world at large. Wherever a civilised tongue is spoken the name of Christopher Columbus is known and revered as one of the world's greate-t discoverers and navigators. In the continent he discovered, now a group of young nations, his name lives everywhere, not as a mere historical fact, a dusty, personality of the history