The educational screen (c1922-c1956])

l'l\! ! in: Educational Screen lower us, without so much effort, with- out so many jerks . . . man can see to it and man will. All must make for more and more perfect ease with each new century—until the bottom is reached, and then . . . then, alas! there will, I'm afraid, be no hope for it—we will have to ascend or become dust. Take it or leave it." Thus Mr. Gordon Craig views "the Movies—Life's last squirm." His ideas are an entertaining mixture of poetic analysis and grotesque absurdity. American History Yale's Movie Version In the Literary Digest for March 4th THIS is a most interesting summary of the elaborate plans at Yale for significant historical films. At last we are to have some serious pictures free, from cheap theatrical distortion. Regular commercial producers seem con- genially incapable of presenting serious material without theatricalizing and sen- sationalizing the whole thing. They leave small bits of truth visible here and there, but the whole mass is such low- grade ore that it does not pay to work it. (Witness Universale recent "history" series.) " 'The truth, the whole truth and noth- ing but the truth, so help me, Hadley,' is the motto of those back of the enter- prise. "The scholarly editors will inspect every step of the project from prepara- tion of scenario to finished pictures. Not one foot of film will be released until it has had the official sanction of Professors Farrand and Spaulding, who will be as- sisted in an advisory capacity by eminent authorities representing public school as well as university opinion. "The historians will interfere in no way with the technical side of production. They will attend strictly to the historical accuracy of it all; the correctness of cos- tume and the accuracy of historical fact These pictures will be as perfect tech nically as the cumulative knowledge o the motion picture industry can mak< them. The lighting will be the best the actors chosen for their dramatic abil ity. History is dramatic, but it will no be overdone. There is no need of that "They will be excellent motion pic tures, they will be historically accurate American audiences will accept nothing else. The schoolboy or university stu dent will not be interested in pictures historically correct and technically medi ocre. Neither must they be technically and dramatically perfect and historically inaccurate. That is why we have de voted two entire years before turning « crank on a camera for the first reel. Oui research has been most careful. No de- tail has been overlooked." Dr. George Parmly Day, president ol the newly-formed "Chronicles of Amer- ica Corporation," says: "This series is designed to present the entire story of America, so that it may be read even by those whose time for books is very limited and who are not in the habit of reading history. Each of the fifty narratives is a topical unit and may be read separately, but all are so related that they form one continuous and complete history. These narratives are written by competent authors, and in them the traditions of the nation are made real and vivid." The preparatory work has been long and elaborate. Two years have been spent in studying the feasibility of the move, assembling material, and experi- mental scenarios have been made and submitted to an eminent committee of scholars. The result is the following programme for 100 reels—30 plays of three to five reels each—arranged in six topical grand divisions of American his- tory as follows: I. The Morning of America (Seven plays, in 21 reels. Co-