Exhibitors Herald (Mar-Jun 1919)

EXHIBITORS HERALD AND MOTOGRAPHY THE CUTTING ROOM Editing the Excess Footage in the News and Publicity of the Week Down to a Few Reels That Tell the Story Quickly — and With a Punch By THE * REPORTER American Recreation League Gets Out Splendid Censorship Folder 'whoever is responsible for the working out and publishing of the folder entitled "The Menace of Motion Picture Censorship," issued by the Amer; ican Recreation league, deserves great praise. It is a splendid piece of work and contains material of great value. And its value is not in passive publicity so much as in the suggestions it gives for the combating of the censorship evils. Ideas of all sorts are available in quantity through the medium of this 22-page folder and every exhibitor and exhibitor organization should give it careful study. The Author Speaks AUGUSTUS THOMAS GETS A FULL page article in a current issue of a contemporary journal. Mr. Thomas, while he presents a good case for the author and the story, does not really get down to the fundamentals of the matter. As a matter of fact, the value of the story and the author to moving pictures lies in the fact that moving pictures bear or should bear a closer relationship to Literature than the speaking stage. Pictures Are Vitalized Fiction THAT'S THE POINT. A FAMOUS author's story can be made more faithfully on the screen than the stage. When one reads a book, the brain visualizes the action. The moving picture simply transfers the moving image from the brain to the screen. Therefore, it is reasonable claim that the screen is really closer to literature than to the stage and that is why the author is at last t coming to his own. Big Authors and Big Stories Will Attract New Audiences MANY THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE who right at this moment despise movies will come to the picture house to see big fiction produced in a big way and not distorted and cramped to fit a star. Nazimova Scores Again THE REPORTER HAD THE PRIVIlege of examining a set of stills on the new Nazimova production "The Red Lantern," and they certainly speak volumes for its coming popularity. Nazimova is making great strides and the Reporter thinks it a very modest prediction to make that she will be one of thei biggest drawing cards within a very short time. And it will be a popularity built on artistry rather than bunk, on ability rather than good looks. And that will only mean that she is only coming to her own on the screen as well as the stage. A Real Victory in Connecticut THE VICTORY FOR SUNDAY Pictures in Connecticut is most encouraging. A clean cut win that had a good majority. One interesting side light on the matter was the statement made by Senator Leonard of New Haven that he opposed Sunday moving picture shows because he was afraid that the moving picture people would develop and inject a dangerous element into local and state politics. There it is! The politician is realizing the power behind the screen before the industry does. The realization of this power is growing in political circles and what the writer predicted before on this page will happen if the industry doesn't wake up. And that is a quiet gaining of control of the screen by political forces. Not possible, you say? Well, then watch Hearst. Warren With Hodkinson TWO MUTUAL ADMIRERS ARE AT las't together. Hodkinson always admired Warren. He often told the Reporter so. And Warren, if publicity is to be believed, thinks a lot of "W. W." Well they are two big men and should make a great combination if two such imperious natures can agree and work in harmony. This duo would seem to indicate a revival of the much publicized Hodkinson plan. New Capital Coming Into Motion Pictures MOTION PICTURES ARE CERtainly attracting a volume of capital these days. The Reporter personally knows of three groups of financial people who will put a total of over one million dollars into the business this year. Then the new Capital Theatre in New York, claimed as the largest theatre in the world, is said to be a venture that is very close to the Du Pont people and that if the house is a success, the big powder crowd will consider very seriously a big investment in film. It really is a wonderful business. A business of magnificent amounts and there is no legitimate reason why it should not be business of magnificent profits for everybody concerned in it. Star Not Wanted in This Picture EXHIBITORS WILL MORE READily believe this than producers. A star well known on two big Past programs was cast in a big picture that seemed to suit her perfectly. The producer brought the picture east and showed it to two important distributors. Both of these distributing bodies told Mr. Producer that if he would remove the necessity of featuring and billing the star that the picture was worth several thousand dollars to them and they would pay in cash an amount to cover double the cost of production. What do you think of that? However, Mr. Producer cannot eliminate the star — his contract won't let him — so the deal still waits. 31