Motion Picture News (Apr - Jun 1927)

1246 M u I i (> II F i c I II r c X W"%" The Week speaking ^^^^^ t t ^w ^^^^ ^m. at the luncheon on Tuesday, when he presented the Riesenfeld gold medal to P^ugene H. Roth for "The Vision,'' as the best short subject (comedies excluded) of 1926, touched upon the honor paid Dr. Riesenfeld in selecting him to prepare the musical setting for "The King, of Kings/' This picture, Mr. Hays pointed out, was more than a photoplay; it was a great message that would live long after the present generation of picture makers. He related, with dramatic enthusiasm, some of the remarkable incidents which had happened during the filming of this story, and predicted that it would rank high — very high — among contributions to the screen, and to humanity. pUGENE H. ROTH well deserves the Riesen-'^ feld medal, and we are pleased to see that his efiforts have met with this recognition. The production of the Romance series of two-reel stories based upon famous paintings, done in technicolor, was undertaken with the same scrupulous care and preparation that would have gone into a feature, and their quality was outstanding. E. W. Hammons, head of Educational, has a standing bet with any exhibitor that if he will play "The Vision" without a line of advertising or publicity it will capture more than half of all the comment and reviews on the program. * * -* "117' E had the somewhat unique experience this ^^ week of seeing the initial episodes of a serial which, in photography, in acting, in lighting, in sets and general production values, was on a par with a first class feature. This was "Blake of Scotland Yard," a serial of which Universal executives think Fo highly that it will be put out as "A Universal Junior Jewel," a title heretofore reserved for "The Leather Pushers" and "The Collegians," and will be presented by Carl Laemmle. Directed by Robert E. Hill, this serial opens with a series of atmospheric shots of I^ondon in a fog, slowly lap-dissolved into one another, worthy of any feature, and the characters are introduced with all the care usually expended on more ambitious productions. The free camera work, dissolves, shadow effects and the like are in the best German manner, and lend themselves admirably to the serial atmosphere of mystery and suspense. in Revie\v Comment on Passing Affairs It'sgratifying to see the increasing effort to produce every type of picture in the best manner possible and Universal and Mr. Hill are to be congratulated on this achievement. JOHN BARRYMORE, speaking at the Los An^ geles premiere of "The Beloved Rogue," proposed the making of a picture which would be a film cross-section of American life in 1927, with such persons as Henry Ford, Thomas A. Edison, Babe Ruth, General Pershing, Jane Addams, and the like included in it, to be shown at present and then placed in the government archives for showing one hundred years from now. The idea is tremendously interesting. Think what it would mean to us now if we had a film actually showing us the leading figures of American life in 1827 — how much better than any book of history it would be. ^ -^ ^i TT was our pleasure to see last week at the Fifth ^ Avenue Playhouse in New York an absorbing exploration film, "The Epic of Mount Everest," and to meet the man who photographed the hazardous ascent. Captain John Noel, F.R.G.S. The picture is being given noonday showings for 14 days, accompanied by a lecture delivered by Captain Noel. Starting in Phari, the squalid, filthy settlement below Everest, the film follows the progress of the expedition past clififside hermit's dwellings, forest monasteries, through the unexplored valleys and finally up the face of "Nature's greatest stronghold." The drama becomes tremendous when the explorers reach the final stage — the wind-swept and precipitous northeast face of the peak. Up and up they go, until the camera can be taken no further and follows the party by means of a telephoto lens from another peak. We see Mallory and Irvine, the ill-fated adventurers, at a distance of four miles from the camera, when they were but 600 feet from the top of the unconquered summit. They were never seen again, and their fate is a mystery which will never be solved. The picture in its present form is wisely not intended for general theatrical showing. The present engagement is under the auspices of The Film Associates, Inc., and further showings will be in concert halls with Captain Noel's lecture. t ///.;// .V, l'J27 Motion Picture News I'ol. .V.VA7'. So. 14 Piihlifhrd weekly by Motion Picture News, Inc. Founded in Set>tember, 1913. Publication Office: 729 Seventh Ave., New York, N. Y.; Editorial and General Offices: 729 Seventh Ave., New York City. Branch Offices: 845 S. fVabash Ave., Chicago, III.; Room 616 Security Bldf., Hollywood, California. IVilliam A. Johnston, president; E. Kendall'Gillett, vice-president; William A. Johnston, editor; J. S. Dickerson, associate editor; Oscar Cooper, managing editor; Fred J. Beecroft, advertising manager; L. H. Mason, Chicago representative ; IVilliam McCormack, Los Angeles representative. Subscription price, $2.00 per year, post paid in United States, Mexico, Hawaii, Porto Rico. Philippine Islands and some other countries. Canada, $3.00; Foreign, $6.00. Copyright, 1927, by Motion Picture News, Inc., in United States and Great Britain. Title registered in the United States Patent Office and foreign countries. Western Union cable address is "Picknews" New York. Entered as second-class matter at the Post Office. New York, N. Y., April 22, 1926. under the Act of March 3, 1879.