Motion Picture News (Sep-Oct 1923)

1292 Motion Picture News A GREAT ARRAY PT. BARXUM once said " there is nothing new under the sun." The eminent showman uttered this philosophic slant upon life in a day when the wheels of progress were figuratively standing still. The expression may be employed today as it concerns the conventions of dress and deportment. It may still be employed as it relates to plot formulas and patterns. But P. T. Barnum lived in an age when the motion picture camera and its offspring, the photoplay, were unheard of — when celluloid drama was a* far off in the imagination as the Hying machine. Such a dogmatic expression as the above quotation may apply to the inevitable cycle of the manners of men — of their creations, be they created for commerce or amusement. Plays come and go; pictures come and go and nothing new is exposed beyond an attempt to improve upon ancient and accepted ideas. Precedent Established WE look about us, however, and we find a precedent established, the like of which may never be repeated. And what is this precedent? Simply the astonishing growth of the Greater Motion Picture as established upon Broadway — exemplified in an array of super-features which have ushered in the .new season. We look about us and marvel that the screen could accomplish so much in the short span of its existence. Ten years ago — five, three — even a year ago, such an array of pictures would have been deemed impossible of presentation. Yet here they are bidding for our acceptance; and we of the screen, by the screen and for the screen have our moment of exultation — ■ that this infant of the art has emerged from its swaddling clothes and cries out for expression. We look about us and up and down Broadway in legitimate theatres and elsewhere are housed nine attractions widely exploited for their merits — widely advertised as the best the silent drama has to offer — and being accepted as exceptional achievements. It is as if each company had vied with one another to produce the ultimate in screen production. There has been a prodigality of effort expended to achieve the seeming impossible. The sum total of this effort may be reckoned in the millions, and the results speak for themselves. We Have With Us WE look about us and playing in legitimate theatres at top theatrical prices are United Artists' superb canvas, " Rosita." with Mary Pickford as its star ; " The Hunchback of Notre Dame," Universal's masterpiece; " If Winter Comes," which Fox produced from A. S. M. Hutchinson's enormously popular novel of the same name; "The Green Goddess," which stands as Distinctive^ contribution to the higher art of the silversheet — with George Arliss as its ambassador; " The White Sister," Inspiration's throbbing canvas of romance and passion, with Lillian Gish in the title role; "The Silent Command," Fox's dramatic glorification of the American Navy. " The Covered Wagon," Par amount's brilliant canvas recording a nation in the making during the cry of "Westward Ho!" in '48, continues at the Criterion — a symbol picture production at its best — and still playing to capacity since its opening on a capricious March night. The Cosmopolitan theatre, formerly the Park, ushered in its opening with "Little Old New York," a quaint, picturesque, whimsical and charming story of early Gotham, conceived and executed with artistic appreciation. The picture establishes Marion Davies as a broth of a lad who enacts her role so splendidly that it might have been written for her. It marks Cosmopolitan's supreme achievement. It richly deserves the patronage it is receiving from screen lovers, no matter what their station is in life. And to complete the array, Harold Lloyd is holding forth at the Strand with one of the most hilarious comedies ever filmed in " Why Worry." This star, a capacity player in any house, anywhere, is always dependable. One knows that he will deliver with all the ingenuity and originality of which he is capable. This effort of Lloyd's affords the only comedy relief among the nine aside from certain mirthful moments in " Little Old New York " and Mary Pickford's charming caprices in " Rosita," yet during its stay on Broadway it will tax capacity — for that is Lloyd's way. A long succession of better canvases has established him on the heights. He is destined to remain there, for he is a creative artist. Varied Appeal Here AND so we have nine distinctive patterns offering the ultimate in screen entertainment. Figures, real and imaginative, ancient edifices, bizarre backgrounds of the Orient, charming English country life, cathedrals and towers, picturesque atmosphere of New York of a bygone century, touches of romantic Spain, resplendent in color and design, ships at sea, nature in eloquent emotion, the desert plains of America with hardy pioneers crossing them with unbending courage, the aborigines of our native land in their vast circle of death — these people, designs and events are collected and transplanted to the screen with authentic coloring and detail. The artisans who fashioned them have worked surely and accurately. Would you delight in a romance of old Seville? We recommend "Rosita." Would you go bicycling along quaint English highways? Then ride along with Mark Sabre in " If Winter Comes." Would you be enthralled in witnessing Lillian Gish's cloistered existence? Then follow her in "The White Sister." Would you be transplanted to ancient Paris — to its historic cathedral? Permit Lon Chaney to be your guide. Would you care to be involved in a fantastic net of intrigue? George Arliss, than whom there is no abler pantomimist, will make you forget time and environment. Would you live over the days of your forefathers who crossed the great divide and founded an empire in the West? Then trek along with the Liberty boys in " The Covered Wagon." Would you be ferried over to Staten Island by Commodore Vanderbilt or ride with Fulton on his majestic sail up the Hudson in his Clermont? Marion Davies will introduce yOu to the historic figures in " Little Old New York." Perhaps you would like an adventurous cruise aboard an American warship. We advise you to accompany the courageous " four striper " in " The Silent Command." Would you care to face frenzied revolutionists and enjoy the heartiest laugh of the season? Then by no means miss dashing along with Harold Lloyd in " Why Worry." Any audience viewing one or all of these features is certain to be royally entertained. The spectator will see production and interpretation at its best. New worlds and old worlds, realties and fancies — all are expressed under one title or another. A Review of Big Pictures Greater Movie Season IT has been written that the Fall of 1923 ushers in the Greater Movie Season. Certainly it looks like an exceptionally Open Season for Better Pictures. This array on Broadway will be augmented from time to time. A lew, doubtless, will he replaced by achievements now in the making. We hear .meat things of Douglas Fairbanks' newest effort, "The Thief of Bagdad;" DeMille's "The Ten Commandments;" Goldwyn's " Ben Hur " and " In the Palace of the King," and First National's " Potash and Perlmutter, " which, according to reports,s is one of the best satirical comedies ever made. The list is long. Meanwhile let us be content with the nine which have established such a precedent on Broadway. A few are destined to remain many weeks — even months. Witness the assault on the box-office at the Criterion, which houses " The Covered Wagon." Heretofore the Great White Way of New York has featured no more than or four screen attractions running in legitimate theatres. The nine offer mute testimony in the advancement of the screen. If it continues soaring to the heights what will be the outlook for next season? Will a new precedent be established? Surely there is no dearth of spoken plays. Yet they are held back because the screen magnates, sure of their wares, have stolen a march in ushering in their Greater Movie Season. Mary Pickford in Spain LET us see what these pictures have to offer. " Rosita," an adaptation of " Don Cesar de Bazan," thrusts Mary Pickford into a romance of old Seville — which is a marked departure for her. The Mary who was Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm has become a dramatic actress, the transition from shy girlhood to womanhood being accomplished deftly with a surety of touch and poise. Yet so excellently dovetailed are its scenes — so technically perfect its pattern that Mary, gifted actress that she is, never carries the entire burden of the story. It is a compliment to her ability to become a composite part of the dramatic scheme that makes " Rosita " so rich in color and background. It isn't a one-character tale, as marked "Daddy Long Legs," "Little Lord Fauntleroy " and " Tess of the Storm Country." It is peopled with so many figures and detail that one has time to catch the star in a new light. And she shines radiantly in scenes of exquisite charm, and also in K-enes which call for a flash of sophisticated comedy and emotional display. A new Mary — a different Mary, surely. This " Rosita " is a dashing tale. We are transported to old Seville — to the public square where the little capricious dancer sways the carnival crowds with her banjo and a few songs against her king. She executes a Spanish dance with all the verve of a native senorita. Those who are in the habit of never associating the star with her role, but merely see Mary Pickford in whatever she portrays will have to abandon this fancy. She lives her role. The picture is executed on a grandiose scale — with something Of a " grand opera " llourish about it. It is seasoned with romantic adventure, whimsical humor, a dash of crisp melodrama all of which elements are deftly balanced by Ernst Lubitsch, the German