Motography (Jan-Jun 1918)

272 MOTOGRAPHY Vol. XIX, No. 6 "Les Miserables" in Nine Short Reels Fox Production With William Farnum Is Cut to 8,400 Feet After Long and Carefully Thought Out Work WILLIAM FOX could not cut "Les Miserables" to eight reels. The William Farnum de luxe production therefore will go to exhibitors in nine short reels. Its total length, as the work stands completed, is substantially 8,400 feet, approximately 1,381 feet having been eliminated. This is about 400 feet short of the cuts which it had been proposed to make. ■"Shortening this picture to bring it within the length requirements of exhibitors has been one of the most difficult and heart-rending tasks ever imposed upon our organization," said William Fox. "Mr. Lloyd, the director, thought the limit had been reached when he turned the production over to us. The film then measured 13,000 feet. For the showing at the Lyric Theater in New York City we managed to cut it to 9,781 feet and our opinion then was that we could not possibly take out another inch. "We realized, however, that further curtailment would be expected before the picture was released and accordingly a very careful and exhaustive study of the possibilities was made during the whole of the time the production was being run in New York. We sought opinions from everyone. Representatives of all -departments of our organization saw the picture repeatedly, and finally, just prior to the last Lyric showing, all of these persons made a final inspection of the film and then submitted detailed, written reports suggesting every sort of cutting or trimming which they considered feasible. "An abstract of these suggestions, with others coming to us from outside sources, was made, and, using this as a basis, I began work with our editorial department on actual eliminations. The best we could do, however, was to reduce the total length to 8,400 feet. We did, it is true, actually get it lower than that, but I declined to let all of these eliminations stand. "There were some sacrifices I could not consent to make — sacrifices, not of the story value of the production, but of its artistic side. I insisted that these be restored and I think when exhibitors see the picture they will agree with me that there is not a scene of it, not an incident, that can be spared." Only two eliminations of sufficient length to be properly termed cuts have been made, according to the Fox management, and these are of the scenes showing Fantine leaving Cosette with the Thenardiers and of Jean Valjean's escape from prison. Fantine now is introduced for the first time as an employe of the mayor's factory in Malence. The other cut is only partial. The intention of Jean Valjean to escape is shown and following this he is seen being brought back by guards, the elimina 1 11* ^ite* Em**' a m <-■• i B»:.j\j ft M ^* fl^L J Itew ^Vflfl Wm rim V k ■ ikM jfc~"~— -■ w% ^^^^ 'jflii ^^^~i am H ■HEM|B **?E?*Ta 1 L "'y*VB*: 3^&#?"-;'' tion dealing with his dropping down the prison wall on a rope and with his attempt to elude the guards. The remainder of the eliminations are trims. The battle scenes have been shortened and so has the death scene. There also has been some slight shaving of the hero's experiences in the sewer and of the incident leading up to Javert's renunciation of his life-long policy of hounding Jean Valjean. The production, which is to be released February 10, was shown during the week of January 20 in the chain of Fox theaters in New York City and surrounding territory. At the historic Academy of Music, according to the Fox management, all records for both receipts and attendance were broken. The first day alone is said to have been the biggest day in the history of the academy and this in the face of the fact that many of the greatest productions of the stage have had their premiere there. Previous records had been held by "The Honor System." Clara Kimball Young Gets Rights to Elinor Glyn Novel Clara Kimball Young has obtained the moving picture rights to Elinor Glyn's much talked of novel, "The Reason Why," and is planning to make it her next Select production. The story was first published serially in a well-known magazine and later came out in covers as one of the most widely discussed books of the year. It deals with the tangled love affairs of a charming American girl and her English husband and provides as a setting for the unusually absorbing tale it unfolds the sort of romantic background for which the author is famous. The screen adaptation has been made by Mary Murillo. One of the high spots in "His Robe of Honor," just released by the W . W . Hodkinson corporation. Sidney Drews Are Robbed Mr. and Mrs. Sidney Drew have been robbed. Someone ran off with the safe of their Park avenue residence in New York, which contained many valuable manuscripts, the will of S. Rankin Drew, who is now an aviator in France, and a number of private papers — not to mention $4,000 worth of jewels belonging tn Mrs. Drew. At the time of the robbery, Mr. and Mrs. Drew were downtown in the Metro projection room showing their new fivereeler, "Pay Day," to Richard A. Rowland, Metro's president, and the Metro staff. The private papers, Rankin Drew's will, and the manuscripts were of far more importance to Mr. and Mrs. Drew than the jewels, and they are offering liberal rewards for their return.