Movie Pictorial (May 1915)

MOVIE PICTORIAL D^D □ Kg SHgj ® ® 51 515^ □ £1 □ REAlIsFIn THE MOVIES 63! ... □SO: HQH HDH H S3 HDH sag HQ® !! A Department for the Discussion of Films Possessing or Lacking Realism Conducted by Our Readers Your help toward the accomplishment aimed at by this department is requested. Send in your criticisms. Do not hesitate- Join your efforts with ours. A prize of $5.00 is given each month to the con- tributor of the criticism deemed most worthy, be it either for or against the film. Address all communications to the Realism editor. HUH HUH HQg Hag Hag Hag HaH Hug Hug HHS A Sharp Point. A NY big industry catering to /\ the popular demands is bene- / \ fited by the open, frank opinions of its followers. And no propaganda can be helped more in this manner, than Motion Pictures. Earnest criticism is in- valuable to those organizations who, with a commanding unity of effort, gather from many sources, inspira- tions and ideals and develop them into vehicles of diversified entertain- ment for millions of people. This is the keynote of this page—a page dependent upon you, our readers, for its accomplishment. As has been said before, this department desires and encourages expression from the film organizations at any time, all to the end for realism in the movies. We herewith publish a letter re- ceived from Mr. J. Oliver Tucker anent a part of Mrs. J. A. Hogan’s criticism printed in the March issue. We will all be interested and further- more feel a flash of gratification in the fact that the efforts of the con- tributors to this page, all directed to a single goal, have been noticed. Los Angeles, Cal. Realism Editor, Chicago, 111. Dear Sir: I desire to correct the error into which Mrs. J. A. Hogan has innocently fallen regarding Tillie’s Punctured Romance, as evidenced by her criticism in the March issue. She questions the realism of the film because it appears that the guide telephones the news of the death of Mr. Banks across the sea from the “Alps” to America. Tillie’s Uncle was not climbing the Alps but he was climb- ing some mountains in San Bernardino Co., Cal., fifty miles from Los Angeles. This is clearly shown by the newspaper clipping thrown on the screen an- nouncing his death on Mt. Baldy, which is geographically known as Mt. San Antonio. The telephone used was not peculiar to foreign countries but is common to America. Yours truly, J. Oliver Tucker. Winner of the $5.00 Prize. A_tlanta Cxci In “The Girl on the Trestle,” a’Kalem recently released, the young girl oper- ator, after the trestle has been partly blown and partly burned away, crosses on the suspended rails, to which are attached a few scattered cross ties, while the fire still rages beneath her. She wears a white blouse, and not only does she swing from the suspended rails by her hands, when it would appear that, ‘from the time the fire has been burning, the rails should be almost red hot, but when she finally reaches the other bank she not only presses her hands to her face, without leaving the smallest mark upon her fair cheeks, but her blouse is still spotless. Again, why let the three miners follow her, run- ning across the ravine, spanned by the trestle, and arrive on the other side almost as she did? It would appear that she had been foolish to have crossed the trestle, when she could have gone around. The first part of the picture is well done, it is a railroad story that a rail- road man can enjoy, the car of explo- sives, left at the way station by the local freight, is not only handled by what is apparently a real train crew, but the car comes up to the U. S. Government Regulations on the handling of Ex- plosives. The telegraph work is also good; in fact, with the exception of the hot rails being handled bare handed, the entire action is good. Yours truly, J. P. Power. A Well Aimed Criticism. New Orleans, La. In a recent release called “In the Jury Room” either Reliance or Than- houser there are two or three glaring errors. The story tells of a young married man, whose wife had been re- stored to health by a certain doctor at a great sacrifice on the physician’s part, his own wife dying while he attended the patient. This same young man had formerly been employed in a factory and discharged by the manager who was very cruel to his employes. As the story runs on we learn that the man- ager and the doctor have had a quarrel and the manager is shot by a burglar while the doctor had left the room for a few minutes. The doctor is arrested and tried for murder. In this picture we see that the young married man reads of the murder in the morning paper and just as he has shown the article to his wife he receives a jury notice. Afterwards he is selected as a juryman and while in the jury room stands out as one against eleven and tells his story of his per- sonal experience with both the dead man and the doctor. As a result the jury declares the man “Not Guilty.” The defects are these: In the first place, who ever heard of a man be- ing tried within a week after the crime, in the United States? Even if the notice received had been for appearance before the jury commissioners and the usual delay of a month or two before actual jury service and that all records were broken for speedy trials in that state, do you think for a moment that a person as well acquainted with both the accused and the murdered man would be accepted by either the state or the defense as a suitable person to try the case? Hardly. I have never seen a picture with such a far-fetched plot and it really has no excuse for being produced. The acting was splendid but there could be nothing to offset the errors in the story. O. J. Dunn. A Back Room in a House Built on a Hill? Atlanta, Ga, “What Happened to Jones” is the name of a World Corporation comedy, but the funniest thing about it to me is how the second floor of a house got to be so close to the ground. Jones, to escape the cops, dons clothes intended for the expected new bishop and poses as him in a girls’ seminary. When the real bishop arriyes, fearing complica- tions, Jones leads him up the stairs to his room and later locks the door. After a while, the bishop finding the door locked, goes to the window, raises it, and walks out, that “second-story” win- dow being not more than four feet from the ground, and the first story was no where in sight. Wonder what be- came of it? A. R. Spielberger. What Kind of Water Do They Use ? Birmingham, Ala. In the 10th episode, Exploits of Elaine, detective Craig Kennedy enters a deep pit, which is partly filled with water to rescue Elaine where she had been placed by Dan the Duke. During the course of rescue he wades in water up to his shoulders and then comes out at the top with his clothes perfectly dry and showing no signs whatever of hav- ing been in the water. G. R. Watkins. Three in One Episode. New Orleans, La. Last night I witnessed a Zudora episode (Thanhouser) in which Zudora was a prisoner on an island. She was given a long narrow book in which to write a note. (The book resembled an account book which always contains ruled pages.) She turned the book ci'oss-ivise and wrote across length of page. The “hag” took book into next room where Mme. Du Val picked up the page without tearing it out (perhaps it was a loose page). Audience was then shown note. But, alas! it was written across the width of a single sheet of unruled, tablet size page. In the same episode, Storm, Hunt and Baird rescue Zudora by means of a skiff. All were dressed in business suits. Hunt and Baird get into a launch leaving Storm to row Zudora to shore. When they reach home Storm has made a complete change and was wearing a “Prince Albert” coat. Again, Radcliffe, on board a steamer, put the diamonds into a rubber hot water bag and inflated it. He was too slow in screwing on cap as the air had escaped and the bag was flat when he slipped it beneath his coat. He went up on deck, threw bag overboard to be picked up by friends. During short time bag was in water I noticed it was full of air which kept it afloat. Observant. Los Angeles, Cal. Speaking of realism in pictures far be it for me to add one word of criti- cism to that wonderful Photo-drama by D. W. Griffith, “The Clansman,” but, did they wear hatpins in those days? Lillian Gish certainly wore one in this play in two different hats (and a white, one at that). This is a very small detail I know, but very plain to me, as I am always looking for “Real- ism” in so far as I understand pictures and the age they are supposed to repre- sent. N. S. E. An Uninvited Worker-Guest. Dallas, Texas. In witnessing “The Disillusionment of Jane,” a Broncho production at the Crystal Theater today, my attention was attracted to an unusual scene. The scene was a barn dance at the “Higgins Home,” supposed, of course, to be at night. In the course of love-making between Norton and Jane, which took place in the barnyard, a chicken was seen leisurely scratching and picking up whatever it saw fit to eat. Anyone who knows anything about the nature of chickens will agree that at this time of the night, fowls are al- ways peacefully slumbering on the perch. This scene would doubtless have been more real with the omission of the busy hen. J. B. R. A Lightning Change Artist. New Orleans, La. With a determination to shake off the annoyance of business I spent the evening among the “movies.” It was my good fortune on this occasion to witr ness a good “bill” all the way through. One of the productions was a Lubin drama in two acts entitled “The Un- married Husband.” The hero of this play was a very precise young man, oc- cupying a position as clerk in the office of a money-loving and crafty old law- yer. - . ' The young man was noted for his punctuality, to such an extent that trades-people along his route from his lodgings to his office, never failed to set their timepieces by him as he passed a certain corner. The time at which he would reach this corner was always ten minutes of eight, and passing the group of trades-people thereon, bowed as he proceeded on his way J;o the of- fice, invariably arriving there as the clock pointed to the hour of eight; ten minutes being consumed in walking the distance between the above mentioned corner and the office. This was his rule for fourteen years without missing a day. In keeping with his correctness as to time, he was correct in his attire, wear- ing clothes that denoted a character professional—tall hat, long black coat and trousers, black tie and gloves. The inevitable happened with the young man—he had a “love affair,” and after these fourteen years of timing his departure from home so accurately as to pass a given point at a certain time, he gave way to his feelings, and in the embrace of his wife one morning for- got, for 10 minutes, the outside world. The group who gathered daily to regu- late their watches were astounded when “The Young Man” finally came along, 10 minutes behind the usual time. He was attired in his accustomed garb— tall hat, long black coat and trousers, tie, gloves, etc., and hurrying along to his office, reached there 10 minutes be- hind the hour of eight, but for some reason or other as he entered the door he was dressed, as any ordinary young man, in a business suit, spring overcoat, soft felt hat and minus gloves. Possibly he was a lightning change artist. Thomas J. Tully, Jr. A Privileged Character. Bellingham, Wash. In the two reel Kalem feature, “In the Hands of the Jury,” the villain was indeed a privileged character. It was the old story in which the hero finds the dead body and is accused of the murder. The man had evidently died of acci- dental poisoning in the presence of the villain who robbed the corpse and hiked. The villain was summoned to appear on the jury. In the trial scene Mr. Villain was called from the jury to the witness stand, where he seemed to testify against the hero, and then he marched serenely back to the jury seat where he was the only one to stand for the conviction. The jury would have had a long session had not the heroine discovered the guilty man’s hat in the home of the dead man. It was not clear how she knew whose hat it was, but anyway every thing turned out all right. Since when have witnesses at a trial been allowed to sit in the jury, or vice versa? If stenographers, office girls, and lady bookkeepers must wear curls why not pin them up on the head where they belong instead of letting them hang about the shoulders. Business women in real life are supposed to look the part. In another Kalem reel, “The Open Draw-Bridge” the plot was based upon the struggle to open the draw-bridge so that a train which was to take a criminal to prison, would have to stop so that his pals could aid him to escape. Since a train must always stop at a draw-bridge whether it is open or not, the whole plot was very unreal. G. L. S. It Was Too Easy. Syracuse, N. Y. It seems to me that the masks used in “The Million Dollar Mystery” should cover the features entirely. As they are, a person blowing one or more of the men could'^cognize them at a glance. I believe t "at in reality all such secret orders have the masks come well below the ears. Agnes Miller. Did They Forget? Farwell, Texas. I saw a mistake in the sixteenth epi- sode of “The Million Dollar Mystery.” In the preceding episodes, Florence’s companion went by the name of Susan Farlow, but when Susan becomes sud- denly ill the subtitle announces it as Miss Ware. Now, I wonder why that was? Walter McDonald. A String of Them! Kellogg, Iowa. In the Indian wars re-fought by the United States soldiers, one scene shows a company of cavalrymen on the march; with them were a half a dozen or more dogs. Do you call this 1869 or 1915? Another scene shows Indians sur- rounding wagon camp. Men prepare to defend it. Horses are tied in pairs be- hind wagons; men fight behind and in front of horses; Indians massacre all ex- cept two women, yet there wasn’t a horse killed. Does this look like realism? Later, Indians set fire to wagons, when the soldiers come. It shows wagons with their covers gone, the wagons good as ever. I remarked to a friend of mine, “I thought the wagons were burned.” He replied with a laugh, “I guess they called out the fire department.” Now for something else. In the tenth episode of “The Perils of Pauline,” Pauline is thrown into an old deserted house; there is a telephone in the room in which she is imprisoned; she starts to telephone for help but is pushed away by the villain who tears the telephone from its wires, throwing it upon the floor. Later Pauline sets the phone in an old chair and phones to Harry. It must have been a new invention that could be used as a wireless telephone. What was the telephone doing in the house, because the telephone company always disconnects or takes out the tel- ephone after the tenant moves out? Glenn Pollard. Some Little Oversights! Belleville, Ont. In “For His Father’s Life” (Eclair), the son starts for the drug store on a grey horse that is saddled. In the next scene, he is on a white, unsaddled horse, at an Indian camp. In the scene follow- ing, he is back on the saddled, grey horse again. In “The Lady of the Island” (Imp), the dog is supposed to swim from the island with a note for help. Then it shows a close-up of > the . dog swimming, with a stick in its mouth! In (Biograph) “As It Might Have Been,” the father goes to the station after his runaway daughter, wearing a white shirt. When he returns, his shirt is dark in color. Howard Black. A Dressed- Up Fight! Omaha, Neb. Anent Realism, why do you suppose it was so important that Jim Norton (Million Dollar Mystery) should keep his hat on during a life-and-death struggle? Jim deliberately broke his hold on his quarry for the very evident purpose of adjusting his hat, which was about to fall off. See the struggle of Jones and Norton with two of the Black Hundred, which took place near the picture of Hargreave’s, in Florence’s room. If this is not a contribution in the interest of Realism, it is certainly “a hoss on Jim!” C. B. Watson.