Moving Picture World (Jul-Sep 1911)

614 THE MOVING PICTURE WORLD Classifications of the Drama. The drama i divided into Tragedy, Drama, Melodrama and nedy-Drania. The boundaries arc too lightly marked to be clearly defined. The tragedy of Shakespeare becomes the melodrama of the Jargon theater through localization and translation into the Germanized Hebrew that forms the Yiddish jargon. In "The Jewish King I. car,'' for instance, the Shakesperean story is followed, but so entirely changed in treatment as scarcely to be recognized. Most cowboy stories arc melodramatic because they are elemental and violent. The ranchero who steals the girl he loves by force of arms and wins her love by virtue of his deeds of daring is but Othello in action instead of narrative. Comedy drama is merely melodrama with the comedy clement made superior to the dramatic action, but, unlike true comedy, dependent upon the dramatic theme for interest and suspense. Simple drama occupies a place between melodrama and tragedy in that it lacks the violence of one and the loftiness of the other. The classification of a script i-. unimportant .so that the plot be virile, but as a general rule it is well to avoid the sordid and unclean, to keep the atmosphere wholesome and moral. Stories dealing with the lower walks of life, with thieves and thugs and the social outcast have but limited appeal. Such persons and places exist, but that is no reason why they should be employed. The clean minded young fellow who wins his way to success is a far more attractive figure than the shaking thief who pretends reform for the love of a Salvation Army worker and the young mechanic who keeps his face washed is to be preferred to the profligate scion of the newly rich whose occupation is seduction and the enrichment of saloon keepers. Probability is Demanded. While all photoplays should be reasonably probable, comedy permits some lattitude in this matter. The properly constructed photoplay offers none. A single false situation may destroy the probability of an entire play, one false note make jarring discord of the whole. The play that depends for its existence upon an improbable situation should not be written, and yet it frequently happens that offering is made of a manuscript that would •be impossible were probability demanded. If a rich resident of New York City is threatened by a lunatic with sudden death he does not immediately pack up •a few belongings and fly to Alaska. It is more probable that he would go to the nearest police station, procure the ■arrest of the insane person and obtain his incarceration in an asylum. If it is necessary to the story that the character should go to Dawson City some more probable reason for his presence in Alaska should be devised, and yet scores of manuscripts offer incidents no more probable than this. If an officer in the army should receive an appeal from a personal friend asking him to form his company into an impromptu vigilance society to rescue a heroine when the sheriff and a single deputy might work as effectively, it is improbable that the officer would court dismissal from the service even to oblige the picture producer. A body of cavalry might be more picturesque than a sheriff in his shirt •sleeves, but the story would be too improbable to gain respect. Audiences are quick to detect inaccuracies and arc apt to resent the implication that they are fools. Even when they cannot realize the exact fault they realize that there is something wrong and the story does not satisfy. Before a story is finally typed for submission it is well to offer it to some intelligent friend for criticism. If the objections offered cannot be promptly met the story should be worked over until it does gain probability. Minor points are of equal importance with the great. When the real criminal confesses, exonerating the innocent man who is in jail for the offense, his friends should not rush off to jail and procure his liberation. Either the Governor must issue a pardon or the ca-e must be reviewed before some court of competed jurisdiction. A district attorney does not issue warrants but obtains them from a court. Similar points in medical practice, railroad work or any other line must be observed if a story is to gain credence. Romantic Stories. The romance differs from the dramatic story in that the love interest predominates. But a romance should not present a Miccc-sion of scenes of love making. Kissing quickly becomes tiresome on the screen and most courtships seem absurd. It is better to make the story hinge upon the winning of the girl and write in the love making sparingly. All the world loves a lover and is interested in his success, but the lover imM be worth while to gain favor and the limply helpless suitor is as much to be avoided as the man who loves illicitly. Stories of the passion of a man for a married woman, or of a woman for a married man have no place in photoplay no matter how popular they may be on the dramatic stage. The preponderance of children among photoplay patrons is not the only reason why romance should be kept clean, for. the photoplay makes its greater appeal to the clean minded, now that the lurid film is in a pleasing minority, and the best liked story is clean and decent. Novelty in proposal, the ingenious surmounting of obstacles and the overcoming of opposition are the leading themes, but the possibilities of the love story are practically limitless, depending wholly upon the inventiveness of the author. The story of the unusual courtship is that most desired and a touch of comedy to relieve the burden of sentiment is advisable. One great error is the belief that the romance ends with the marriage ceremony. There are many pretty romances which have their commencement where custom has decreed that romance ends. The field is worth while in that it is so little worked. As a general thing it is well to hold the interest to the girl, though this rule does not always hold good, and it is always risky to place the girl in a false light. No one can get interested in a silly little fool. Make her wayward, but do not make her idiotic. Most love stories have been written, since love is the favored theme. It only remains to rewrite them interestingly and with as much novelty of incident as possible. THE REX THEATER. With the opening of the Rex Theater, at 6017 Penn Avenue, East End, Pittsburg, Pa., the public of the E. E. shopping district were given the opportunity of admiring moving pictures in one of the nicest moving picture houses in the city. This house is very elaborately finished both inside Rex Theater, Pittsburg, Pa. and out, so as to withstand the criticism of the most discriminating theater goer. The cool colors predominate in the decorative scheme, which is very effectively brought out. Everything has been done to insure perfect comfort to the moving picture fans that patronize this theater, the installation of the most perfect ventilating system in this city being one of the notable features. The seats are cozy, the floor being sloped toward the curtain, so that the picture may be seen, even over the picture hats that refuse to come off. Its seating capacity is 300. A regulation No. 2 asbestos booth with two No. 6 Powers machines provides the projection, which is exceptionally good. The throw is 1 10 ft. on a__i5 x 18 curtain. A $5,000 electric organ, the largest in this city, is used only during the day; at night a uniformed six-piece lady orchestra furnishes the music, rhe program consists of three late run Independent films. Mr. Max W. Herring is the general manager and one of the owners. '