The Moving picture world (November 1921)

November 26. 1921 MOVING PICTURE WORLD 401 Raymond Wells on Way to Mesopotamia to Shoot" Scenes for Sacred Films IT was 11 a. m. when the telephone bell in Raymond Wells' room in the Astor Hotel jangled. "I'll be right down," he said in answer to a question from the lobby. "Just got up; shaving; won't take me two minutes." It is said to be a way with genius that it can accomplish in so much shorter time what other mortals take so much longer to do. This statement, however, has nothing at all to do with the rapidity of Mr. Wells' toilette, but is made to indicate that Mr. Wells can lie abed until the near mid-day sun is doing its near noon-day duty and still have time left over in which to accomplish his own tasks. However, it didn't take him any longer than the time he had set before he made his appearance in th ■ lobby. Mr. Wells has all the appearances of the typical movie-director, or at least the appearances of what it is generally supposed the movie-directors look like. He is tall and wears a soft felt hat at an artistic angle and his eyes have something of the far away look of the dreamer and at the same time a hint of cold, commanding hauteur that you'd associate with those of a captain of finance. But evidently the characteristics of a captain of finance which his eyes imply are somewhat foreign to his make-up, for, said he, when the reason for his coming to New York was broached: "I'll tell you one thing right off the reel, and that is that I had a tough time getting the money to go ahead with the making of these pictures." You'd hardly believe it possible though that he could have had difficulty in procuring funds if you had heard him speak convincingly and enthusiastically about his work as he did after he had led the way to the Hotel Astor's dining room for his noon-day breakfast. Go Abroad for Scenes "It's like this," he said. "It isn't so much the pictures themselves that I'm interested in for their own sake, but the fact that they will present the Bible on the screen in an entertaining way and bring before millions of persons its marvellous truths — persons whom it would not reach in any other way." These pictures, it might be well to state here, are those of the Sacred Films, Inc., and Mr. Wells is on his way to Mesopotamia now to make "shots" of a desert caravan to be used in the film story of Abraham and Sarah. After that he is coming back to this country and stay until June, when he will go again into Asia Minor and Egypt to arrange to make films of a picture to be titled "Joseph and His Brethren." The Sacred Films, Inc., already has released "Creation," "Cain and Abel," "Noah's Ark" and "The Deluge." 104 Pictures .Utoiielhrr "There are going to be 104 pictures altogether," Mr, Wells stated. "Fach one will tell a separate story and be complete in itself, and still there will be a continuity that will link them all together. And they're all going to be paid for with Ainerican money, and that money, as far as possible, is going to be spent in this country, and actors who are native Americans will be hired for nearly all of the roles. I state these facts with perfect plainness so as to prevent any misunderstanding and forestall any antagonism tn the films by those who might otherwise think that our money is being spent too far away from home, and on cheap, foreign labor. "These pictures also, while they will, of course, be instructive, will have a great entertainment value, too, and the plan is to have them first released to the theatres, and after that churches and schools and other institutions will have second call on them. I want to make it plain that exhibitors need not fear they will have competition as long as the pictures are drawing cards in the theatres." By r. S. daPONTE In these statements of Mr. Wells the characteristics of the hard-headed business man were plainly evident, and it was these features concerning his work that he emphasized in the first part of his talk. But as the sun brightened what had been all morning a somewhat gloomy day, and suddenly flooded the hotel dining roorn with brilliancy his ideas seemed to turn from strict business and wander into the realm of fancy and vision and remembrance. Eiu;er to Film Bib!e "Do you know," he said, "that I think I'm the luckiest fellow in the world to be chosen to put the Bible into pictures ? Since my earliest childhood I've been well acquainted with all of its stories and since I have been identified with moving pictures I've been eager to put them on the screen where I thought their visualization could be of so much help to everybody. "When I was a very little chap my mother bought a child's Bible for me, and it was full of pictures and she used to point the pictures out to me and tell me the stories of them in a simple, sweet way, that I could understand. RAYMOND WELLS And these pictures I am making now I look on in the light of a monument to my mother. She taught me to understand them, and I hope to bring an understanding of them to millions of others. "But it was a hard time 1 had in raising the money to be able to put these ideas of mine across. Finally I went to some very rich men who had ideals and vision, and they immediately thought well of the plan. And since I've had so much dealing with these men I've come to the conclusioivthat rich men, as a rule, are very idealistic, don't you think so? Those that arc behind nie in this project did not consider at all the cost, or the profit that would accrue to them, but they were perfectly willing to go ahead with these pictures for the sake of an ideal, and for their belief in the good that they could accomplish. Will Accoiiiflislt Much Cood "And I am certainly sure that the Bible put into moving picture form is capable of accomI)lishing quite as much good as they look for it to do. There is so much in it that can be presented so simply, and yet carry such a strong appeal. "I am not what one would call a religious man, I'll admit, but taking the Bible by and large aside from the picture possibilities it contains I consider it the most extraordinary collection of documents that w'as ever gathered together. Why, it stated truths that it has taken latter day science to verify. In going through its pages I have come across statements that simply knocked me flat ! "Take, for instance, the quotation from Job — or at least I believe it was Job — 'He hangeth the North over the empty place.' This has been verified recently by the installation of the big telescope at Mount Lowe, California, which clearly shows that beyond the North Star there is absolutely no other stars in the heavens, and this is the only part of the firmainent that is not dotted with masses of brilliant bodies as far as it has been vouchsafed to humans to see. "And then again you can find it said : 'He hangeth the World upon nothingness.' Doesn't that show that the Bible was the work of those who realized that the earth is set by itself in space ages and ages before the idea that it was supported on some solid foundation gave place to the theories of Columbus? "As T have said I am not what might be called a strictly religious man, but there are self-evident truths which no one can deny and which strengthen my belief in the Master Mind back of it all. It has all been arranged in so orderly a way — the movements of the comets and planets throughout the universe are so exactly timed, and ." Larry Calls "Time" This mention of time seemed to break in suddenly on the consciousness of Larry Weingarten, advertising manager of the Sacred Films, Inc., who was also partaking of his noon-day breakfast along with Mr. Wells, and whose duties also consist largely of taking care of the business features of Mr. Wells' affairs. Therefore the mention of "time" brought suddenly to Mr. Weingarten's mind the realization that Mr. Wells had a business appointment within the next few moments and the time was limited in which he could discourse upon the inovements of the stars. Mr. Weingarten looked hastily at his watch. "Come on, Ray, we'll have to beat it," he said as he rose from the table ; "have to keep that other appointment, you know." And as he walked toward the door he continued : "Wells was saying that he isn't exactly religious. Well, if being a regular scrapper bars him from the religious category he's certainly right. Why, some time ago on a trip to New York, I was with him when he tied up in a peach of a scrap right in the heart of Broadway. At the time with him also was an official of the Interchurch World Movement, and he turned to him after he had socked his opponent for a goal. 'Well,' he said to the churchman, 'I guess you're ofif me for life now.' "Much to our surprise the gentleman of the" cloth replied, 'No, Raymond, if you hadn't socked that big guy I was getting ready to do it myself.' " Buys Wyant Story It has just been announced by Realart that a story has been purchased for early production which was written by Leigh Wyant. The author-actress, though having been connected with the screen for a short time, has attained considerable prominence. As "Beauty" in "Experience," she became widely known, later appearing in a leading role in "Fair and Warmer." Miss Wyant has also appeared in support of Wanda Hawley in two Realart productions.