Photoplay (Jul - Dec 1916)

94 Photoplay Magazine "I was considering the production in pictures of the history of the American people. This got into the papers. From all over the country I was strongly advised that this was not the time for a picture on the American revolution, because the English and their sympathizers would not take kindly to the part the English played in the wars of the American revolution, and that the pro-Germans would not care to see the Hessians enact their harsh roles in the narrative of our freedom. "Bernard Shaw spoke fatefully and factfully when he said : 'The danger of the cinema is not the danger of immorality, but of morality ; people who, like myself, frequent the cinemas testify to their desolating romantic morality.' " "Do you anticipate a similar fight when your 'Mother and the Law' picture is produced?" Griffith was asked. "T hat depends upon what degree of success I achieve in my efforts to portray Truth in the picture." That remark sounds as if it had been made by Columbus, Socrates, Christ. Gallileo, Robert Emmett. Joan of Arc, Guttenberg. and the others of the holy and noble army of martyrs of sodden. stupid, blear-eyed disgust at Truth, inevitably frowned at first by the mass of human kind. After all Mr. Griffith only uttered a commonplace. This bit of romantic comedy w t ' from Birth of a Nation," exquisite in its fine ness, and electric in its quick relief of a serious situation, was voted "immoral and degrading" by a state board of censors! The players are Lillian Gish and W. F. Freeman. Try it yourself ! If you have a glimmering of a great fact, if you can prove that a certain line of thought or action has been wrong, pitch your truth to the world and then turn tail and run like hell fire, or you will be immersed in that very same ! "If I approach success in what I am trying to do in my coming picture,'' continued the creator, "I expect a persecution even greater than that which met 'The Birth of a Nation.' ' Out and about Los Angeles, people still talk about the making of "The Clansman." Some of Griffith's stockholders also still talk and mourn o v e r his exactitude— and its cost. Something over 1 50,000 feet of negative was exposed in the making of this, and of this about 30.000 was "assembled for the making of the thirteen reels." from which the final production— less than 12.000 feet — was selected. All the technical science used was Griffith's own devising. A new feature was the taking of battle scenes at night by the use of deftly placed artificial lights. These scenes look simple enough in the picture, but they were the object of repeated experiments and they caused all manner oi excitement : the light illuminated the >kie-~. and the explosions wne the basis for many interesting rumors of foreign fleets attacking the California Co;tst. The November installment of Mr. Gordon's absorbing narrative does not. we hope, end Mr. Griffith's life story; but it does conclude this series, for it brings his career and his achievements down to the moment. Heretofore these chapters have recalled, in fascinating style, incidents, people and achievements which have gone before. The next and concluding installment deals with the great new picture, the present moment, and the future. It is a bit of thrilling foretelling you can't afford to miss. Anybody can make a guess at the pictorial future. Only Griffith can predict. And here is his prediction. Magnificent illustrations.