Photoplay (Jan - Jun 1926)

^/^pW^ Brickbats 6? Bouquets Three prizes to be given every month for the best letters — $25, $10 and $5 LETTERS FROM READERS $25.00 Letter Montreal, Canada. My biggest bouquet goes to George Fitzmaurice for his direction of the most beautiful picture I have ever seen, "The Dark Angel." One to Ronald Colman for his portrayal of an English gentleman, and one to Yilma Banky for her flawless acting. I know of no leading man who could have played that role with such delicacy and refinement as did Ronald Colman. Vilma Banky will rise to great heights if they do not spoil her. She has beauty and refinement, combined with perfect technique. It is extremely unpleasant to contemplate what they might make her into: an over-marcelled, over-made-up unnatural puppet. Being an exceedingly hard-boiled fan, it is a relief to view a picture which has the power to make one forget it is a film; which has beauty, pathos and romance without the slightest hint of sex. Those who claim the public demands sex plays are wrong, as the box office returns from "The Dark Angel" have probably proven by this time. Please publish a picture of Ronald Colman in your gallery. Marian Brownridge. $10.00 Letter New York City. I love art, maybe because I am Italian. Every week I go to the opera and it is only reccntly that I have taken a liking to the moving picture. It is very seldom that art is really seen on the screen. The actors which I call iirtistic are Ramon Novarro, Richard Barthelmess, Lewis Stone, Valentino (in "The Four Horsemen" only), and Neil Hamilton. Stars like Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks and Marion Davies generally have the stories built around them. Is that art? Ramon Novarro is an artist, a man — he lives! Unfortunately such men are out of fashion in 1 In p resen I da\ . I do not mean .1 Don Juan, but an Ivanhoe, a Radames — men that are noble, true, and most of all, human. I hope Mr. Novarro will accept my congratulations for having introduced Art into the moving picture. Luisa Galli. $5.00 Letter Buffalo, N. Y. May I take this opportunity to express my opinion of the play and the players of "The Merry Widow?" First I shall send the Sowers to John Gilbert 12 The readers of Photoplay are invited to write this department — to register complaints or compliments — to tell just what they think of pictures and players. We suggest that you express your ideas as briefly as possible and refrain from severe personal criticism, remembering that the object of these columns is to exchange thoughts that may bring about better pictures and better acting. Be constructive. We may not agree with the sentiments expressed, but we'll publish them just the same! Letters should not exceed 150 words and should bear the writer's full name and address. and Roy D'Arcy. To them go the honors of the acting, and to the director. Eric von Stroheim, goes much credit for his handling of this production. After his usual realistic pictures, this was a welcome change, and extremely well clone. Its inconsistency, I blame on Mae Murray. It is inconceivable to me how the fans ever tolerate so frothy an actress as Miss Murray. One could hardly call her "actress," rather model, as posing seems to be her specialty. Miss Murray seems to think that her figure is one of the seven wonders of the world. There are many other beautiful figures in filmdom that are not so blatantly displayed as hers. One gets a trifle tired of close-ups of limbs and lips. I know Miss Murray has a following — but to what type of people does she appeal? Certainly not to lovers of good acting. An inconsistency in "The Merry Widow" is this: the town was too small to supjx>rt a proper hotel, yet it had a gorgeous big theater, Secondly, Miss Murray depicts a sweet little innocent ballet dancer, yet wears as few clothes as possible and acts startled when the hero tries to kiss her! Then Gilbert is shown looking through his glasses at her face — very touching, that. Yet he plots to get her to his rooms, spills soup to gel her to lake oft" her dress and then makes violent love to her. I'm not a prude simply because 1 object to Miss Murray's undress parade, but one doesn't like having nudity thrown in one's face. A little subtlety goes much further and is a great deal more appreciated. Vevie Spencer. Gloria Making Too Many Dover. Delaware. Miss Swanson has been making far too many pictures. It is always better to make one good picture now and then than a series of mediocre ones. I am sure everybody would rather see Gloria just once or twice a year, and with a leading man that has some box office attraction. They seem to expect Miss Swanson to do it all. It isn't fair, nor is it possible. We want Gloria Swanson in pictures like "Zaza," "The Humming Bird" and "A Society Scandal." Delaware. Well, Mr. Lasky? Hartford. Conn. I want to throw a brickbat at Famous Players-Lasky Corporation. Why can't they give us a definite statement as to the re-issuing of Wally Reid's pictures? If they are trying to give the fans what they want, why don't we get these pictures? This company is sacrificing the respect of the fans by not announcing what they intend to do. one way or the other, in this matter. We want to see Wally on the screen again. If Photoplay is going to continue serving its readers as it does, it should try to get what we demand. Lasky's won't listen to one or two people. Let's see your grit, readers, and make this a fight to the finish — either getting Wally Reid pictures back again, or knowing why we can't. Bex Rosenberg. Cecil Slipped On This Sail Lake City, Utah. Congratulations to Cecil B. DeMille for picking "The Center of Scenic America" for the world premiere of "The Road to Yesterday." But have you ever witnessed two locomotives in a head-on collision, and seen one go clear through the other, and then tear into the train, with not even its front end dented? F. B. Merrill. Howe vs. Ziegfeld Detroit. Mich. Monsieur Herbert Howe certainly let himself in for something when he attempted to emulate Paris. Still, it had to be done sooner or later. According to the avalanche of protest from the critics. Herb is better as Herbert Howe than as Ziegfeld. [ CONTINUED ON PAGE IlS ]