Picturegoer (1921)

V, RCH 1921 THE PICTUR&GOtR 23 jring a fatal tendency on his part to Jt in on scenes in which he should not 3e appeared, he did very well on the During their work on the railway the iK'ers became thoroughly conversant iTi life on the iron road. Ivy Close 1 to drive a railway engine ; and, tjrecl in a suit of grimy overalls, jelled in the novelty of her role. { all the while, the Wheel of Life revolving. We must work farther fid," said Abel Gance ; ■\ then it was good-bye Nthe studio by the railm. Some medieval scenes J? filmed next ; and jjr that the . producer > his players to prepare win ascent of Mont Blanc. Mhades of Mahomet ! a modern producer has night the mountain to i| movies many times, m a few hundred tons fUlt. But Abel Gance ■ted upon the real thing. f We are going to Ind Mont Blanc ! " Innounced. " And ^ are going where Ikinema players ah been before." I liey did. An intrepid Ml of thirty-three — Ivy We was the only feminMnember of the party — H<ed their way nearly Ithe summit of the ■pus mountain. And ie, amidst the regions ||ternal snow, Gance secured ■ruly remarkable series of kj.ires. Biere were daj's when fearful snow Irns and avalanches placed the little ■1 of movie adventurers in peril of lr lives, but they stuck to their work in Ic of every hardship. |»nce Ivy Close, losing her foot-hold on a er, slid for a distance of two hunii feet, and only the prompt ■"vention of one of the guides lid her life. The plucky actress Bained severe cuts and bruises ■ugh her fall, and was unconIjis for some days. But she ejires optimistically that the reBint film was worth it all. And now Abel Gance is about to give to the world the result of his labours. Apart from the difficulties detailed above the filming of The Wheel has necessitated endless care and patience. Thousands of feet of negative have been expended, for Gance is a producer who is satisfied with nothing less than perfection. He employs two separate operators for all shots, and films each scene on the average about twenty times. He is one of those producers who believe in taking camera-men and players into their confidence, and endless are the conferences incidental to the filming of an important scene. As an example of his thoroughness, it is recorded that Gance took two days to secure a close-up of a man's hand. Verily The Wheel should be a great picture. But something will have to be done about Abel Gance. If he goes on like this he will be raising the standard of the photoplay. Then the public, educated to better productions, will probably have something to say about machine made pictures. Abel Gance has started something. Let us hope that other people will carry on with the good. work. If all producers had been as conscientious, there would be no talk of a kinema slump. Think of this when you sit in the modem picture theatre watching a programme that is two years behind the times. Filming a scene on the slopes of Mont Blanc. Romuald Joube and Ivy Close are seen in the foreground