Picture-Play Magazine (Sep 1921 - Feb 1922)

84 What the Fans Think These eulogies need small qualifications, because, on the other hand, many a production, hailed enthusiastically in America, is received with derogatory criticism in Britain. Our press has — as mentioned before — often influenced the public here to these opinions, but there is more than that behind it, which I can best illustrate by the much-discussed De Mille picture, "Male and Female." I belong to a famous Scottish university of which J. M. Barrie is the present Lord Rector. IsTaturally, many of the students turned out to see their Lord Rector's famous play as mirrored through an American producer's eyes. The consensus of opinion was unanimous. For once, the star potentiality which Britain wants so much from America, failed. It was a unique case of quintessential play. It was spoilt by putting the stars before the story. Let me repeat that in most plays the star is the attraction. But it is fatal to subject a Barrie story to this test. Thomas Meighan and Gloria Swanson are individually distinctive where they work in a medium which needs their help and personality. "The Admirable Critchton" needs nobody's distinctive pei"sonality to make it attractive. It possesses perennial attractions that not even the greatest names in filmdom could supersede. This the British public found out all too quickly because they went to see the play, not the stars. I wish that the American producers would recognize that Bert Lytell is the only American star who can wear a monocle, and that they would stop laying stress on the stock-monocled English lord. The lord is effete over here ; his monocle is buried with Mid-Victorian dandj-isms. Eugene O'Brien, M. A. 21 Strawberry Bank, Dundee, Scotland. Appreciation from a Small Town. We small-town folks do not get to see the late productions imtil they are old to every one else, but we surely do appreciate them when they reach us. I have read just everything about Gloria Swanson, but have never seen her work until lately, and in "Male and Female." She is surely wonderful, and not only she, but the entire cast of that play made it the best I have ever seen. Why can't we have more like it from all the picture companies? Several nights ago I saw Geraldine Farrar in "The Woman and the Puppet." Nearly half the audience left the theater before the picture was over. Why? Simply' because there was no real human interest in the story, and the acting Avas not real. Give us more of Gloria, Bebe, Norma, Wes Barry and Wally. Mrs. E. King. Auburn, Indiana. By Way of a Suggestion. After I've seen a motion picture that was all De Milled up with fancy bathtubs and chandeliers and trailing chiffons I like to go to a Charlie Ray picture and get a glimpse of a real human being. Mind you, I like both of them about equally well, but after I've seen a picture that's pretty much all background, I like to see one that is pretty much foreground — meaning close-ups of Charlie. Now, lately, I've been wondering why a real human, engrossing story couldn't be enacted without any setting at all. The producers of nature pictures have shown that they could make brooks and streams and mountains hold an audience's interest without the aid of actors or story; now, why can't some enterprising director con Continued from [jage 74 trive a story that could be told entirely by actors without dependence on any setting? Surely the actors aren't going to sit back while we mfer that nature is more enthralling than art ! A. J. DeCourcey. 143 jMyrtle Avenue, Denver, Colorado. In Praise of Cecil B. De MiUe. I wish to speak in praise of Cecil B. De jNIille. Somewhere I read that he was the director of 1921. He is, indeed, and he richly deserves the title. But since so many persons give Mr. Griffith the first place, and bestow upon him praise that exceeds all bounds, I presume I shall have to draw some comparison between the work of these two. The Griffith pictures are, I gladly grant, wonderful. But curiously enough, in one respect they are in the same style : they are all about poor, or, at best, middle-class people. ]\Ir. Griffith has never, to my knowledge, done a good, heavy society drama. I should think that the greatest artist is the one who can represent all phases of life. De ^Nlille has done that. He has done pictures of the poor — of small-town folks — as in "Something in Think About," of foreign lands and ancient times, as well as his pictures of modern American wealth and luxury. Griffith has been called a maker of stars. Has not De Alille surpassed him in this respect in recent y-ears? What star has ?ilr. Griffith developed of late? But look over the list of the De Mille products : Gloria Swanson, Agnes Ayres, Bebe Daniels, Wanda Hawley^ Monte Blue, Elliott Dexter, and Wally Reid. All of these arc among the most famous of the stars of to-day^ and surely they obtained their real fame under De Alille's direction. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. H. G. Players Who Fascinate. While reading your recent discussion of screen beauties, it occurred to me that a discussion of the most fascinating — or intriguing, if I may be permitted to use that much-overworked word — players on the screen would be just as interesting. Maybe some of the fans who are capable of analyzing their likes and dislikes can tell us what it is about such players as Lon Chaney and Mary Alden that grips us more than mere beauty does. And I'd like to see expressions of opinion from lots of fans on who the most fascinating players are. To me they are — besides those already mentioned — Leatrice Joy^ Gloria Swanson. And among the men, Rudolph Valentino, of course. Marjorie Woodman. Keokuk, Iowa. A Friend in Need. Let's make believe that you are Elmo Morris, aged fifteen years, or Alia Duncan, aged seventeen years, or any one of the fifty or more children at the Lewiston Children's Home in Idaho. You have the most beautiful house in town in which to live, a home that was once the "show place" of Lewiston. You have good care and food, gardens, two cows, chickens, a pet calf, and a little lamb. Many happy surprises are planned for you by the people of North Idaho. You attend church and the public school, but best of all, you have a good friend in Mr. Hilton, manager of the two picture houses in Lewiston. You have a standing invitation from him to be a guest at either show, and you accept once a week — usually on Saturday afternoon. Going to movies is a bright spot in your life, but one that has to be forgone sometimes because so many pictures are unsuitable for you to see. Suppose you are Gosta, saved' from the Industrial School, and doing well with us. We don't want you reminded of your old, wild days in the mining town where you learned so much that was bad. Or let's pretend that your father is in jail, like Julia's, or a wanderer, or weak, or dead like some of the other children's. Or suppose you are Harriet, who after her mother's death became a prey to her stepfather and who was at home when he hanged himself rather than stand trial. Are there many pictures that you could see without having painful memories brought back? The past year we have had some fine films. This week we saw "Trumpet Island," and recently we've enjoyed "Black Beauty," "Anne of Green Gables," and various others. Some of the boys and girls saw "Kismet'' and talked of it for days, and they have all followed enthusiastically "The Tiger Band" with Pearl White. But how many films are there that would be a source of inspiration to your dawning manhood or womanhood if you ■were Elmo, or Alia, or Gosta? Anne Covington. Children's Home Finding and Aid Society of Idaho. Five Favorites. There are five stars who especially appeal to me, and for different reasons, which are, as nearly as I can tell you. the following: Mary Pickford — for her natural childishness and winning smiles and pranks. Katherine McDonald — for her stateliness, dignity, and all-round charm. Claire Windsor— for her sunny disposition and general loveliness. Marie Prevost — for her innocence, youth, freshness, laughter. Norma Talmadge — for her marvelous personality, natural emotional acting, wonderful clothes, and gracefulness. I have not mentioned beauty, for they all have that without exception, and to my mind it would really be difficult to determine which is the most beautiful, though some people probably would say Miss McDonald. All these movie people are good-looking, at least — it seems queer, but one seldom finds any really unattractive actress on the screen — is it not so? Jean M. Walker. Denver, Colorado. From a Pearl White Fan. I have read your two articles on the "eight beauties of the screen." I agree with some of the stars that were named in each list, but not with all. Alas ! Why did you leave out Pearl White? That beautiful Pearl White! Why, when this woman is so full of_ beauty? I would admire the blessed person who could express exactly what I am trying to say^ I know I shall not be able to find half the words that _ should be used to praise her, but it is quite sure that, "since human beings are never contented with what they have,_ I think that the most beautiful women in the world envy her, and would give anything away just to look a Httle more or a little less beautiful than Pearl, her Majesty the Queen of Beauty!" Miss Esperanza Escurdia. Manila, Philippine Islands.