Reel Life (1916-1917)

GAUMONT’S THREE THE WEEKLY NO. 123 SO much is written about the British fleet that the public is apt to forget that France is an important factor on the ocean. The Gaumont Company in its one hun¬ dred and twenty-third issue of The Mutual Weekly pictures some of the French vessels that Americans may know what the sister republic is do¬ ing. An important picture is taken in the Hudson River where the “Ad¬ miral Aube” is anchored after con¬ voying the ship which brought the French mission. From “somewhere in the North Sea” come pictures of the French fleet engaged in keeping the sea lanes open. The third French picture comes from Boston, Mass. Here French army officers are seen as they arrive to become military instructors of the students at Harvard. Our own nation’s war endeavors are seen in pictures of “Americani¬ zation Day,” celebrated by 5000 children from New York’s foreign section ; training the dogs of war to assist the Red Cross Ambulance workers; recruits off for war duty on the Pacific Coast, and a sham bat¬ tle of the regulars at Fort Sam Houston, Texas. Other pictures caught by Gau¬ mont cameramen include a floral pageant at Long Beach, Cal.; the opening of the yachting season on San Francisco Bay, and the launch¬ ing of a section of a huge dry dock at Seattle, Wash. A $50,000 fire which gave firemen of Montreal, Can., a stubborn fight is a spectacu¬ lar section of the reel. Fashions are always welcome on the screen. In this issue of the Weekly are pictures of what the men are wearing on Fifth Avenue. * * * TOURS AROUND WORLD NO. 29 GAUMONT’S “Tours Around the World” No. 29, released ■through Mutual May 22, takes the motion picture traveler via the screen to Cadiz, Spain, as the first point of interest upon this travel reel. This is the largest military port of Spain, a place noted for its picturesque local color. Those who have visited Cadiz will appreciate how important are the Gaumont pic¬ tures of Isabella Place and the Cath¬ edral Square. There is an interest Three sure fire reels of news and travel that win every time P. G. ESTEE, one of the most successful of the American writers who have furnished scenarios for big screen productions of Alexandria, South Dakota, who arranged the plot of “The Railroad Raiders,” an Signal-Mutual fifteen-chapter photonovel in which Helen Holmes, “The Darling of the Rail,” is starred. Mr. Estee. whose plot the Chicago hf “N'Vf'lh'tffffiTSTh Railway imci beidjfiP. ’'tVWfSfltlWPly1 "tStil/Vaffl "flflgfeUF ageAl, traih ~aisi>at (flier and "troubTe fixer,” Mr. MW'ld'Te dne of Ine itasiext m "T SttfftftlV'h 'VP&riltW'S1 in Ihe countrx ing panorama of the town, as well as many characteristic street scenes. “River Life Near Paris” shows the favorite pastimes of Parisians upon the Marne, a tributary of the Seine. Needless to say, these pastimes were photographed before the war, as the present Marne aquatic activities are entirely directed by the military forces. Americans can understand the ruthless havoc of war when they see these pictures which are smiling with j eace. Gibraltar, the great British fortress that guards the gate between the Atlantic and the Mediterranean, is pictured from the water in an inter¬ esting section of this real. It goes TOPICALS without saying that a camera is not permitted to be used ashore in this military holy of holies. The rock is probably the most strongly fortified place in the world. Martinque, the West Indian island which suffered so terribly from the eruption of Mount Pelee, is pictured with great skill. The eruption in 1902 destroyed 40,000 lives. Exca¬ vations at St. Pierre have been made sufficiently to give an excellent idea of how the houses look denuded of their coats of ashes and lava. * * * REEL LIFE NO. 56 NOW that the world’s produc¬ tion of sugar has been cur¬ tailed, the Gaumont pictures of “The Sugar Industry of ' Barba¬ dos” in “Reel Life” No. 56, released through Mutual May 24, is of un¬ usual interest. The pictures are typical of the industry in the tropics, showing the laborers at work, the fields of cane, and the method of treating the juice after it has been crushed from the cane. Another important section of this reel is “Plowing With a Motor Car.” This recent invention enables a farmer to convert his automobile in¬ to a farm tractor. It will be a revel¬ ation to all who see the picture, the jar and weight being sustained by a separate shaft. No doubt such con¬ verted machines will be quite com¬ mon in a few years, and the Gau¬ mont Company is to be congratu¬ lated upon its success in securing pictures so soon after the invention has been perfected. Caviare, that Russian delicacy which is now so scarce that gourmets pay two dollars for a small portion of it in New York hotels, has a prominent place in this issue of the Gaumont film magazine. The pic¬ tures show how the roe of the stur¬ geon provides the eggs, and how they are treated in preparing them for the table. The best caviare is made in the winter. The poorer quality is a staple article of diet for the Russian peasants. “Golfing on Wheels” is now an ac¬ complished fact, the pictures in this section not being a prophecy. En¬ thusiastic golfers who do not enjoy walking are seen touring the links on autopeds. A fifth section of the reel shows a child’s playhouse valued at $1000. REEL LIFE — Page Seven