When the movies were young (1925)

130 When the Movies were Young THE CLASSICS DRAWN UPON Even Biblical Stories Portrayed For Critical Audiences — Improvement Due to Board of Censors It was all too much — much too much. The newspapers were writing about us. A conservative New York daily was taking us seriously. It seemed incredible, but there it was before our eyes. It looked wonderful ! Oh, so wonderful we nearly wept. Suddenly everything was changed. Now we could begin to lift up our heads, and perhaps invite our lit'ry friends to our movies! This is what the New York Times man had to say: "Pippa Passes" is being given in the nickelodeons and Browning is being presented to the average motion picture audiences, who have received it with applause and are asking for more. This achievement is the present nearest-Boston record of the reformed motion picture play producing, but from all accounts there seems to be no reason why one may not expect to see soon the intellectual aristocracy of the nickelodeon demanding Kant's Prolegomena to Metaphysics with the "Kritik of Pure Reason" for a curtain raiser. Since popular opinion has been expressing itself through the Board of Censors of the People's Institute, such material as "The Odyssey," the Old Testament, Tolstoy, George Eliot, De Maupassant and Hugo has been drawn upon to furnish the films, in place of the sensational blood-and-thunder variety which brought down public indignation upon the manufacturers six months ago. Browning, however, seems to be the most rarefied dramatic stuff up to date. As for Pippa without words, the first films show the sunlight waking Pippa for her holiday with light and shade effects like those obtained by the Secessionist Photographers. Then Pippa goes on her way dancing and singing. The quarreling family hears her, and forgets its dissension. The taproom