Wid's Filmdom (1920)

Motion Picture News VoL. XxXI MARCH 13, 1920 No. XII The Theme and Its Treatment T is a pleasure—as well as a policy—to record, on this page, the occasional picture which seems to us to mark a distinct and broad advance in production. Such a picture is ‘‘ Dangerous Days,” the first Mary Roberts Rinehart contribution to the Eminent Authors Series. “ Dangerous Days,” the novel, is said to have been Mrs. Rinehart’s best selling book; so the picture goes forth with this considerable advance advertising. But this, to our mind, 1s not so important, not nearly so important, as the fact that the story was written with the picture clearly in mind, or else by a mind which naturally expresses itself in picture values. So we have here, to begin with, a theme successfully created for the screen. That 1s a big point. Such stories, no matter who write them, will mark the good picture of the future. And the theme is a thoughtful one—not merely a story created to get picture effects. ‘The author looked into and under our social, spiritual and economic life at the moment of this country’s entrance into the war, and tells what she saw. ‘The story makes you think; it aims at something. The second big point is harmony in production. This, clearly, is a high type of an organization made picture—one in which several trained minds have successfully worked to a common end. To express these results separately, we have: * *x* * IRST, perfect continuity. We understand this K to be a collaboration of Mrs. Rinehart and Charles Kenyon, supervised by J. G. Hawks. ‘The task was not a simple one. We have the separate romances of the steel maker with a wife and the other woman he loves; the son, with his youthful problems of love and duty; the German born foreman of the works, and his daughter who loves the steel maker’s son. There were grave dangers here of jerkiness and confusion; yet the story moves clearly, swiftly and logically along. The subtitles. They are exceptionally brief, apt and strong: “‘ wallops,” every one. We are told that Mrs. Rinehart wrote them. Why not? The acting by an all-star cast is so sincere, the set GOLDWYN PICTVRES CORPORATION tings throughout are so realistic that you forget you are viewing a picture. Realism is the keynote clear through. There is lavishness only where it is truly expressive of the millionaire’s home and _ entertainments. Dominant, always in the picture, is its locale, the smoky, thunderOus steel city. All of which mean that Reginald Barker has done an exceptional piece of direction. And direction here, as always in pictures, is of the utmost importance. Yet, we are sure, Mr. Barker will be the first to say that he could not have got these results without such a theme, and such preparation of a theme, for the screen. E are glad to cite this picture as a wellrounded example of the new kind of picture, the kind the-screen calls for now, the genuine example of fewer and better pictures. W have seen pictures as well and carefully made, but they may have lacked a theme suitable for picture presentation. And we have seen good themes carelessly produced, though there is much less excuse these days for poor production than for unsuitable themes. It is the harmonious whole that counts: and such pictures will come only from a harmonious organization highly trained in picture creation and expression. This may be a very large organization; or it may consist of a very few people. The theme is of the utmost importance. Without a theme stars and directors are of little avail. The theme must be a picture theme—a story capable of expression, not in word values, but in picture values. This is the paramount point. Without this quality authors’ names and books’ names are inconsequenual. Then comes the adaptation to the screen. We are glad to note that an author like Mrs. Rinehart thinks well enough of pictures not merely to create for them, but to adapt her creation and write her own subtitles. And we predict that many more authors will soon be similarly engaged. ————=» Oltte7om