Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-08-23

doctored 80 to make pictures do the i'm
possible. That is sort of Irish bull. but
il is true. For instance. the films can be
SO manipulated as to make a human being
actually defy the laws of gravity: make a
mere man turn q backward somersault
over objects as high as the Washington
Monument: even make the tiny house fly
apparently jugale sticks of cord wood
and dumbbels incredibly large
The possibilities of the motion picture III
trick pictures are at times astounding.
very recent film represents man seated
al a table smoking Around him are scat
tered pipes. cigars. tobacco, cigarettes and
matches. He falls asleep. and almost I'M
mediately tiny fairy princess steps out
of the tobacco box. followed by smaller
fairy. The fairy attendant climbs into the
pipe and pulls the tobacco over her head.
The man aWakens and tries to light his
pipe. but it will not draw. He examines
it with magnifying glass. and out of the
blue smoke arising from the tobacco The
fairy looks up and laughs in his face.
Into the tobacco box she jumps and out
again with the princess: back into the
box again they GO leaving one arm pro-
iecting The man grabs at it and finds in
his fingers a large rose. In moment
smoke puffs from il. and ont hobs the
fairy blowing the smoke Of q cigarette at
him. Soon the leaves detach themselves
from the rose and roll themselves into a
cigar The man lights it and the smoke
from ii pours into the neck of a bottle on
the table The fairy is inside. The man
breaks the bottle. and 10. she is on the
tobacco box. She hands him a cigarette
and he blows the smoke at her. Whereupon
she retaliates by setting off the box of
matches and disappearing In the blaze.
But One of Many Effects.
This is but one of the charming trick
pictures that have recently been produced.
There are others perhaps not so mysteri-
GUS There was recently exhibited in a
local theater series of pictures show
ing former President Roosevelt hunt
ing lions in Africa II was made in Chi
cago. The lion was actually bought and
killed for the purpose. but not before he
had almost killed TWO OF the manufac-
turer's staff. Yet there was President
Roosevelt and there the strangely CARRIED
and ungarbed Africans of the jungle. The
picture was very realistic ana eXclteu
much favorable comment.
But il is not I'm trick pictures that the
greatest interest Hes. There are films tnat
are instructive as well aS entertaining.
those that show foreign lands and the
customs Of the people, those that viz
tually take the audience to some far-away
city or|country and give a series Of views
Of its industries. The straw hat industry
of Italy, for instance, has been shown
in the minutest detail from the gathering
of the straw TO the packing of the fin
ished hat.
Pictures of this sort are classed edu-
cational. One need not go abroad to see
foreign countries: they are brought to
his door by the motion picture man.
Then there other pictures of a
highly educational character. With the
aid of competent actors and the make
IN, scenes of historical character are
enacted probably just as they occurred.
Recently one of the manufacturers turned
out four reels which depict the life OF
Washington, with the setting. costuming
and environments historically correct.
The same firm has produced three reels
depicting the more important in t;dents IN
the life of Napoleon.
Passion Play Reproduced.
The celebrated Passion Play of Ober-
ammergau has been reproduced with the
strictest fidelity, and it is estimated that
more than 2U.0O0OO0 people have seen it
who would never have seen Ii otherwise
1t is one of the most beautiful and in
spring series ever produced. Every one
of Shakespeare's plays produced by
eminent players has been reproduced in
the motion picture film. So, too, of many
French historical plays, the scenes being
laid in the very rooms where The incl
dents they represent occurred, with cos
TUNES and manners as they were in the
times they recall.
Indeed. the development Of the notion
picture film has called into play every
conceivable factor necessary to the re-
production of historic. dramatic and ma
tional incidents and events. In France
the best actors in the theatrical pro-
fession do not scruple to forsake their
smaller audiences of the theaterS at
times to present themes fo- the edifica
ton and Information of the world at
large i'm the theaters. parks and environ
mentS provided by the manufacturers for
motion pictures. Some OF the greatest
dramatic masterpieces of the world have
been reproduced by them for this pur-
pose
The leading American PLAYERS have not
Yet reached the stage where they are
willing to follow suit. but it is believed
the time is not far distant when they
Will appreciate the honor of giving thou
sands the pleasure Of seeing their great
performances in this way 10 the tens
that see them i'm the legitimate thcaters.
Sarah Rernhardt will soon appear for
the great French film manufacturers.
Many of her company have already
peatedly appeared in this way
In Natural Colors.
The manufacturers of films have also
succeeded in producing motion pictures
in the natural colorS Of the objects. II
is a most difficult and delicate unoeI-
taking to color the thousands of thcs.
miniature film pictures that go 10 make
ND series. and sc; i. mas been accom-
plished in a remarkable way.
The motion-picture theater is frequently
spoken Of as the poor mans theater,
probably because of the extraordinary
cheapness of admission. but in all the
big cities as we'll in Washington. the
most refined of the social circle. the eN-
elusive Of the elite. may he found seated
side by side with the poor man or the
poor woman enjoying Il motion-picture
exhibit. One evening recently there were
twenty-eisht automobiles Of the finest
type lined up against the sidewalk on
Pennsylvania avenue while those who
came In them were enjoying notion
picture show on the inside of one of the
theaters. IL is almost incredible the blisi-
ness done b. these small theaters. One
alone. whose seating capacity is It's. had
an actual attendance of 1900 people
in one week
Everybody loves pictures. Adults as
We'll as children viii while away hours
looking over picture book. What. then.
must be the possibilities of the living pic
ture book whose pages are changed daily
n