The Washington times., 1914-09-10
THE BEST
Photopldy Department in
WASHINGTON
Lessons From Screen
More Effective
Than From
Stage.

EShe time seems TO have arrived
2yAen the public has ceased olam-
sng most of the waywardness fouhu
in children on the moving pictures
1t is seldom now that a ponce couII
story of a child criminal ends Win
a phrase explaining that the chlld
had been a constant attendant OF
the moving pictures. The great
influence today is for good. There
was very little more excuse for
blaming the pictures for the way
vardness of a child than asserting
that breakfast food was the cause
Of il. Indeed there are many cases
where breakfast food could he
blamed with reason .or many of
the things that-might cause child
10 n1isbehave itself. We are told by
the physicians that improper nour-
ishment resulting from bad food.
poorly cooked food or too much of
il too hastily eaten, causes a weak
ening of the mental faculties and
that children raised under such
conditions are more or less liable
to all sorts of mental derange-
rnents But the situation which
presents itself today with regard
10 moving pictures is that the pub
lie is beginning 10 realize what
tremendous power for good they
contain. rather for evil.
The advantage that the film pos
sesses over the stage in certain di-
rections has never been better DEM
onstrated than in the film production
Of Damaged Goods the medicO-
sociological play, b. b. BritlIN,
which Richard Bennett produced on
the stage in this country only after
securing the support of medical and
sociological organizations through
out the country. The play deals
with most unpleasant theme and
its object was to prove the ever
present danger Of particularly
loathesome disease. The dramatist
minced no words in presenting his
subject Indeed. the piece was SO
plainly great lesson in med
lcIne and morals that there was
doubt whether or not is should be
permitted public performance. This
and many other difficulties were
overcome, however, and Mr.. Bennett
has been hailed as a man who dared
preach sermon on a forbidden
subject in SO powerful A manner
that none of the little minds that
felt offended had the courage to
make a protest. Great success at
tended the production of the play
throughout the country. and Mr..
Bennett was besieged with requests
To give private performances before
organizations and groups of indfvid-
uals who r,ere anxious to see the
play.
The impossibility Of producing the
play everywhere in the way i was
presented in the larger cities turned
the attention of Mr.. Bennett to the
motion pictures. As much of the
value Of Damaged Goods" seemed
TO lie in the spoken lines. the pro-
ducer could not at first see the op-
portunity for carrying the gospel he
was preaching to the screen. While
in California last spring he confer
red with some of the moving pic
ture producers. and with them the
play was transformed into screen
drama The unusually well equip
ped studio of the American Film
Company was utilized for making
the pictures. The cast for the drama
Was recruited from the company
with which Mr.. Bennett had pro
duced the stage version, with the
exception of two persons VINO were
chosen from the American forces.
The extra people used in the spe-
rial scenes were from the film COM
pany's forces also. Some of the lead
ing actors and actresses of the film
company acted as extras. In one Of
the pictures Charlotte Burton, the
well-known American leading wom-
an. is seen among other people.
When the pictures were completed
and put together in the form they
are being shown at the BelasCo
Theater this week and next week.
Mr. Bennett made the discovery
that the lesson of Damaged Goods
on the screen was far and away
more effective than the spoken play.
He realized for the first time the
fact that there were things than can
only be suggested on the spoken
stage which can be shown on the
screen in detail 1t is for this Tea-
son that the screen version Of the
play was put together with the
greatest care and that it shows the
detail that could be but vaguely
suggested on the stage. Damaged
Goods" is one of the strongest
things that has ever been produced
either on the stage or the screen.
And Of the two, the best judges
among theatrical folk freely admit
the screen play is the strongest and
greatest
It is interesting to note that the
production Of Damaged Goods" at
the Belasco this week Is the premiere
Of the film version of the play. The
films were only given final approval
by the National Board OF Censor
ship last week and We're brought to
Washington directly from the office
of the censors. G. NJ.