The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1914-02-22

"Now as Christian stood look
ing at the cross and weep,
ing, behold, three shining
ones came to him and salut-
ed him." A Scene from Bun
vans Famous Allegory "PI-
grim's Progress, as Pro-
duced for the Motion Pic
lures by the Ambrosio Com
pany.
quently go to provide proper settings
for their films OF literary classics
was furnished By the Kalem Com
pany, which sent a company to Ire
land to stage incidents based on the
life and works of Tom Moore.
The Canadian Bioscope Company,
when 1t set out to produce Long
fellows "Evangeline," realized how
inadequate mere painted scenery
would be as a background for this
beautiful story. So the players were
sent out into the wilds OF Quebec,
and the first scenes OF the films were
posed In primitive little French
settlement that remains today much
as II was three centuries ago
Here the quaint old cot ages that
made the origina! Acadia SO pic
turesque, the same forest primeval"
that Longfellow mentions, and cos
tunes exactly duplicating those
Evangeline and her fellow villagers
wore, were available. so that all the
delightful atmosphere Of the poem
could be preserved.
The Ambrosio studios In Italy used
their ability to produce the most
mystifying illusions to good advan-
tage in the films OF Bunyan's Pill
grlms Progress" All the adventures
OF the hero Christians are shown
viii an amazing air OF reality which
lends new interest to this famous old
story.
The George Kleine film, "Quo Va
dis" Is one OF the best examples the
public has yet seen OF the way a
great novel can be reproduced in the
motion pictures. The arena scene
in this film alone cost $4,000 and
required the service OF nine hundred
actors for period of six weeks.
The thrilling realism which takes
you straight back to the days OF Nero
even more completely than the
AUTHORS powerful word pictures do
was not attained through resort 10
any tricks Of the camera Every bit
OF 1t is as near the real thing as a
reasonable degree OF con-
sideration for life and limb
would allow. The beasts who
appear in the film were no
\ property" animals, but liv-
" ing, breathing creatures fresh
u from their native haunts And
~ the men, women and children
who face them in the arena
were real people who actu-
ally took their lives in their
hands to enact these parts.
IL Is not at all unusual for the
MIN OF some great book 10 be pre-
scented so deliberately that it requires
whole afternoon or evening to pre-
sent. The film OF Victor Hugo's
novel, Les Miserables," which is
meeting with deserved success, con.
sists OF nine reels and takes over
two hours to show
Educators are watching with keen
estinterest what the motion pictures
are doing to popularize the great
literary masterpieces. Films of the
great classics are already being used
for the instruction of many classes
in literature, and it seems probable
that before long this fascinating and
effective means of education will
be given a regular place in the
curriculum OF every school and
college.
The effect OF motion pictures on
writer's Of the present day is going
to be interesting to watch. There
are many who believe the time is
near at hand when new novels and
other literary works will be produced
simultaneously on the films and In
book form.