The Washington times., 1914-10-03
THE BEST
Photoplay Department in
WASHINGTON
Why There Have Been
No Pictures Of
War Scenes in
Europe.

The matter of moving pictures OIL
war scenes in Europe is uppernost
in the minds OF the public, as we'll
as the motion picture fraternity
jrst at present. And just at pres
ent there are probably half dozen
reels Of film in existence that bear
some relation-most of them remote
TO the conf'ict Not a single reel
morc' There arc any quantity "l
authentic picture; # tue european
armies: any quantity Of pictures
showing troops in maueiNers with
cannon booming ard soldiers chI!;'-
ing-all made six months or a year
ago. But there isn't a single reel
of film that shows an actual hat
tie scene, and only one or two reels
that show anything OF what has
haunened in the theater of war since
the war started. Taking moving
pictures is the most dangerous pusl-
ness in Europe just now. The sol
dicrs in the armies of both the al
lies and the GerInan-AIS>: an COM
bination have orders &C shoot any
one seen with a camera-and lrVest-
igate afterward.
Even the most innocent film Is
looked upon with suspicion Ihe
reels of film OF the pictures Gaby
DesIys appeared in for the Famous
Jlayers were in Paris at tire tine
war was declared. Everybody knew
y;hal those films were, the govern
luent agents. rs well as the manu-
facturers Yet i was necessary LOT
the film to be wound around me
body Of an employe of the company
and the emplCye disguised as ar
English soldier before they could
he smussled Cuc of Paris. Tin" EN-
Move gave as reason foi %":nS 10
ICn~land that ne was SO;'I@ |" ION
his regiment. Arriving ]" ''.@iand,
he was introduced as a t'r' hinan
sent OH a secret mission - -N:i'Cllca
and was placed aboard an -H"leT;
Can-hound steamer. 1t Was ohIy
after he reached the steamer that
he was able to ;Inwind the film from
his hody. Had he been caught ne
woulG probably have been shot, ana
certainly put into prison Tor a long
time. -
church in Belgium is complete set
Of film showing the destruction OF
ono of the cities as a result OF the
German attack. 4 cameraman in an
aeroplane took those pictures. He
was forced to come down to earth,
and hid his film and camera IN the
ruins of the Srst place he happened
70 6nd-which was an old church
Io niaced them in a perfectly safe
Dlace. and he intends to go back ana
Tet them-but not until the war Is
over These are some of the stories
that filter through the press ana
other agencies from the other slde.
Here. however. is something more
strikinglv illustrative OF the conoi-
tionS than either of these. II is d
letter addressed to the president OF
the Universal Company by his gen
eral agent in Europe, John d. lip
petit. Mr.. Tippett is in position 10
know exactly what he Is taking
aboi because he has been making
the most strenuous efforts to get pic
tnres for his boss. Here is his .alibi:
''I notice that the Universal Is
sending a staff of eight cameramen
to the front to get war pictures, etc
Now, / advise you to go very slo"
in this business. 1t Just means a
mans life to take any pictures over
there at present, and the cnances
are that it will be so in the future
as well. You have no conception OF
the conditions across that channel
absolutely no conception. / do not
care what the American papers PRINT
il is lust twice as terrible.
From the first we have had I0t
or still pictures brought over: al
though if the enemy caught hold OF
a man with a camera they shot MN
on the spot. They do not care VINO
bc is 7 believe this is the thirty
fifth day of the war, and there mas
not been one single subject hrousht
into London thus far, and Won must
remember. too, that there ~ law
here restricting the sho" war
pictures. Absolute freed" -ivFn
on that score. But with '"p-
ton there has not been '" OF
the slightest COnScQuen"' DWh-
One company managed to .''' some
scenes from LouVain, and th,y only
did that by an accident. They hap
pened to have a cameraman in Os-
tend, who. in some manner, got into
an officers machine. They went to
IouVain after the burning and Sc
cured some very good pictures. But
with this single exception. no pic
lures have been shown which are of
the slightest interest as far as real
war scenes are concerned. OF course.
We have plenty Of maneuvers, and
all that business.
To show you how scarce this class
Of pictures is. all the theaters the
other day billed a short subject Of
King Albert reviewing his troops in
Belgium as they were going to the
front. As matter of fact, this pic
'Urc was taken six or eight months
ago.
Now you know that I am aware
of what am talking about from the
position ] occupy here. Anything
you see in America Of any conse-
uucnce is fake do not care what
II is. if il is relative to the trouble
now on the Continent. In the first
place, while there is a great deal Of
hayonet work going on. the major
part Of the fighting is from one to
two miles away. Several rifles used
I'm Europe TODAY kill at two miles
with accuracy. and a man can be hit
at three miles. At night they work