The Washington times., 1914-10-24
THE BEST
Photopldy Department in
WASHINGTON
,endency to ProlonS
Stage Play Films
Ought to Be
Corrected.

The production of famous stage
ruccesses in film has developed a
ew angle on the long feature dis
GsSion which has been more or
SIS a matter of argument for the
ast year or more. The attitude
.f the better class of producers on
The long feature has been very defi-
litely established. They are opposed
the production of film simply to
Ect footage. In other words they
viii not try to drag three thousand
1Net Of action over six thousand
Get OF film. This plan seems TO
hold in every instance except in the
natter OF the production of the stage
lays. And this class of produc-
ions opens up a brand new field 10
he picture makers. The producers
may have had some excuse at first
for their extra footage on the film
plays of stage successes, because Of
this new feature.
As is well known the limits of the
stage are very we'll defined. There
are numerous features of a spoken
play that are important to the ac-
ton which must be brought OUT
simply in the conversation of the ac-
tors rather than in the action it
self. For instance in the two stage
~uccesses that have been shown in
Washington this week in film, The
Wolf" by Eugene Walter and THE
Master Mind" with Emund Breese
Iu The title part, the reason for the
.Ctlon in the stage play, which was
imply recited bv the actors, is
orKed out in action in the film.
n other words the film play begins
At the very beginning of the story
nstead Of in the middle as is Tre-
uently the case On the stage. In
The Master Mind" the stage ver-
ion begins with the return of Mag
re Flint from Paris and the set
mg up of an establishment for her
~ the master mind. In the film the
lay begins with the two Allen boys,
children. one of whom later be-
anne the master mind. 1t told the
tory of their upbringing, their
-eparation as children. of the crimi-
al organization headed by the
rlaster mind, of Maggie F'lint's ac-
uaintance with the district at
tOrney. of the execution of the elder
Allen brother, and the oath of ven-
Eeence sworn by the master mind
All of this was told by the char
acters on the stage, but was shown
n the moving picture. In The
Wolf," the story Of the betrayal of
annette by Macdonald forms more
han nalf of the six reels Of film.
All of this is, of course, absolutely
essential to the film story because il
IS impossible to tell part of a story
IN words as is done on the stage.
Besides that, most of the supple
rnentary matter that is thus given
0 the play in its screen productions
Is most interesting and entertaining.
i rounds out the play IN a way the
stage does not do and really adds TO
IS enjoyment
The difficulty is that some pro-
ducers have taken advantage Of this
liberty to supplement the stage
story, to add much to the play that
really does not belong there and does
nothing but increase the footage OF r
the film. There has been case after
case Of this thing. The idea seems
production is by the reel and that
the producers will get more for more
reels. II this is the reason IL would
seem that now is a good time to
stop II. The price paid by the eN-
hibitor for a drama should be what
the drama is worth and not the
number of feet II contains. The
Famous Players Company. which
has put out a greater number OF
stage plays as screen dramas than
any other producing concern, has
realized this tendency and while no
formal announcement has been
made, it's directors have determined
20 give no more than four reels to
anything produced under their direc-
ton, except in exceptional cases.