The Washington times., 1914-11-26
What a Shakespeare
Might Do With
The Screen
Drama.

In the discussions that have been
evoked by the proposition that the
motion picture amplifies the drama
written originally for stage pre-
Sentation because it removes the
necessa sary limits of stage produc-
tons and gives the producer a free
hand, the great historical dramas
were particularly in mind. Some Of
the great personages Of history have
been made the basis for the build
ing OF a stage play by some of our
greatest dramatists. Shakespeare
turned out q mass of the most val
liable historical dramatic poems in
the plays that he wrote around the
lives of his kings and min .sters,
but even these poems were written
with the ideas OF stage limitations al
view. Shakespeare knew his s.ase
thoroughly and knew what could and
could not be produced. And yet
with this clear iuea OF the limlta-
uons OF his settings some OF Shakes
peare's plays-such as The Temp
est and "A Mid Summer Nights
Dream m-are almost impossible of
production in the way they were
written. because of mechanical inn
possibilities.
EFAIdpS IL De d very DOlu
thing TO do, anu perhaps the woT-
Slippers at the Shrine OF the Bard or
Avon will feel a sacrllege has been
suggested, but the thought has oc-
CURED to me several times: What
would Shakespeare have done if he
had been able to produce his hiStorl-
cal paSeants in motion pictures? IL
would be impossible to reflect the
beauty of the poets verses On the
nnhla
would be entirely lost. But it seems
10 me that so far as the dramatic ih-
terest and historical lessons in the
Shakespeare plays Of TINS class,
much could be done In the motion
picture TO bring out features that II
was found necessary to overlook en-
tireIy or give IN very much con-
densed form IN the spoken play.
IT il usual for persons who study
Shakespeare as a poet TO overlook
entirely his work as a dramatist-
that is, his technique of dramatic
construction. Shakespeare was
play producer. 1t is likely that his
was not satisfied with what had
come from other authors to be pro-
duced by his company. He built
plays for the stage, and, consequent
ly, got the utmost OF dramatic value
from everything he wrote. II is only
reasonable to suppose. therefore,
that he would have welcomed a me-
dunn OF expression such as the mo-
ton picture. which would have given
him a far wider field for the uti!iza-
tion of his purely dramatic ideas,
though it would have made the
poetry Of his work practically i'm
pOssib e. While il may sound rather
silly and foolish to hazard what
Shakespeare would have done with
the motion pictures. we have in
Washington today an example Of
what he could have done in the
George kleine production of Julius
Caesar" by the famous Cines com
pany-the same organization that
produced QUO Vadis?" This picture
is being shown at the Garden Thea
ter today. and, with the exception
Of Forbes Robertson Hamlet" is
the only one OF the Shakespeare
plays that has been done in motion
pictures.
As matter Of fact. the produc-
tion Of Caesar" is no: really an at
tempt TO put tho Shakespeare play
on the screen, as il covers a much
longer period than was used by
Shakespeare in his drama We arc
using II here as an illustration Of
what A Shakespeare cou have done
IT he had tn" srrren with its limit
less scenic possibilities instead OF III
stage with its very marked Iimita-
hons. IN a review Of tn" screen play
by ". stephen Bush. II is practically
called a screen biography Mr. Bush
explains the play 80 well in his re-
view that il is given here in full:
The real theme OF this version of
Julius Caesar is the biography of
the great conCUeror. All the dra-
matte and spectacular features IN
winch the life Of Caesar abourds arc
skillfully developed The settings.
very important item in q production
of this sort. are beyond all Draise
and will stand cCmpar' son with the
very hest the screen has ever Sho~ n.
Not the least charm Of these SETTINGS
consists Of their variety. So rich
is this production In oUerful spec
tacular sceEes that only a few can
be mentioned here. To ;ry to ,io-
scribe even little more would moan
the Use OF many pages. The mighty
senate Of Rome. always first in the
immortal =. p. .. R.. has been
shown in tho most impressive man
nor. One does not have 10 be
student of the classics 10 absorb and
aoD-eciste such spectacle. The
diE-ity and the power Of the great
est nstion in the worlds history are
visiblv present i'm these scenes The
massine or the War-like forces az
sea. the fierce struggles in the ..oIIn-
try OF the GsUls. the conquest of the
freat leader. .Nercingetorix. the scenes
Ia and about Rome. specially con-