The Washington times., 1914-07-13
THE BEST
photoplay Department in
WASHINGTON
Iundn Quality GiOen
Film Play That
Is UnknoUn
on Stage

There is a peculiar human quality
arout the moving picture historical
Srama which has not seemed pos
sihIe in the production of a spoken
p.ay. The picture on the screen,
u nile il lives and moves and
b-eathes as real persons live and
n owe and breathe, has yet a de-
thched character which permits the
audience to get more of the spirit
o. the drama than the personality
o the people acting il. Thus In
play of this character where some
great figure in national affairs IS
| introduced. the audience in leSiti-
mate theater is always impressed
with the fact that some one-some
actor, is impersonatfng this his
turic character. On the other hand
when such a play is produced on
the screen the picture seems to
really be the person-and. not some
Lors acting the person. Only the
great films have this quality OF
o, grooming personality. and yet
4 ey do this very thing in such
v ay that their possibilities for edu--
& lion and enlightenment are simply
ormous. 1t IS probable that the
hs DIT people have fallen into of sec
/ ing great national and international
r ures photographed from every
Q nceivable angle and shown IN
moving pictures in every form OF
q tivity. has done away with the
n 0nderment that would have been
felt some years ago at the showing
{, such a thing as a life of Wash
ir-ton or General Grant in pic
tLres. Despite the fact that some
|Cf the historic personages whose
., 1ries have been told in pictures
h1ve long since died-they passed
ay. as a matter of fact, long be-
fore moving pictures were invented
here Is yet a spirit of actCality
hout such pictures that gives them
value that cannot be gainsAid.
In this connection there has just
beer introduced to Washington a
new Napoleon film that is probably
the best of the long series of such
pictures that have been shown. This
Tim was made by the Ambrosia
company, the famous Italian concern,
: I'd its distribution in America Is
rontroIled by Warner Features, Inc.
nH MIN Is nOldDlG III ScNcIdl iC-
spects. Its photography is almost
perfect. and il gives a tinge of ro-
mance-almost of fiction-to the life
OF the great emperor. The story be-
gins about the start of the revolu-
ton, when . apoleon is an officer of
a-tillery in the French army. The
actor who plays the part of Napo-
leon has a strong physical reseIn-
hlsnce to the character. and this Is
. a~centuated by makeup to such a
q eSree that the man seems to have
epped out OF the pictures that are
to be seen everywhere and become
? living person. The characterize
m seems TO be the result of deep
s-udy, and is presented with a faith
Ilness to detail that is remarkable
/ en- on the screen, where faithful
ess to detail is one of the great at
actions.
II is, of course. impossible TO give
1t q most hurried review of a life
- full of events as was Napoleon's
he film is in six parts and divided
ITO two sections, which may be pro-
'Iced separately. The first, called
Born Warrior" shows the impor-
mt scenes in the upward trend Of
Ne Nspoleonic star. and the second,
4 -slled 'EXiled," tells the story of the
ars descent. The battle scenes are
srticularly effective, especially those