The Washington times., 1914-03-24
THE BEST
Photopldy Department in
WASHINGTON
Some of the Things
Phot0pldy Patrons
Do Not Want
to See.

YuYE are learning what the
NJ public wants to see at the
P" photo play theater by a
process of elimination.
Just week ago we asked the people
Of Washington to write us what ii
was they most desired to have
shown them on the film. There
has been a perfect chorus of an
swers received that have a most
harmonious note-they all tell us
what the public does not want to
see. 1t is a curious comment on the
business that so many people should
take advantage of the first oppor-
tunity given them to write their
views on what they think should
be eliminated.
The silliest figure on the screen,
according to one of our friends. is
the man or woman who comes down
stage and talks rapidly as though
explaining the action. Such a per-
son is always alone in the scene
and is obviously talking to himself.
The average man and woman in the
audience has been taught to look
with suspicion on people who talk
tc themselves. And the screen fig
ure talking to itself produces much
the same impression.
The same correspondent Puts the
actor who persists in pointing and
running his finger over every letter
of sign he is reading in the same
class with those who talk to them
selves. When a man is looking for
some one at a street corner, he does
not stop, point in the direction he
is going. and then follow his finger
But it Is an exception to see a man
or woman in a photoplay doing sny-
thing else. One of the reasons for
this is that the first of the great
European pAotoplayers were, most Of
them, pantomime artists. In the
pantomime in Italy and France, it
was the custom to make numerous
gestures. The best of the early
photoplays were produced by such
artists. They were the only persons
who had been trained to show emo
tion and predicate action without
words. And the result is that most
OF our own photoplayers have imi-
tated them There are many other
things which our photoplayers could
have copied from the eminent panto-
mimics of Turin and Milan and
Paris that would have improved
their work a great deal. But the
pointing gesture seems to be the
only one that impressed itself very
firmly.
Some very silly things done on the
legitimate stage are offered as excuses
for the faults deliberately committed
bv screen artists. These things do
not excuse the photoplayer with the
public. There was a time when
man who rolled his eyes and seemed
TO froth at the mouth was consid-
cred a great actor and such bits
Of stage business were called act
ing" 1t was "actingi' 1t was far
frcn being natural. The death
scenes. that one of our readers OBJ
iects TO, the long-drawn-out partings.
especially those between mother and
child, fall also under this heading.
With the tremendous possibilities OF
the photoplay. 1t seems Shame that
there should be people who take so
little interest in the art of their
calling to descened to such tricks.
To the average spectator action
that is sti!ted or strained is alto
rether unnatural and uncalled for.
The better class Of photoDlayers are
relying more on real ability and less
On the tricks that were utilized a
genera ton ago to produce tears in
an audience witnessing melodrama.
And tie better class of producers
are insisting on their PLAYERS acting
like human beings and less like mas
ters and mistresses of e'ocuuon and
Gelsarte. We are glad to add our
vord to those that have been written
hy our readers. The object OF this
column is to call attention TO Just
such things, with the hope that IL
will sometime reach the eye Of a
producer who offends and he will
change his ways, for the lasting
benefit of the amusement seeking
public and the material welfare OF
the treasury Of the producers COM
rsry G. NJ.