The Washington times., 1914-08-25
THE BEST
Photoplay Department in
WASHINGTON
lea Of a Photoplay
Patron for More
Dramatic Art
on Screen

OF all the worlds varied industries,
nat which most nearly reflects the
finite variety of mankind is the
ne which deals with amusement en-
arprise. The growth of the moving
.icture has served to emphasize this
here has probably never been q
.Orm OF amusement so democratic, so
Well adapted to meet the demands OF
: Il classes of pleasure seekers at the
last expense of time, effort, and
uoney. 1t would be foolish to state
= hat any person could exactly suit
d. II the individual tastes of the public
IN any one program. We have con-
tended for months that the public
generally wants clean moving pic
gures-moving pictures that are well
made, well acted, ana well exhibited.
1t would be the silliest sort Of thing
Tor any one person to set himself
up as Judge of what would or what
would not please the entire body OF
eral way. What this column mas
advocated ever since it was estab-
lished and will continue to advocate
Is a high quality of pictures, a hlgh
Standard of business policy on the
uart of both exhibitors and pro-
Lucers. All of these have been
wanting in the past. All of them are
wanting now in some instances: Ano
If has been toward these instances
that the criticism OF tnis coiuiiih iios
been directed.
But this is not xactly what we
zrarted out to say. Last week we
,yere fortunate enough to obtain
snme advance proofs containing the
Jews of Mrs. 1nez Milhollano Boisse-
vain on the moving pictures. Mrs;
Boissevain has some very aSciaeu t
ieWs that were most faVorapie To-
ard the pictures, and she expressed
.bem quite freely. Mrs. Boissevaln
ranresents one type of photoplay en-,
TriIsiast whom the producers ana
lie exhibitors must please II they oe-
re to build a business with suo-
E antial basis. .o,,-s
Va have received a most interesting
-rrrer commenting on Mrs. Boisse-
: inns ideas and setting up an en-
,5rely different theory. The writer OF
me letter represents another class OF
Intelligent critics, a class quite as
4rge and entitled to quite as re-
81 ectful a hearing and as care1ui al-
I, ntion on the part OF the Mskes
ljch Mrs. Boissevain belongs we
= Ike a great deal of pleasure in pub
-s.hing our correspondent views
bacause they deal with very i'm
00rtant feature of the art of picture
making. They emphasize the Keen
attention that has been given to the
1hotoplay by thinking people, ana
-hev also emphasize what We stated.
in the opening paragraph-that tastes
f a very divergent character must
! o considered by picture and pro-
am makers if they desire to make
real progress. Our correspondent
states:
BY way of a sort Of balance. would
you care, to publish in your depart
ment some views in direct contra
diction to those quoted from a lady
lawyer concerning the dfama-sifent
and otherwise? With all due respect
~ her legal ability, 1 do not agree
With her ideas upon this subject. al
GOugh the same ideas are advanced
a number OF people. So, in this
injection. let me tell you story
toriesD: A family lived near US
" no had a son gifted with great
rdstic ability; he has since gone to
New York and become rising artist.
was Cne of these cases of a stray
Iember, as the rest of the family
NSIe uecIueu fnllstlnes; put, as Is
rot always the case his parents
vere proud of his talent and sent
nm to Paris to study. In the mean
me. their other son studied law.
lnally, when the artist returned, he
ound the inartistic furnishings of
us old home most repugnant, and
rs proud mother gave him a free
ana In refurnishing. But his not
proud brother followed him about
1HR~lnR lie ar@sa
Tects. to all of which the artist
: rother imperturbably replied:
nat Is all riSht-you are a law
SO. in the case of the lady law
er whose views are quoted, she
ems not to have considered that
'e drama is a form of art: and
is the form of art which for cen
Arles has come closer to people
an any other, save, perhaps, mu-
''. And this realism that many
. ~ now adVocating-that is. the ex-
iepfoductlon or presentation of
5are. bald facts of common life
hot art in any sense. And, since
ne drama, as an art. has held the
oDle for centuries. IT looks risk
this late day to discard all that
IS IN the past constituted its chief
{ arm; II would mean the disap-
Afahce OF the drama. If We an
u re the secret of the charm of
drama. the spell that holds. I
Alnk We would find that its at
'racuon lies mostly in the refuge
ON the daily grind which il af-
'rds. This does not imply that
must necessarily be bornbastic
Hlrd. or uncanny. but it does mean
at dramatic situations depend
arEely upon the unusual, rather
an the commonplace
So this lady ignores in her COM
ents the fundamental principle of
ramatlc construction; that is, that
10 incidents must all contribute
ward the motif of the play. or the
"v'loprent of the plot. Though
Q is true, as she says, that there
70 many meaningless incidents in
al life-yet, since they are not in
resting. why bore us with them
a play? She complains. for in
ance, that in d play the merest
0ident. as of a hat blowing off.
-nifies some Genouement: but
DJld ii be interesting otherwise?
course, in real life ones hat
.ows off. and one picks it up again
- puts il on, and usually nothing
re comes of il. But where would
the use of putting this in a p'ay'
II, II stranger restores the hat
ID We thus become acquainted.
ID this acquaintance leads up TO
Ieresfing everts, then the incident
ZONES dramatic.
so much talk about real life
" nlaYs is making me a bit tired,
HEWay: what do they mean by real
70. Lie on the street is merely
Of