The Washington times., 1914-08-31
THE BEST
Photoplay Department in
WASHINGTON
An Object Lesson in
! Feature Films Is
\ to Be Seen in
| "Cdbirid."


cotnment, in the light of the charac-
ter of general motion picture COM
m @nt that has occupied this column
fof the past four months. it would
seem 70 be the carefullness with
which the producers have executed
every Detail of the production. 1t
IL a cntter of great regret that the
2Noplo who are handling the film
Jaave not seen fit to give more pub
Jicity to its many special features.
Careless production is at the bottom
Of a great deal of the criticism that
has recently beed heard in all sec
lions of the country regarding the
>so-called feature films. The produc-
lions of this class are seemingly
made for the purpose of getting as
many feet of film as possible with
The least possible expense. 1t has
been recognized by the producers
that thrills were necessary to carry
q long picture and they have not
seemed to care how the thrills were
obtained. The result is frequently
a tumble of incidents put together in
such a way as to make them appear
absolutely impossible and unreal and
to leave a very dissatisfied feeling
among the spectators.
"Cabiria" should serve as an OBJ
ject lesson to these producers. When
the first reel of the great d'Annun-
no f1lIn has been finished the aver
age spectator cannot see how ii is
possible to get q greater punch
han has been shown him in the
eruption of the volcano and the de-
struction wrought by it And yet
every single reel that follows carries
q punch that Is every bit as great
and los IS every bit as real. In the
perfection of picture detail that vol
cano scene is a case in point. In the
production of Hearts Adrift," with
Mary Pickford and big cast-a pro-
duction, by the way, which was re-
markable in many other respects
the volcano scene was a weak point.
1t seemed so unreal. SO like plain
fireworks. 1t was all very well for
the producers to argue that the aV-
erage spectator would not know the
difference; that not one person in
hundred who saw the picture. had
ever seen a real volcano in action.
But the fact remains that the vol
cano in Hearts Adrift' was a very
weak point in a very big picture, and
Il spoiled the effect of what had gone
before and what came after for
great many people
In the eruption OF Mt. Etna- as
shown in "Cabiria," the whole idea
conveyed by the picture is that the
spectator is seeing a real volcano in
action. The sides of the mountain
great crater belches forth smoke
and flame. But that is not all there
is to that mountain scene. Along
the sides of the mountain winds
road. and throughout the action peo-
pie are seen fleeing down that road.
driving their cattle before them,
carrying their household effects-just
as people would do in real life under
similar conditions. The crowds that
swarm down that mountain side, al
though the figures are small and the
faces indistinguishable, give the idea
Of terror When the film switches
back TO the scenes where the oulld-
ings are tumbling down and the
flaming ashes are dropping all over
creation, that same idea Of terror IS
continued, and il requires very little
acting On the part of the host OF
supernumeraries to convey the mean
ing of the author. All OF this, we
believe. is the result of putting that
road along the nountainside in the
first picture and in its subsequent re-
showings. You get the idea from the
covering haste of the fleeing crowd
and read an expression into the faces
and actions of the people that are
seen closely in the later pictures,
whether IL is there or not.
All this was not obtained by the
producers of "Cabiria" without the
most careful study and preparation
and without the hardest sort OF
II
the scenes. The average produc-
er of feature films does not give
this thought and study to the
and in the production
he does not seem to care whether
he is perfect in his detail or not.
That is why the same person VINO
sits through more than two hours
Of "Ca biria'' with the greatest en-
ioyment of every minute feels that
he has wasted his time on the
cheap features that are mere foot
age rather than feature.
There is another thing about Ca
biria" that strikes the attention OF
every person who sees the picture
There has probably never been
character on the film which so
riveted the interest as Mactste.
the giant Nubian. 1t is noticed at
once that the man who plays Ma
ciste is different from the other
actors He had none of their man
nerisms. He never seems to be
playing for effect At all times
when ne is not I'm action his figure
takes on the most natural repose.
The fact is. the man who played
Maciste is not an aCtor-or was not
until he appeared in this film. The
man who plays this part is ErnestO
Pagani and before he started work
in this picture he was a stevedore
on the dock IN Genoa. Gabriel
d'Annunzio superintendent person
ally the selection OF the cast for
his poetic drama. He picked all
the actors from the Italian stage.
but could find no one who could
PLAY the part or Maciste for the
reason that the film required A
man TO ne actually as strong phys
ically = the character was sup
posed TO he and there was Uo pro
fessional actor who could perform
the feats MaCiste is required to 90.
The author was walking about the
decks in 'IenCa one day when ne
saw this giant Of a man loading
sugar on n ship. lie hnnllad big
bags containing TWO or three hun
6red rounis Of sugar as easily as
though th..v were bags OF ooncOrn.
Tic r,oet decided that this was IL,
man he wanted for his T l0v and h"
Stra:ghtWaY proc odad I" engage
him. II was vcry difficult task I"
train the man for t!'o part y" was
tC Play and he required no less than
fiIty rehcarsals before he reached
that state Of proficiency INC author
thought Mas neC"ssa-- The :rsult
more than justifes the work that
was required.
Practically every part of "Cabiria"
has a story something like this be
hind it. The film IS worth the most
careful study not only because II
the fact that II is n monumental
production, hUt brcauSe it IePrc-
SCENTS III" last word In the art and
technique of picture making
Ii VI.