Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1914-04-17
LETTER FROM PROF. WRIGHT.

LETTER FROM PROF. WRIGHT.
An extract from a letter of Prof. C.
B. Wright, dated Florence, April 3, to
Professor Sanford will show to what
expense ana trouble the proprietors of
the moving picture productions go to
make the background and general ac-
compartment of their films accurate
and.vivid. The ancient city gate and
wall to which reference is made are at
the southwestern corner of modern
Rome:
Passing out of the city gate to take
the tram for st. Paola, our attention
was attracted to a large motley colored
crowd little way along the wall Co
ing nearer to see what it was we were
more mystifed than ever | wish that
you had been with us-it would have
brought back memories. There were
hundreds of men and women in ancient
Roman costume and armor, and other
hundreds in barbarian attire. Some
had bows and arrows, some swords and
by the Roman eagles and the S. P. @.
R. There were women with their hair
hanging loose over the shoulders and
pets for an outer covering. Huge fell
lows wandered up and down with winged
helmets of shining metal on their heads,
or with shaggy hides hung down their
backs, the heads drawn over their own
heads in ferocious fashion. There were
two great catapults for throwing stones,
and piles of stones (or so they seemed)
about the size of cannon balls and
ready for the throwing. The whole
scene, with the old Roman wall for a
background, was bright with color and
full of noise and movement. 1t took US
some minutes to learn that films were
to be made for a great spectacle, now
prepa,in ing, of the life of julius Caesar:
that the work has been under way six
months already; and that some 5000, O0C
is being spent on the production. We
took our station by the two large
cameras that stood on a platform some
two feet high, and before long the first
film of the day was made-a battle rout
of Gauls. They looked terrified enough
as they came rushing down upon us
yelling and throwing away theii
weapons, just as they will be rushing
down, a few months from now, upol
thousands of spectators in the moving
: picture shows of two continents. Prep
arations were then begun for the mex
film-a return of Caesar at the head O
his victorious legions. For some tim
. distinguished looking man in the gar
of Roman general, had been standin
on the platform by the cameras, and W
l. were told that it was Caesar the pre-
tagonist of the spectacle; also that /
IS was no other than Novelli, one of tt
j. leading present-day tragedians of Ital,
# got what hope will prove a GOO
t. photograph of him as they were arranl
ID ing some of the details of the proce
10 sion. He smiled amusedly as he sa
F. me point the camera. 1t would hay
N been better could | have taken tt
Is procession itself when it actually wei
5 through its PAGES. Caesar halted abol
,r twenty steps in front of me and wit
N appraised arm delivered short addre
t very impressively. 1t was then that
II should have caught him. but the crow
,e of onlookers was pressing close arour
10 me and | might not have succeeded
v. the words of Niger Jim in "Huckl
berry Finn, better let we'll enouf
s. alone, as de good books says" 1t W,
rs all most interesting and much of it ve
VI amusing. Aside from the actors al
ct actresses, the hundreds engaged in Il
G. production five hundred we were told
ID were gathered from the lower orders
w the people, and the familiar types look,
* odd enough in the trappings of tv
,e thousand years ago. Here young g
an would be chatting a friend because h
10 fierce moustache was on awry, al
an there Roman senator would be stall
,e ing about, putting at short pipe.
II fear that you would have found much
g criticse in the details of the costumin
= but niceties would have been lost in
large a spectacle, and the effects pr
N duced were just as impressive witho
g. them. We shall certainly look forwal
az with much interest to their later pr
g sentation.
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