The Washington times., 1915-06-01
THE BEST
Photoplay Department in
WASHINGTON
Romance In Film Is
Not Confined To
Fiction Drama
Pictures


word educational is reached by the
public at large, 1t would seem to be
an excellent idea to use some other
term to designate the very inter-
esttng films which have been 30
classified. The. average person In
search OF amusement and recrea-
ton SHES at a subject called educa-
tonal. To the average mind educa-
ton means study and study means
work. When he wants to be amused
the tired business man doesn't care
to work. He wishes to be enter
tained without personal effort.
As q matter OF fact some of the
most entertaining motion pictures
that have been made have been
purely educational. Some of the
most thrilling photoplays have been
educational. 1t would not be going
too far to state that most film plays
OF aS character are educational.
People learn something from them.
II 1t is only the way to spend
pleasant hour viewing them. There
are numerous subjects that have
been utilized for film purposes, how
ever, that are intensely interesting
greatest. attention by the photoplay
patron were II not for the fact that
they have been dubbed educational.
and thus put apart from the ordi-
nary run OF picture plays.
There is nothing more interesting
or curious than the many scientific
studies that have been made In film
and have been shown from time to
time in the better class OF the
aters. Usually scientific films have
been short and have told in a most
interesting way. Scientific research
has about 1t something of romance
as we'll as tinge Of mystery. The
scientists themselves don't always
know what they will develop and
are frequently as much surprised as
! the average layman, although they
know the processes that have been
used and the layman doesn't. Pene-
tration of the unknown by science
has formed the basis Of hundreds of
romances that have been read by
thousands.
One of the most interesting speci-
mems of this sort of thing in the
film world Is the story told In motion
pictures of the success of the Will
hanson expedition at the bottom of
the sea. which are to be shown at
Crandan's tomorrow and Thursday.
Captain Williamson, of Norfolk, Va
was the originator of the idea Cap
tain Williamson believed that the
old-fashioned diving bell could be
replaced by A sort Of telescope
steel tunnel that could be lowered
into the sea. and that from this
tunnel an observer could make rath-
er complete and leisurely investiga-
tons Of the character of wrecks. the
lay Of the bottom. He commenced the
construction of the apparatus he had
IN mind and his two sons finished
It. They developed some new ideas
as they worked out the structure:
the apparatus at the bottom OF the
Chesapeake bay encouraged them to
when the late Charles tfite heard
OF :. the Wflian nisons" machine, he
Thought itnwould make an excellent
Dollar Mystery" installments, and
he authorized the inventors to go to
Bermuda. where the water Is par
ticularly clear. and make some ex-
perimental motion pictures. The pic
lures were made by Carl Gregory,
pany, who is regarded as one Of the
best camera men in the country.
The results We're so surprising that
instead of incorporating the pictures
In fiction -stoly, tney were formed
into a series of reels and permitted
Some things that have only been
pictured in the imagination Of the
scientists who have investigated
them. are shown in the pictures as
actual happenings. The forests Of
various sorts of coral that appear in
these pictures make the sea bottoms
look like vast cultivated fields. And
these forests appear to be swept by
wind storms that make the trees
bend and sway. The blasts OF
wind" are really deep sea currents.
There are also shown numerous Gu
'rious fish and other monsters of the
deep. A fight under water between
shark and man was staged be-
fore the camera. and provides a real
thrill.
The pictures. like those Of the de-
velopment of birds and flowers are
purely scientific and really educa-
tional. but they are as interesting
as story book. and. in many ways.
as thrilling as the most Iurid melo-
drama C. NJ