The Washington times., 1915-05-27
THE BEST
Photopldy Department in
WASHINGTON
First t Film Chapter
Of "The Goddess"
In Form of a
Prologue

The big theme has at last at
tracted the attention of the men VINO
are responsible for the motion pic
lures. and and attempt Is being made
to secure from the writers and direc-
tors who are capable of the enort,
the production of photoplays that
Will refect modern conditions ana
point out possible remedies for evils
that exist.
There Is probably no medium
where such wide circulation Of ideas
OF this sort can be secured. and
certainly no way in which the at
tentlon Of the vast majority OF the
people who have votes can be OBJ
tained. With it's millions of pa
irons, the motion picture gives prac-
tically an unlimited field. II 1t Is
true. and statistics would seem to
prove it. that 2O,oO0.oOo people attend
the exhibitions of motion pictures In
this country every day, there Is
every reason to believe that more
than half Of the total population OF
the United States will see anything
that might be shown on the screen.
1t is for this reason more than any
thing else that the showing of the first
installment OF the Gouveneur Morris
story that Charles Goddard has
adapted to photoplay uses. The
Goddess" Is important. The first
two reels are important only as an
introduction--a prologue. The real
stars of the play do not make their
appearance and the two reels OF film
are largely devoted to showing what
the photoplaywright will try to do.
fhnrafnra
with a showing Of the conditions
that exist TODAY with regard to the
unrest Of the people and the possi-
bilities that lie first in the direction
Of this unrest toward better condi-
tions. and. second, toward condi-
tions that are not so good. The pho
Biography of the prologue is OF the
vitagraph standard which is the
highest. The staging of the va
rious scenes has been done with eX-
treme care. But the producer has
demonstrated In this first install lment
the necessity Of following closely the
story upon which the play has been
based. At least that is the impress
sion that is obtained from the first
films. The characters have been
most carefully cast and are In ca
pable hands. There seems to be
slight difference in the develop
ment of the characters in the story
Alu the IlllIl. uO"cNel.
Scenically. the first films are much
out Of the ordinary. This Is especial
ly true In connection with the last
reel which shows the tourney into
the mountains OF the little girl who
Is destined to grow up under ideal
conditions to be Celestia, the heroine
Of the story. The use of the auto
mobile. the mountain wagon. and.
lastly the bull cart for this journey
takes the spectator back through
the stages OF the development Of
transportation Just as the child Is
being taken back to nature.
The mountain scenery which is
shown In this part Of the film Is wild
and magnificent. and; the points Of
view from which the camera has
been allowed to record the progress
Of the story, were selected by an ar
list intent upon getting a series of
most remarkable pictures before his
audiences. The distances that are
shown in the perspective are un-
usual in Aim productions. II any
fault is found with the film 1t will
be based entirely on the slowing up