Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1915-04-24

the limitations Of the new art: they
could not realize its opportunities.
They had been so long accustomed to
the pettiness and artifciality Of the
stage that they felt lost when. the
proscenium arch was taken away and
the back drop removed to the horizon.
What has been needed was play
wright who had the courage to let his
imagination expand to the possibili-
ties Of this new medium Of expression.
This man is Gabrielle D'Annunzio.
firing Of his achievement in Italian
romance and French verse, in bestial
realism and fantastic idealism. in
drama historical and religion spectac-
ular, or decadent, he sighed for new
world to conquer and he found it in
the flying film, as demonstrated Sun
day night by Mr.. Ledoux in his pre-
sentation Of "Cabiria' at The Mystic.
DAnnunzio took as his theme one OF
the greatest wars Of history. the
struggle for life between Rome and
Carthage, between Europe and Africa.
There he finds the same opportunity
for the display Of his patriotism In his
gorgeous drama Of Venice with its
motto THE future lies in the sea-
Telescoping history, D'Annunzio has
| taken his love theme-or one OF them
directly from Book 80 Of Lvy's
| History Of Rome" 1t is the strange
story Of Sophonisba, daughter of the
Carthaginian Hasdrubal, who was IN
love with the young Numidian prince.
Massinissa, who married for political
reasons to the old King Syphax in
stead.
| "Cabiria" begins with the eruption
| Of Mt. Etna and the destruction OF a
villa, but it becomes more exciting as
it goes on. The little daughter Of the
household is saved by a subterran-
can passage. is carried off by Phoeni-
clan pirates and carried to Carthage
where she is about to be thrown by
the priest Of Baal into fiery nav Of
Moloch when she is rescued by q
Roman spy and his giant Nubian
slave, the heroic Macist.
| Entwined with a highly dramatic
plot are most interesting historical in
cidents. 1t is highly educational les
son to see how the Roman soldiers
scaled a wall by pyramiding with their
shields; how the ladders and catapults
We're used by the besiegers and stones
and by the defenders Of the city; how
galleys Unanswered and troops
marched.
! Even legends are actualiZed, for to
the movies all things are possible
Scientists have long discredited the
| possibility of Alchimedes setting the
| Roman fleet on fire by means of mir
rors, but here we not only see it done
| but watch him working out the meth
| Cd by laboratory experiments.
| 1t must not be thought that "Cabi-
ria" is ali war and horrors. Comic re-
lief usually lacking in the historical
photoplays is here supplied chiefly by
| Bodastorth. keeper of the striped mon
key wineshop in Carthage.
Mr. Lcdoux called our attention to
many scenes that for pure beauty
could hardly be matched by any paint
| ing; Hannibal crossing the Alps, the
| train of camels crossing the desert
| dunes at sunset, the doves of Sopho-
nista and the tableau of the bridal
galley at the close will linger long in
the memory Of the vast audiences
| which attended yesterdays presenta-
| ton.
AS his text Mr.. Ledoux had again
selected an extract from the sermon
on the Mouet Immediately following
the Golden Rule. "Wherefore by their
fruit We shall know them. and as his
theme absolute emptiness Of the vanl-
ties Of earth and the utter perlsha-
bility of worldly enterprise. as illus
! trated in the fail OF the Roman ana
Carthaginian empires the failure Of
the ideals and the complete disappear
ance of the grand rival of Roman
| Carthage over which now burrows the
! plowshare.-Adv.