The Washington times., 1916-01-18
PHOTOPLAYS AND
PHOTOPLA YERS
ri
Film Patron Objects
to Changing Story
in Making Of a
Photopldy
By GARDNER MACH.

when will molten picture pro-
ducers learn not to deliberately
change the course OF a story t"ey
adapt in lim form a. introduce some
big actor or actreRSY'
The question has been asked the
photoolay editor OF The Times By
one Of the patrons VI the motion pic
lures in Washington. 1t Is rather
difficult to answer, Tor several rea-
sens.
There does not seem to be a single
valid reason why producers should
do such a tnhig. The matter was
brought up during the discussion OF
the production of '"!'he Founding"
in which Mary Ficlford is present
cd. The Founding" offers Miss
Pickford one uf the hest acting OPP
nortunities she has had since iOie
was i'm the Eiograph company, years
w. Griffith. Aid she shows more OF
the real actress than she has done u:
many of her later productions.
II is a story in which the work OF
the actress, and not so much the
character OF her personality, counts
for much. Miss PickfCrd 10 ono of
the most delightful personalities on
the screen and in this particular pic.
turc she combines with her delight
ful personality some real acting
ability that makes the viewing OF
the pictHrer a very pleasant and
ling" as It appears in picture form,
is not the story OF THE Founding
as the film company itself publish
ed It. except In n general way.
People who sec many pictures
read everything they can find that
nIlhIiahnn n
them read the magazines and news
papers that devote much space to
pictures. In these publications are
found the stories OF the plays as the
Aim companies themselves prepared
them and there are several scenes
in The Founding" which would
have given Miss Pickford further
opportunities. that are not shown in
the film version at all. To. people
who have read the story the pic
ture is Disappointing, for the very
reason that they want to see more
of Miss Pickford doing tn things
she knows so we'll how to do.
There is no excuse for this sort
OF thing and in this particular in
stance an extreme case Is cited. In
versions of stories that are familiar
to tho public, more liberties are fire.
uuentIv taken by the producers with
out half the excuse. The entire
trend Of a popular story Is otten
changed tn suit the within OF di-
son, Action Is inserted that does
not exist in the original story, and
the plot Is frequently twisted until
II is bent out OF shape:
No matter how wen the thing
might be photographed, or how wen
the various characters might be
acted, there Is nevertheless a reel
ing Of disappointment in the breast
of everyone who sees such work.
A story that has become popular rs
popular because It was written eN-
actly as 1t was written. When. a
Aim version is, made and the idea
is changed. the people who hked
that story become indignant. Anu
they are indignant with reason. The
fact that a change gave aeother
thrill to 1t or offered INC IeadlnE
actor more opportunity 1oes not aP-
neal 70 the average spectator at at'
We wants to see the story as he
knows IT,
The producers Of film usually Of
fer as an excuse for manhandNng a
story that they are compelled 10
shorten II and condense the action.
And there is Just enough merit In
their excuse TO Justify its being
Offered-but no more. 1t is fact
that the eNi@encics Of presentation
are frequently more difficult to
meet than those Of produCtlOn. hObL
anything that happens in novel or
a short story can he reproduced In
motion pictures. But the matter OF
showing the picture with all the de-
tails Is another thing entirely.
Griffith Is authority for the state
ment that he made more than 100000
feet OF film in the taking OF Tho
Birth Of a Nation" the film version
OF. Thomas Dixon's THE Clans
man" II all Of that hlm were to be
shown 1t would require about twen-
ty-ive solid hours to put 1t through
p projection machine. 1t was neces-
sary for Mr.. Griffith to cut the
lcnath down to 1900 feet-the limit
OF length that could be properly
shown in three hours-tO make II
presentsble to the public. As a re-
suit a. tremendous amount OF action
was lost.
Even three hours is too long for
the average film. An hour, or an
hour and a half at most, Is as long
as the average patron OF motion piQc
lures cares to see a play performed.
1t necessarily follows that produc-
tions of books and stories should be
gauged-not by what the director
and producer can get out OF them
entirely-but by the combined ele-
ments of what the producer can get
from them and what can be prop
erly shown to an audience in rea-
sonable length OF time.
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