The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1916-05-22
TRAINS BRINGING
MANY TO CITY TO
SEE BIG PICTURE
"The Birth of a Nation" Opens Five
Day Engagement at Grand
Theater.
AUDIENCE OVERWHELMED
BY IMMENSELY OF DRAMA
Details of Play Noticeably Complete
When Picture is Seen Second
Time.

ious points in this district to thi.
city to attend "The Birth of Ma
ton" and to take advantage Of the
many bargains offered by the Bemidj
merchants.
"The Birth of Nation" opened a,
the Grand theater yesterday for a
five-day engagement. There was
good attendances at the performances
yesterday.
Good Business.
Merchants reported excellent out
of-town business.
After witnessing the performance
of "The Birth Of a Nation" one real
ICES more than ever that war is what
Sherman said it was. In this worlds
masterpiece is painted the grim trag-
edy of war-war in all it's cruelties
One sees not only the tragedy on the
field of battle, but in the home where
wait the aged parents and little
brother and sister, or daughter or
son, for the message that too often
comes, telling the dear one has died
for the flag.
Swirl Of Emotions.
For three hours the spectator is
swept along in swirl of emotions
and in those three hours history of
To- IN ~ of +1,o
picture Jagged as the film was cut
down to fine point. When one sees
the play for the first time he is over
whelmed by the immensity of it. 1t
is an epic of a proud people beaten
into the dust and refusing to stay
there. The realism of the work is
amazing.
Play on Passions.
The music of the 3O-piece SYM
phony orchestra accentuates the pic
lures. The passions of love hate and
anger are played upon by the music
and the spectacle combined. Three
hours slip by quickly and when the
play is over one is convinced that 1t
is the most glorious accomplishment
in any art that he or she has ever
seen.
Many Bemidji people who witness
ed the performance yesterday are
planning to witness the production
for the second time. The point that
stands out strongly on second visit
is the detail of the play. In detail
"The Birth of Nation" is astonish-
ingly complete and there is some
thing profitable in it for the enthu-
siasts who see the picture five or six
times.
Can Read Words.
The acting in every scene is sc
good that it is possible to read from
the lips of the actors practically
every word spoken. In such scene
as that in which the surrender OF
Lee to Grant is portrayed, it is al
most certainty that the signature
Robert E. Lee," was actually writ.
ten upon the paper by the actor i'm
personating the great southern gen
eral. The words of the song sung
by Elsie Stoneman in the northern
hospital where the Little Colonel
lies wounded could probably be cop
led verbatim. There is no doubt bu'
that the soldier shown in a "clese
up' playing the assembly call upo1
q bugle actually played the familiar
notes when the picture was taken.
Acting is Good.
One of the greatest pieces of act
ing in the drama is that Of Rober
Harron in the part of Tod Stonema1
in the scene portraying the death o
the two chums, one from the nortl
and the other from the south. II
this scene Tod Stoneman, in the &C
of plunging his bayonet into his fall
en- opponent, recognizes him as Duk'
Cameron, his best friend. AS n
pauSeS, there Is d HdSu VI oAAoho w
hind him, and it requires the frmes
hold on oneself to realize that 1t i
all acting, and that Harron himsel
has not been drilled through a vita
SPOT by a bullet. There is no NOR
touching picture in all literatur
than that of the two boys dying il
each others arms.
The work of Henry Wathall a
Colonel Ben Cameron cannot be ex
aggerated.
Rich in Sympathy.
The part of Flora, the pet sister, l
rich in sympathy, and Offering II
many respects still greater oppor
tunities. In this character Ma
Marsh surpasses every piece of fem
inine acting ever seen on the screen
She rises to her highest art, not Il
the death scene, which is touch1ngl
pathetic, but in the scene depict1n
her sudden transition from the stun
. ID - NJ u y =