Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-04-01
PILOT OPLAY
TIL E AT r E S
DANG IN Q
M II S &c
BARONET BARRIE
MIMICS MACBETH
IN A MAD MOVIl
In "The Real Thing at Last" Authos
of "The Little Minister"
Satirizes the Photoplay

TN THE Real Thing at Last" sk8
Il recently presented In London at .
benefit, Sir James NJ. Barrie has az
manner Of fun with the movies. AccorSt
ing to the account in the London Times.
the contention is that picture theatree
have been ignored by the committee which
has. the Shakespeare tercentenary cels
bratons in hand. so there is nothing
for them but to have celebration or the'
own. What could be better than to Pc.
duce n film version of Macbeth" regaN
less of expense, and with the liberal en-.
ployment OF the special artifices OF tie
"movies"? And so Mr.. Edmund Gwenrt
as an ultra American producer, presef -
his film. after Miss Irene Vanbrugh. y
the screen, has released" Il as from All
iron cage. The film constitutes the greater
part of the entertainment. and IL is
joyous piece of fooling. One recognizes
most of the accepted accessories OF tho
pictures" There is weird piano ac4
compartment, strung together from q
score of popular songs, adapted TO suit
each incident as IL arises There are the
inevitable letters thrown upon the screen
in the usual large and monotonous hand@
writing.
Dear Macbeth-The King has gotten
old and silly. Say him. Yours sincere.sc
Lady NJ" Is the choicest example. Buit
best of all, there are the liberal nterrups
tions Of the action Of the film to expaiQ
I'm aggressive captions" what is passing,
Here Sir James Barrie is in his happiesS
vein: The drawing room at the MaSs
beths" the soliloquy of the King "rhoSe
Macbeths; | don't trust them; The ~
giant home of the Macbeths in n. Z. Is =
longer a happy one; "One murder beg 4
another, and 80 is the whole world lt'
Again, the possibilities of space in Il
are exploited. The fight between Mach
and Macduff IL not confined to one 81 ~
IL ranges all over the castle. from =
courtyard to the roof, and Dirnam For \
literally comes to Dunsinane. To be q
harmony with the picture palace tradt 4
there must he a happy ending, an q
Macduff obliginEly forgives and forr q
and Macbeth and his Lady arc reunited "
the strains Of tine necessary slow m \
from the piano -
Most of the acting had been done II.
forehand for the clnematograph, and o. -
i dmund Gwenn, MS the American pr
ducer and Nelson Keys, AS "the diamn ~
profession In nutshell" who is ;Ilwa
trying to take Lady Macbeth (also G
acted by Mr.. Keys) out 90 supper, had i, -
opportunities of scoring, though vario
other stage favorites made n feeti sE
appearance. =
Here is the cast as Barrie arranged it
First Murderer ..............E Edmund Gwci,ii
Second Murderer .............. Nelson Ke'.t
Third Murderer .......,.....F Frederick Hf
FGaT'q FiFst MardSTed MEaSFfr .NormSn FSPS
S@sHHGIIhd @HIIn1 MurdSTsS ~ mSrSdr Haf
Page 5atserward milirderedj.. .TiedSis Gsr4 !
III MaESsrsr .StSys ManS.s 9
Not Worth Numbering ibnt imurdered), =.
Expert in the Old Methods OF Murder.
subsequently murdered by Arthur II
Msrdar TuiiyS. iiES''isn PSul
onicokors waiting for the Shoes of the Abov
Nn6S buas b0 fsG ss Mf
Kerr, Palmer and Madge TraveTs; Frs
Ivan Berlyn. -
And here is an advance notice whie
has a familiar flavor and may be MOI
readily recognized IL you recall that. ~
Barrie became his own press agent -
advance of ROSY Rapture" This paSS
agraph, gravely inserted by Mr.. Walklei
in the Times. is evidently in response d.
one which had appeared in the Daily Maif
and which may just possibly have BEEN
written by the same person The notiee5
runs: r
"The Daily Mail is oddly astray in II
forecast of the little piece, The &c.
Thing at Last It is betraying no sect
Except to the Daily Mai) to say IT,
the play had it's inception in the romaIk y
attachment long felt by this author -
the dramatic critic of the Times; an
tachment that must yet find lod9 :
among the Curioslties of Literature =
that has grown, so to speak, by not I, -
fed upon; all Sir James dogged EFFORT -
discover who the man Is having sosRzz
proved abortive. The play will proyHz<
be diabolically ingenious contrivanc{
compelling Mr.. to come out intd<zHs
open and have his hand clasped." f