The Washington times., 1916-01-01
PHOTOPLAYS AND
PHOTOPLAYERS
Sir Herbert Beerbohn1
Tree and MoroSco
Make Ne1v Year
Predictions.
BY GARDNER MACK.

Inc new year Is believed by all
producers. by the actors and act
resses and the patrons of the films.
to hold much of Improvement and
of permanent progress for the photo
play. In every studio much i'm
provement in methods of production
is looked for and the thoughtful
supporters of the theater believe
that there will be greater develop
ment of the original photoplay rather
than the adaptation of stage plays.
One of the most important an
nouncements for the New Year is
the early release of pictures in
which Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree
is the star. Sir Herbert has just
arrived i'm America under contract
with the Triangle corporation and
he is particularly enthusiastic as TO
what the New Year holds Tor the
film play.
Il believe the New Year will sec
as great improvement in motion pic
lures as there has been in all the
years since the art was first dis
covered" said Sir Herbert. Il am
confident that there will be found
medium for the expression of the
greatest delicacy of art in the
motion picture by the greatest
the pictures will supplant the stage.
j welcome them as a supplementary
art and hope to be able to make
myself a part of them.
Il am a socialist in art, and |
believe equally in the films and in
the legitimate drama. The true
artist uses the material that his
epoch puts ready to his hands. Mi
chael Angelo did not confine him
self TO frescoing nor Leonardo Da
Ninci to architecture or painting.
l hope to he able to do for the Tri-
that will prove thoroughly new to
the screen drama. On my return
New York in the spring I expect
to appear in America in a few of
the leading vaudeville houses. using
my shorter plays as the vehicle"
That the photoplay will develop its
own literary Keniuses in the new
year Is the hope of oliver Morosco,
the Paramount producer.
"As New Year Day appears to be
the proper time to make resolutions.
1t seems to me that it would be an
excellent idea for producers. and
others as well, to resolve to imagine
every day New Year Day, and
start each new twenty-four hours
with the same progressive spirit that
the first day of each year seems
to generate-momenta Mr.
Morosco declares.
There are still those conserva-
tives who go astray about motion
pictures in assuming that because
the invention has in some instances
not proved capable of the most won-
derful utilization. They fail to ap-
preciate the unlimited artistic pos
sibilities of the moving picture-and
those wonderful possibilities are
what the new year holds forth.
Already the photoplay has reach
ed a stage where scenarios from
novels. plays, and short stories. how
ever famous. are quite insufficient. I
do not object to dramatlzations-my
own plays are being presented on
the screen for Paramount patrons,
and I have assisted in their prepara-
tion-but the photoplay has arrived
as an art. and 1t demands original
treatment: the imagination Of a poet.
and the dramatic vigor OF a master
craftsman of the theater.
Tomorrow must. and surely will.
produce imaginative geniuses whose
fame will rest wholly on their
photodramas. You and I will live
to see the day of a Pinero, a Jones.
a Bernstein. and a Thomas OF the
screen-men who will become world
famous Tor the 0epth, power, SIN
cerity. and compelling truth of their
photoplays. But they will be
specialists: they will not do pic
lures on Thursdays and Saturdays
and literary and theatrical work the
rest of the week. Another year will
find the photoplay developed to an
even greater and finer degree of art
and tomorrow people will look back
on present productions as admirers
Of Coburn. Gonthe. and Hill now
look back on their early tin-types."