Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-09-20
HENRIK BSEN PLAYS
PRESENTED IN CINEMA
Nance O'Neil, of "The Wan
-derer" Company, Also Por-
trays "Hedda Gabler"
BY the Photoplay Editor

Nance ONeil portrays one of the leading
characters in 'Arhe wanderer." which opens
tonight at the Metropolitan opera House.
She is also well-known person TO the
movie fans, as she has appeared In many
celluloid productions Her latest role was
that Of Heida IN "Hedda Gabler," by Ibsen,
Here is what Miss o'Nel thinks OF the
Morse dramatst;
THE name Of Henrik Ibsen has up to
the .ast few years, meant very little to the
average American. To most people, outside
of the scholar. 1t has been name only.
Their knowledge Of this great Norwegian
poet and dramatist went no further than
knowing who he was. His writings which
have been such a valuable addition to the
literature OF the century, have been read
by few and his plays enacted upon, the
American stage have been seen and enjoyed
by a smaller number.
This deplorable condition OF having the
writings Of many OF the greatest nttera-
teurs OF the age closed to a majority OF
the people is one which has existed too long.
The large number Of people who do not care
to read these writings is appalling.
ITO certain extent the works Of these
famous authors have been populariTed
through their presentation upon the Ameri'
can stage and many who found no enjoy
ment in the perusai Of the printed page
thoroughly appreciated the dramatic pro-
ductons. There Is the further prohibition
very often in this case. however. of the
admission price to the theatre making it
Al N1nu.
performances who desire to do so.
1T has, therefore. devolved upon the pro-
ducers OF motion pictures to further popu-
larize the works Of these eminent writer's
by putting them into a form which all can
enjoy and all comprehend. by adapting them
to the screen. Through the medium of the
screen the people are becoming familiar
with and educated TO appreciate the worth
while works Of literature. So the people
to whom the name Of Ibsen meant nothing
short time ago have come to the point OF
asking for more OF this authors cynical
| sntircal depictons Of human responsibility
under modern social conditions
''Ibsen Is by far the most original Of
modern writer's for the stage. and his plays.
dealing as they do with all phases OF human
| responsibility under a variety of social con-
| ditions, present to the people the problems
| Of life In which they are personally inter-
| ested His modern-life dramas rather than
| his historical plays are the works by whlch
| Ibsen is best known TO the world at large.
| In these PLAYS the setting only is Nor
wegian the lesson they convey IL OF world
wide extension. Ibsen did not pose as a
| moral teacher. but as an imaginative in
vestIgator. He claimed that he was not
required to suggest a remedy for the dis
| eases of society. but only to diagnose them.
He was a poet OF protest against social
sophlstry and unerringly indicated the dam
| ger spots in modern life.
ITO the literature OF the screen far
| have been contributed several of lbsen
| plays-among them Peer Gynt' which is
an analysis of the human soul and is
often styled the Scandinavian Faust; The
Pillars of Society," an attack upon hypoc-
| risy as exemplihed in the principal per-
sonages in the small town, and Ghosts,
| the theme of which deals with the conse-
quences OF hereditary vices"
The screen adaptation OF this famous
! playwright are not going to stop here, how
| ever for the Mutual Finn Corporation has
released another Of Ibsen's plays, "Hedda
| Gab.er."
"Hedda Gabler" contains a satrical shaft
| aimed at the woman Of the undOmestic sell
fish type. In this production Miss O'Neil
| who portrayed the role Of Hedda on the
stage, also appears In The title role in the
| screen version. This was one OF Miss
| O'Neil's most famous roles on the speaking
| stage and a part which she played over 700
times, having appeared in AuItIalia, Africa
and every large city in the United States
and Canada.