Evening star., 1917-05-08
ADJUSTMENTS
New National.

| David Wark Griffith's photoplay Gre
alton, Intolerance" which is being
shown to the Washington public for
the first time this week at the New Ma
| tional Theater, has been called "the su-
preme accomplishment in moving pic
lures" 1t is at least a wonderful pro-
duction that chains the interest and
stirs the soul throughout with the
| struggle of one-half of mankind to
dominate the other. The clash is shown
| in the struggle for imperial power, in
religion and even in the more intimate
1 precincts of the homes of the humber
! classes Of modern times, where up
lifters" and "reformers" are shown
| carrying their fads and their fancies
to the utmost limit of cruelty under
! the banner of morals and charity.
| Four ages of the world are contrasted
in fleeing glimpses of loves struggle
| throughout the ages, the love oelng
the supreme Charity taught by the
lowly Nazarene, rather than the pas
| sion that is the motive power of ro
| nance, although the pictures employ
| four distinct romances to impress the
lesson sought to be conveyed. Compar-
| ison is made between the time of
| Christ, the period of French history
| during which occurred st. Bartholo-
new $ massacre, the overrunning of the
ancient city of Babylon by the Medes
and Persians under Cyrus and the pres
shine in works of charity and reform
causes a strike of disastrous conse-
guences, scattering simple mill workers
70 the haunts of vice and poverty of
great city. but always pursued by the
phantom of reform" and "uplift,"
until unhappy boy is shown shroud-
ed and black capped on the gallows for
a crime he did not commit.
The modern story makes the strongest
| appeal to the heart and to the thought of
the observer and affords to Mae Marsh.
one of the most gifted stars of filmdom.
opportunities for the display of talents
which have placed her on high pedestal
OF dramatic accomplishment.
But above and beyond the preachment
of the play stands the marvellous pictures
of ancient Babylon in all her glory in her
death struggle with Cyrus and in her
overthrow. Never before have stage pic
lures been produced of such mammoth
proportions, of such regal beauty and
such intense dramatic power, In this re-
spect, ii in no other, the Griffith produc-
tion is supreme" The colossal magni-
tude of the Babylonan palace. the wealth
Of beauty in architecture and the lavish
display of art and luxury in the great
hail which is said to have been a mile in
length. the impressive battles Waged with
all the horrible implements and engines
of ancient warfare by thousands of des
perate men on the battlements of the
city; the arts and the science OF the in
vaders whose moving towers, almost
| mountain high enabled them TO rise 10
| the level of the besieged army; the burn
| ing and the overtoppling of the towers
and the death struggle OF the Babylonians
| all defy description, and constitute a spec
| tacle that transcends all former stage
| pictures and perhaps may never be
| peated.
| In the immense casts required for the
| development of the great story of con-
| trast and conflict are seen many of
4 the now famous stars OF filmdom that il
1 would be idle to recount them.