Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-04-07
INV MAID OF ORLEANS {
ENTERED FILM REALM
1.sse L. Lasky Describes the
Growth of the Idea and Tells
of Production Details

,..ss L. Lasky who presents Joan the
....n" IN which Geraldine Farrar Is the
W.. and which viii be seen for the first
.,v,s locally at the Chestnut street opera
uouse beginning Easter Monday evening.
--,,ined 5000 miles away from his studio
:, uo,vwood, Cal, when the picture was in
a.. making. The production was the most
,-,nortapt ever attempted at the Lasky
-.,,a,o hut Mr.. Lasky was so well satisfied
49,, his director, Cecil b. De Mile, would
. .u,al 10 every occasion, that there was
70 sasItancy about his remaining in New
w.rl That Mr.. Lasky was justified in
~. trust Joan the woman will probably
ss.,onstrate. Yet 1t was Mr. Lasky who
slammed tile organization OF the company
p.aassarv for the presentation of the spec
ass,e AVID he merely took it as matter
" .o,rse that Mr.. DE Mile would carry out
,hs plans without mishap.
A. r.asky recently paid a glowing tribute
4. NJ De Mile and to Miss Farrar. Three
..r. ago" said he, I'VE started our organi-
yys,,on in Hollywood. 1T was meagerly
S'.,n,,ed as compared with the present.
sau'pt Standard Through the genius of Mr..
Ne. Mile our expansion and growth were
i,s,,,aneous with the public's great and
saaraa eine interest in photoplay produc-
.,ons It was our good fortune TO weld
.ocether an organization sensitive to the
desires of the public and responsive TO 'he
instincts OF our artists.
oroke for instance. Joan the Woman
r,. suggestion to do a big picture on the
.,orv of Joan of Arc comes from within
srr organization. Mr.. De Mile was in New
vork for a short visit We discussed the
.,hiect of the Maid of Orleans from all
s,des II struck us that at this particular
moment in the worlds history, or rather. in
the thought of the public. the story of Joan
would have a far greater appeal than at
snv other time. France, the country she
.oved for eternity, was fighting for exist
srce Reports came from Europe that
french soldiers believed they saw the figure
of loan in the midst of battle. leading and
encouraging them to deeds of valor. Mr..
ne Miles imagination was fired. When
Miss Farrar was told OF the matter her
enthusiasm, If anything. exceeded our own.
Then came our decision. From that mo-
ment Joan the Woman was virtually in
course of production.
LET me add just little about the proc
ess of making photoplays. There is no art
IN all the world demanding much from
the individual worker or from the ensemble.
As an illustration, / might say that if any
person in Joan the Woman had during the
great coronation scene done the slightest
thing out of keeping with the period the pic
ture would have failed and the scene would
have necessarily been retaken. We have
had persons chew gum in scenes of moment
and have had to throw out many feet Of
Aim because of the discovery. 1t is an
axiom that a production is no stronger than
Il weakest point. Our effort constantly Is
to strengthen and to build, and this can
bs done only through personal responsibility
on the part of every person concerned
backed up by certain established principles
of art and of business"