The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1919-05-17
IN STUDIO LAND
Facts and Fancies About the Folks
Who Make the Films

face of life, as though their very exist
enee depended upon their ability toI
avoid ethical problems Of any kind.
There have been some notable excep-
tions, but the trend of times was such
that the established arts We're unable
as whole TO resist being engulfed in
the commercial whirlpool. Only the
| film managed in some measure to es-
cape, and this was in q sense due to the
| fact that it was new, untrled expert
ment and not regarded seriously. The
| film has been the child of the people
founding left upon the doorstep of
art. reared by an industrial parent and
| housed promiscuously at first IN the
| Penny Arcade, the Nickelodeon and
corner grocery. It has known suffering
and neglect, but it knows its own peo-
| pie and how best to amuse them. 1t
knows that the deepest thing in human
nature is kindliness, because it has been
so long obscured by vice and pleasure
and contempt. 1t does not hesitate to
| dig deep for its stories, for 1t under
stands that it is under the hard surface
| that real values are found. The screen
| has given US a crude but penetrating
and deserving art. 1t has been, in its
more serious moments, concerned with
political and social reform, civic right
eousness, the obligations of big bust
ness, and mans general responsibility
| to his fellows In this manner it has
proved its ultimate worth, for not to
| be concerned with these things is to
miss the supreme function of art,
Not infrequently we have seen reli-
| gion itself cropping out in film stories,
/ the screen thus visualizing the highest
aspirations of man s soul. We have
| had repeated allegories of religious
nature, stories of the life of Christ,
some. striking interpretations of the
/ Book of Genesis, and biblical tales of
MANY descriptions. Even in the ordi-
nary film story it has been no exeep-
tional thing to find religious observances
/ pictured in various forms. This has
not always been accomplished with ar
I tistic results, for while the upward inn
i pulse is always a desirable thing in
stories, it is difficult thing TO transmit
/ religion in concrete form to the screen,
| The best effects have undoubtedly been
attained in a broader, general sense
rather than in special forms. In enter
ing the field of religion the producer
is treading on sacred ground almost
every inch of which has been the. sub
i ject of dispute among opposing creeds.
There can of course not be the slightest
/ objection to the production of films for
purposes of religious propaganda for
private distribution; we should think
churches of various denominations
might find the practice a valuable one.
When religion is introduced into a, story
for the purpose of moralizing, it is usll-
ally ineffective. 1t is almost as great
sin, from the artistic standpoint, to
: intrude morals upon an audience as it
| is to exploit vice. The mission of art
is to entertain, to "hold mirror up to
7 nature, to strike balance between the
conflicting forces of life and interpret
j the world to itself. When it does this
/ successfully it clears the eyes of the
people and promotes straight thinking
5 Its accomplishment, by indireetion. is
/, sometimes greater than that of much
preaching and exhortation.
:
Mabel Normand has decided to riva
? Noah Webster and as a start she has
: started TO record the perversions of tht
$ English language rs applied to studio
!. life Go to il Mabel. here are a few fol
Q starter.
Action: The directorial word tha
I calls for histrionic registration.
Atmosphere: The screen supernumer
2 airy; an ''extra. -
q Barker: The actors designation TO
7 the director.
Bull: The verbal animal the pres
s agent employs.
e Camera: The signal to "go''-th
| director watchword
Camera Hog: The performer who i
always looking into the camera.
Cut: The director 8 signal for tn
camera man to ''cease firing
bud: A faulty scene.
Ham: A relic of the stage who
to himself " an actor of the old school.
Lens Cootie: Performer who is s'pic
ture crazy ''-an orator who Away
wants his photograph taken.
Ethel Barrymore, Metro Star wer
on a fox hunt in Griffith park, out
Hollywood the other day, but the foxe
4 were too foxy because she reported ths
D the only ones she saw were in the cage
{; at the zoo.
d Prominent stars latest pictures arr
u Henry Waithall in q Modern Husbands
b Robt. Warwick i'll Secret Service
q Norma Talmadge is now completing
d new one by H. II. Van Loan. under Il
Be- title of ''The New Moon Olive Thor
& as Mrs. Jack Pickford) has just con
B pleted ''The Spite Bride; Mary Mil
81 Minter has just finished MAJ
B o 'Rourke; Mabel Normand s latest
IS "The Pest" and Constance Talmadge
81 1.-THE Yelled Adventure. -
s.
q D. w. Griffith has just leased t
b Geo. NJ. Cohan theatre, New York eli
= to start what he terms as his Reperto
x, season, which viii be a spring season
es motion pictures and stage production
as The opening attraction will be- Bro
a. en- Blossoms 2 Chinese production wi
80 Lillian Gish and other prominent CIR
= fifth players in the cast.