The evening world., 1919-07-19

Americans bid fair. " unrestricted. 70
permanently cripple British Aim en-
terprise. And read between the lines
tho expression OF their real fear-that
the Americans will not only monopo-
lie the production but will become
owners Or builders and owners OF the !
best cinema houses throughout the |
| United Kingdom. 80 that in all good |
places British and even Continental !
films will be shut of as by the work.
ings OF a trust, and intelligent people |
going to a frst class house In London
or Manchester or Edinburgh must see
American films or films made by
| Americans.
They assert further that they have
unwarily helped to bring this condi-
tlon about; that actual British capital
has been advanced to throttle an
infant British Industry And. of
course, they raise the lnsular cry:
We are tired of seeing nothing but
your comic domestic problems In the
states; we are tired OF your divorces,
OF your rich young heroes, OF your
silly lngenues, OF your platitudes and
bromides put up for the consumption
OF your funny censors under the Rulse
| OF dramas OF real life"
But The Evening World In able to
go little further into the other side
OF the story than any one else has
yvt gone; that Is, TO tell Of some Of
| the future plans OF the invaders. as
we'll as chronicle their visible enter
prises Of the moment.
Just before no left for Washington
Mr.. Finn said 20 me: 1--WE have no
desire TO flood England, or Europe,
with merely American pictureA We
want To produce English pictures for
England. but with the material help
OF our resources at their fullest ex-
pansion. We have sent Capt. Kauf-
man to London TO take charge OF our
ofice There, and Hugh Ford and
other directors are on their way. We
expect TO send Elsie Ferguson abroad
IN bhe autumn to make pictures. iust
as we expect to send MarR1ierite
Clark and other Of our people across.
we Will secure the cooperation OF
the best authors In the world. You
might say, In fact, that this is an
I authorial quest more 1han anything
4 else, and that our motives have been
wholly misJudged. We have already
won the elusive Mr.. Barrie 40 pic-
tures---we are producing The Admir-
. able Criohton' in California-but we
want TO do other stories OF his where
we believe he would wish them 70 be
> uohe-Ih thelr native surroundings
d we are confident that we will aec,Ire
= Peter Pan, which, with Ben Hur,i
mas always been the great unattain.
able prize OF the picture mnkers-
o Just because we are establishing our.
Is selves on the ground where Mr., Bar
n RES most treasured pieces ought tc
DO made.
= And the Same holds true Of othe,
great novelists and drannatists al
Englan England has not the me-
: chanlcal resources that we have ir
II any way, and they know that aa wei
as we do. We are endeavoring to TAX,
what' we haVe-which they haven't
ii and combine IL with what thew hav,
which we haven't. That's ali thor.
Is TO II. and II that isn't n practica
and helpful union for both parties
III please show us why"
ii In the mean time other American
III are active In other fields.
Richard A. Rowland, President O
Metro-whose trip to Italy wa
chronlcled in this column some tim,
aso-is actively combining force
with the leading Italian cinemists
ono hopes not only to distribute tn,
III ltallan-made pictures which hav
III
build n huge studio and ali tha
goes with IL In Italy. on the Amer
III can plan.
Il. w. Hammons, general manage
III OF Educational, who has iuAt re-
III turned from the other side. saws
| There Is no material, or prac
tically none, OF the kind we want II
Europe now. OF $4,000 feet 1 viewed
| bare thousand feet-a single reel
ina 81 1A
III men TO work In England, France an,
Italy TO secure the sort OF Aim w
must have. l sent another man int,
III Germany TO take scenes OF present
usy conditions. The foreign marke
III does not have the material, nor ca
III IL produce II. We can make picture
at half the cost endured by the Eng
lsh manufacturer. and our picture
viii be twice as good as his. Talk @
boycott OF American pictures wi
amount TO nothing. There are , UC
III picture theatres In England. ttcI
will soon be 5000, and II the Britls
hlm men did band together to kee
American Aim out they could ne
succeed. The public simply wouldn
put up with II. Practically all thl
they are looking at in both Englan
and France now, Is American pi,
lures"
Meanwhlle, two British cinemat
graphic companies, having a toil
> capital OF Ss.0O0,000. have bes
formed for the production and pre-
entation OF motion pictures on a sea
never before attempted across Il
water. One OF the companies, ope
attng with a capital OF 5000. .0C
proposes to erect beautiful motto
picture theatres on the AmericI
plan in Liverpool. Manchester, Birr
ingham, Glasgow, Edinburgh, She
field Hull, Mlddleborough, Leeds al
Nottingham. The provincial theatr
will have a seating capacity OF 2,6
and fine orchestras. The first 10
don theatre OF the chain win ri
on the site OF the old Tivoli, and W
- accommodate 1900 customers at o
II time.
Our folks appealed 20 Caesar,
- chronicled above, day before yeste
day.
But the Britons, In convention a
~ sembled. called upon their Cover
ment via n resolution, the day 1
fore that. They asked Parliament
check the. importation OF Americ
film by restrictions, and in 9th