The New York herald. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1920-1924, 1920-10-03
Britain Awakening
to Movies Merits
Miss Rose Unsell, Scenario
Writer, Tells Attitude Of
Audiences Abroad.

England is at last awakening to the
merits of motion pictures, according to
Miss Eve Unsell. one OF the chief scena-
Iasky organization. She has just re
turned from a stay of thirteen months
abroad. organizing the scenario depart
ment of the new Famous Players-Lasks
British Producers and acquiring SOM
gems of thought for the American film
directors to digest.
English audiences surprised me,
she said, ''by being more demonstrative
and applauding more loudly than
American spectators. The British have
been slow to take to the movies. but
now that they have they've done II
with a hurrah. And we think of the
Scotch as stolid, don't we? Well,
they're just as demonstrative as the
English.
In Glasgow I was surprised by the
high grade film theatres, for they have
ten or twelve that are among the best
In the world. They compare favorably
with the big palaces on our own Broad
way, and there's one-the Cinema
shows the most beautiful pictures /
have ever seen, having attained their
effect by sacrificing half the length of
the hall in order to project their pic
lures on the silver screen from the
rear.
"The British houses. while not OF the
luxurious type, are improving all the
time. Besides having devoted the big
Hammerstein Opera House in London
exclusively to pictures. they are buying
ground for buildings designed entirely
for the cinema, though they are ham
pered by the building restrictions.
1.-THE audiences prefer American made
photoplays. their own industry having
suffered severely through the war. They
like our cowboy plays and our melo-
dramas and are still fond of Charlie
Chaplin. Curiously enough, plays about
the nobility don't seem to interest them
SO much as problem dramas for British
audiences prefer to think about their
pictures rather than be entertained.
They have no use for sentimental pieces.
unless they are carried along by a
strong story.
Granville Barker, heard, was TAX
ing up the movies. and if he does so he
will probably do artistic work of the
type the English like. Other English
are becoming increasingly enthusiastic
about the films, though professional
scenario writer's are almost unknown
there. Arnold Bennett and Edward
Knoblock have already done good work.
studying the technic OF this new art
form and writing directly for the pic
lures Henry Arthur Joness work has
also been excellent, for he is a fine
craftsman.
III. G. Wells was at first rather DIFF
fldent, feeling that pictures were some
what trivial but now he has gone SO
far as to say that If the inspiration
came to him he would write us a story
FOR a picture. In fact he wanted to in
spect our new studio in London. but
when the opportunity came he had to
leave for Russia to make an unofficial
investigation OF Bolshevism. Later he
IS coming to America. probably In the
spring. OF all the literary celebrities
met Wells struck me as being the great
est intellectually. I'm sure that when
he does apply his mind to motion pict-
ures he will give US some very fine
dramas.
THE films are proving great toy for
Sir James NJ. Barrie, for the photo
graphic illusions give him scope for his
fancies He is working on a play for
the camera now. Rudyard Kiplng Is re-
motely Interested, though the loss of his
son in the war has left him broken
physically.
Bernard Shaw Is becoming Interested
enough to grow sarcastic and ask for
figures-not a bad sign. He has come
to the conclusion that 1t Is not impos-
sible to have a gosd story on the screen
provided the director keeps his hands
off Directors over there haven't yet
had the opportunity to develop as they
have here.
Royalty Is becoming very interested
IN motion pictures, and something new
has arisen in the way Of command per-
formances at the palace-for pictures.
Dowager Queen Alexandra is particu-
larry devoted TO them. and has felt 1t
keenly because her physicians have adj
vised her recently not to see photo plays
for a time for the sake of her eyes She
has given Alex Stewart, her special
representative, a list of her favorites,
who are Mary Pickford. Pauline Fred
erick and the Gish sisters, which she
wants to see again as soon as she is
able"