The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-01-18

| [ ish producers only can turn out enough films of equal quality to the American ones to keep the English theatres sup piled and also compete successfully with the American films as regards price, they can break this American stranglehold on an important British industry To do that is now their firm determination.
 PLAN WORLDS LARGEST STUDIO With the object not only of winning back the home market from the Americans, but
 of competing successfully with them else- where, the existing British producing firms are almost without exception largely extending their plants and bringing them
 up to date. and big new organizations, all with plenty of capital behind them. are
 either already in the field or on the eve of entering it.
 l One of the new ones, which has capt. ital of s5,000,o0o is planning to have the largest film studio in the world. For the purpose of British finn making, big es- ttates on the outskirts of London, many | of them combining pcturesqueness of
 scenery with interesting associations of
 various kinds, are being acquired with
 such rapidity as to indicate that the
 metropolis will soon be surrounded by | a ring of movie Colonies"
 1 On one of these estates, "Oatlands | Park" which recently was purchased by | pany, scenes in British history will be
 re-enacted before the camera on the very ! ground where they originally happened. Catlands Park, which comprises 20 acres | of glorious country near Weybridge, forms | part of the ancient royal domain of Oat- lands while Henry VIII acquired for the crown and where the much married mon- arch spent fortnight in 1537. Queen | Elizabeth was frequent visitor to Oat- lands. Her last soiourn there was in | 1902, when she is said to have shot with
 a crossbow in the paddock. James I was 1 at Oatlands some time before his coro- na ton and Charles the First Stayed there | for stag hunting. In 1640 his fourth son,
 Henry, Duke of Gloucester, was born there.
 1 In 1896 William III granted the estate
 to Lord Torrington, and the latter be- queathed it 20 years later to Lord Lin coin. whose second son made alterations ] which added greatly to Oatlands' attrac- tions. He constructed Broadwater, a
 wonderful artificial lake. which should be | a perfect godsend to the film producer,
 and also built a grotto which is world i renowned.
 | This grotto is said to have cost s200. GOO
 It contains shells and minerals, including quartz, brought from all parts of the | globe. Imitation stalactites hang from {, the walls, and one of the three chambers contains a sunken bath. History says l that the grotto was a favorite retir1g | spot of the first Duchess of York, who 1 spent much time there when the duke | was fighting in France. In 1914 the al- lied sovereigns lunched in the grotto after | their victories over Napoleon.s Nearby is an ancient cottage, with ressset-tiled roof that sits on it like an extingiisher. ] Only the site of the old royal palace remains today, but Oatlands lodge, hun | 1.Ol of. mans turn just as well. It contains some beautiful carving. including an oak mantlei;ece bearing the arms of good Queen BeSs, which was brought from Winchester, and there are loggias and companies which give views of most de- lightfGl scenery.
 Altoeether, this Oatlands es+ate is cal cuiated to arouse the envy of the most pampered of American producers. There is a rose garden where Juliet may walk; in June she will have the crm- son ramblers flaming gorgeously all about her, and the lake is a perfect one in which to drown Ophelias There is, more over. ore of the most wonderful natural amphithestres in all England. Here the oaks. the e.ms and the beeches stand in semi c:l cle, exactly as if some nov ing picture man had snread out carl- manding hand and arranged them like sentinels around undulating stage of greer and gold. The company which has acquired Oatlands is planning to build
 an up-to- -the-minute studio there, well away from the lodge however.
 LARGE STUDIOS NEAR LONDON
 Another well established English mov-
 inS picture concern has all it's plans
 ready fer creating a British Los Angeles its own term-at Primer, near London. IL has bought an estate of 124 acres,
 itc icfi
 and on it vii! erect studies big enough to accommodate eight producers all working at once. The site has been especially se- iected on account of it's excellent position for film Iroducticn. It stands on an emnencr 500 feet above sea level. and everything in the way of scenery that is necessary for exterior work is included in the beautiful grounds which sur round a fine cid mansion. Ornamental lakes terraces, tennis courts. wooded dells and rose gardens all are to be found O. the huge estate.
 The eight studios. although built under one roof, will all be self-contained and will be fitted with every modern appliance essential to the making of the very finest motion pictures. As occasion demands, the landscape will be remodeled by a staff of scenic architects. Tn order to obtain the necessary artificial uGhting. huge generator will be installed, and this plant will also supply heat for film drying purposes.
 The head of this company Walter West, one of Britains leading producers, tells me that, in order to keep in touch with everything that goes on at the new studios. he will take up his residence in the old-world mansion which Will form the hub of this British Los Angeles and which will contain the administrative cf- fees. When the new "movie" city is in working order, which will probably be within F months, practically everything needed for the creation of picture plays, except the actual celluloid, win be pro- duced on the estate.
 We have sold our output for 1920 in advance" said MT West, "and standing orders are being received from various foreign countries. Negotiations are in progress for the sale of our pictures to big American film corporation for exhi- hition in the United States. Now raat all war restrictions are removed and the proper plant is available pictures equal and in all probability superior, in be made in England. We have tradition. we have scenery, we have talent, we have money and in certain parts of England the light is better for photography than anywhere in the world California not excepted" t
 ANOTHER COMPETITOR
 Probably as formidable competition as any that the American picture firms wnl have to face from England will be that of new corporation which has capflai of $5 600 and expects to turn out dur ing it's first year nearly 96Oo miles or