The New York herald., 1921-10-02
High Lights and
Shadows on NewS
of Screen Drama
italian Cinema Concern Goes
IN Heavily fer Exposing
History in fi.ms.
BY FRANK vREEIAND.

\ upholding Italy's film destiny,
Is going in quite heavily fcv exposing
history on the screen regavdless OF
expense or any ones feelings. Ihe
spectacular romance would scent 10 pe
a medium for which the screen, WITH
it's wide scope. its capacity for haiN-
ling crowds like a New York trafic
COP. and the overpowering realism pos
sible in it's vast settings, is peculiarly
fitted: so often when the films are
used for domestic triangle dramas,
which appear to be the happy hunting
ground of so many American directors
It gives one the impression that
steam tractor was being used to turn
UP an ant hill.
So the u. c. l., as this combination Is
called after the fashion of its German
cousin. the u. +. A., has set about niiins
nm this gap in the worlds cinema cui-
flire. not only by producing 'Theodora.
s'The Ship" and Madame Sans-e"ene.
which 1t will present here through
Goldwyn, but by setting to work on an
other pretentious production showins
Rome in all it's CORY glory. The sets
are already being erected for this out
side of the Eternal City. which Is now
coming back with rush through the
movies. and while the exact nature or
the subject has not been disclosed, II Is
said that some episode of Roman MS
tory will ultimately be built around the
scenery, and that there VIII be plenty
of dirty work at the CROSSROADS III I.
The u. c. /. appear to realize that they
have an almost inexhaustible fund OF
spectacular material in their own his
tory, particularly when 1t comes TO
bizarre and striking forms of murder.
The mountings probably will take SIX
months to construct, and 1t Will be 4
year before the last stabbing has been
satisfactorily consummated for the pic
ture. That is the delightfully."- refreshing
side of the u. c. I.-they don't care how
long II requires to shoot picture. they
know they'll get it in the end, for they
realize better than any one how long II
took to build Rome.
The sunlight in Italy isn't as un-
swervingly Devoted to art as that Of
California, but not having any weekly
programme to fill they can afford to
wait until the illumination Is suitable
for bringing cut the >chipped noses OF
the statues used in their colossal back
grounds.
A year was spent in making scrcer
version of Sardou's play "Theodora'
and eight months in arranging. near
Lake Albano, the scenes of ancient
Byzantium, where the Empress loved SO
expensively. For the first time in cinema
annals a noted architect has been en-
gagged by the UCI to design the set
tings in the person of Armando Brasini
architect of the Vatican. and the remark
ably colorful still pictures shown here
on the massive sets indicate that he Is
almost capable OF restoring the ruins oi
the Democratic party. He has been es
As<f1 sF,,1 tn srtxr rt,.ev avn
blance of age to such mo untings as the
vast hippodrome, but that Is to b.
expected In country where the natives
are so skilful in aging antiques"
",rheodora," with Rita Jolivet In the
title role, will be presented for an In
definite run at the Astor Theatre. be
ginning a week from tomorrow, II pres
ent plans hold--and they usually don't II
the movie world.
AS its envoy extraordinary, nhen UCl
has sent here Count Ignazio Thaon ID
Revel, loaded to the collar with details
about the picture. He says that NOR
than 5000 persons were used in th'
filming of some scenes. and the Italiai
Government sent q regiment of cavalr,
20 keep order, as the supers seemed t
realize they were lineal descendants o
a Roman mob. This Governmental ait
does not mean. he says, that the Gov
ernment is behind the UCI, as tina
organization looks for salvation and sol
vency to the two leading commercial
banks of italy. When numerous lioni
were let loose through the arena half ,
dozen extras were hurt, principally be
cause the animals became scared, a
usual. and didn't look where they wer
going A lioness broke through the fence
erected for the protection Of the Gamers
men aud Injured a photographer, but IN
recovered. since camera men, in Italy as
elsewhere, are hardy souls because o
their dealings with stars.
Madame. Sans-Gene," another Sardot
picture which Goldwyn will presen
later. was prepared by UCI for th'
Nepoleonic centenary, and Is said L
have made the French weep with NOR
abandon when shown to them thai
even their own Bonaparte picture.
Just before Douglas Fairbanks sailet
abroad with Mary Pickford a frient
suggested that they display their ap
petites I'm The restaurant of the Olympi
rather than in the dining saloon, a.
the friend thought that Mary and Doui
might fini the cuisine there more II
keeping with their position In the world
We'll" said Doug with the customar!
grin, that really doesn't mean yer.
much In our lives. We do these thing
in the proper style-we carry our owl
chef with us wherever we go, so ",
are never at loss for food You see
we figure that life being what 1t Is. W,
may blow up at any minute. So w
feel we ought to go fast while the go
ing Is good"
Mamaroneck Is coming to be come
thing OF a tryout town for First Ma
tiona. though generally there are n,
dog towns for pictures where the limo
cent suffer with the guilty, as they dG
in watching the first presentation Of
stage Offering. A couple of days befor
censorship went into effect here "On
Arabian Night was shown at the Ma
maroneck temple of the movies. whicl
explains why the state Motion Plctur
Commission has not denatured any o
the Oriental atmosphere OF the Pol,
Negri film. This German picture, du
at the Strand the coming week, was ex
hibited primarily 20 test a foreign pic
ture on the bedrock OF Westchester In
telligence, for stars with known fol
lowing like Norma Talmadge would no
first be submitted to a Jury of thei
peers before being thrown to the critics
/. The local exhibitor exploits consider
ably the fact that he gets his fllms al
most in the raw before the rest OF TIL
world. This and the fact that ID. w
Griffith's studio Is located there Is max
ing Mamaroneck into a wise movi
burgh. though the strain on the sur
rounding countryside is sometimes Sc
we're in other respects besides pride
-..f.n