The New York herald., 1921-06-05
REINHARDT MPLAYS |
TO UPLET GERMANS.
Berlin Producer Does Not
Seek to Get PIaudits of
Critics.
ENTERS MOVIES ALSO
Hopes to Bring Real Drama
Into Life of Man in
the Street.
SEES TASTES SIMILAR
Many Workingmen Now Go
Regularly to Playhouses,
He Says.
SEES TASTES SIMILAR
sseotaI Correspondence to THE New York
HERALD.
New York Herald Bureau,

HERALD.
New York Herald Bureau,
Berlin, May 20. 5
"'The theatre should be an eypres-
sion of the people. an imagery Of its
suffering and aspirations and a crys-
tallization of it's achievements" de-
clared Max Reinhardt in the course CT
an interview before his departure
from Berlin for Salzburg, where ne in
tends conducting an open air theatre
this summer. I'm so far as I reach
tho masses succeed, and in so far as
restrict my public to small group
Of super critics. satiated in the salon
drama, I fail"
It Is not surprising. therefore, that
Max Reinhardt is now expanding his
medium to include moving pictures.
and beginning with a book which
gives him an infinite field for oper-
ations-Milton's Paradise Lost" One
Of his leading actors, Jannings. who
was Henry VII. In "Anne Boleyn,"
will play the title role of Satan
Max Reinhardt has his own moving
picture company and will produce en-
tirely as his fancy leads. For the
purely commercial side, however. he
has Joined the newly formed Big Four
Trust headed by the Ufa Company
and Ernst Lubitsch, a group in close
contact with the Famous Players Of
America.
In Berlin Reinhardt wears the title of
professor. But he is not PROFESSIONAL
type. He is no 'theorist, nor is he
trammeled with pedantry He is after
results-and every medium that puts
HIS ideas across is for him eermane
and permissible. The moving picture
problem is much on his mind and he
In attempting to adapt his dramatic
methods to reach the same general pub
lie that goes to the pictures as well
as the old theatreGong public. Rein
hardt has always wanted to reach the
people, and when he fails to do so he
does not abuse them for ignorance or
want OF appreciation, but simply casts
about for better medium.
Films Not Made for Stars.
About the competition of moving pic
lures he said: I'VE producers are not,
thank God where some of yours in
America now are. We are not obliged
to stage plays on Broadway simply to
put over film with q pretty star. We
must. however, compete with the film
producers for many of the same actors
and for the same public, and this is
not always easy. We cannot pay ac-
tors twentieth of what some of them
set from the film producers"
Jannings. for example. has n film in
come OF something like 10000 marks
week, years income for many actors
He still continues TO play in the
Deutsche Theatre. but remarks jok-
lngly that he can hardly afford the
luxury.
The difficulty for us to-day" said
Reinhardt, 'is that we cannot COM
mand the time OF our actors as we
did before. Most of them try to act
Tor the stage and motion pictures at
the same time. Much of the success
OF my undertakings Is due to the fact
that have had group OF stars about
me without giving way to the star sys-
tenn. They were ready TO play a lead
ing part In one play and an entirely
insignificant role In another.
To-day those who show fidelity to
the stage do so In the expectation that
In return for their sacrifice they will
receive leading parts. When they are
disappointed In this many of them 20
over to the movies altogether.
For this reason" he continued, 'I
round tho functions of manager and
producer becoming too complex and bur-
densome. Finally 1 decided to turn
over most of the business side of IL 10
my colleague, Falix Hollander (also
known as a playwright. l now am
giving most of my time to the choice of
plays and their production"
Reinhardt does not regard the moving
picture as a serious competitor of the
AtaUa I'm
closed many insignificant theatres. there
is compensation because the directors of
tnose that remain are compelled to make
an ADDED effort TO reach the public.
Heinhardt- with all his skill in mount
Ing miniature chamber plays intended
Tor the select we'll to do public. has
none the less made no secret of his con-
stant effort to find mediums to reach
and 20 express the soul of the people. He
reels this more strongly to-day than
ever.
Sees Public Always same.
On this point he said:
m not particularly interested in tho
productions In my small theatres This
Is more or less routine. The public Is
always the same, IL anything inferior 20
the old public. Most of those who attend
are either old theatregoers, who are
w eatidteu WIN good ana bad drama TO
nave fresh sensations, or else are new
iy rich who come merely to be amused
OF TO be seen, and when they como re-
sent nothing so much as mental effort.
i am more and more turning my at
tenton to the possibil ties of bringing tho
drama within the reach, and into the
life, OF the man on the street. 1t is with
this Idea that built the Crosse Schau-
spielhaus, and am now completing plans
Tor nm even larger open air theatre in
zalzburs. which | shall open this sum-
par.
'rh4 public to-day IL what II always
AS bsen neither better nor worse. IL
anything j am more contented with IL
because nov many workmen come reg
plarly who before could not afford the
theatre. My idea in building the large
Meatre dt seats 10000 was to open a
Nage whic1 would be within reach OF
Nerybod'. There are thousands of places
n nfteen cents. and no plays are kept
from this public simrIy because OF the
price. The trade unions take large blocks
sa rckets. Over 10000 series tickets
~ere sold In advance for this year at
popular prices and already 100000 for
next"
The circus-theatre Of Reinhardt IS an
enormous building. with the auditorium
Ike an amphitheatre with seats going
four-hfths around. In addition 70 the