The commercial. (Union City, Tenn.) 190?-193?, 1922-07-21
The -Four Horsemen.

house was crowded at four perform
ances something like when 1t was
opened more than a year ago.
"The Four Horsemen" is one OF the
great efforts Of motion picture pro-
duction along with the first great
achievement, 1.-THE Birth Of Ma
tion," and later way Down East"
Griffith has heretofore taken the lead
in the stupendous tasks, but Metro
comes with this masterpiece in pic
turedom for recognition as pro-
ducing agency.
The Commercial commentator is
forced to admit that he is not at all
familiar with the book. 1t is very
popular story and has had a very
wide circulation, as much so probably
as any work of modern literature. It
is a symbolic work written more par
ticularly with reference to the eff
fects of war, yet there is romance
and human desires and aspirations
depicted in the fire and passion Of
the greatest struggle Of all the ages.
The picture is wonderful and ,ex-
pensive collection Of material from
every nook and corner of the earth
incidental to the action of the play,
an unprecedented pageant paralleling
the great periods of the war. But
more wonderful still is the cast Of
characters the producer has assem-
bled to reproduce the story and give
expression to the logic of the philos
opher.
There are two classes of dramatic
achievement. One is the individual
effort which develops the star in the
great characters Of history and fic-
ton. The other is the ensemble of
talent to interpret a book or play.
One very notable instance of the lat
ter was many years ago when Paul
M. Potter dramatiZed DeMaurier's
"Trilby." The cast, scenery, the ac-
cessories, costumes, etc, were so care
fully selected that the play actually1
the book. 1t was like
breathing the breath of life into the
romance. Almost every one of the
cast afterwards became star. There
were Wilton Lackaye, Burr Mcintosh,
Tgnacio Martinetti, Blanche Walsh,
Alfred Hickman and others. There
was another, 1.-THE Rivals" where
the cast was selected from the per-
sonnet of great American actors, viz:
Joe Jefferson, William H. Crane, Nat
Goodwin, Francis Wilson, Mrs. John
Drew, Julia Marlowe, Fannie Rice,
Joseph Holland, Robert Tabor. These
produc ions were epochal in the his
tory of drama.
So has the Metro Corporation Civ
en- us a modern cast of men and wC1n-
en- particularly suited by nature and
training for this work. The cast is
headed by Rudolph Valentino, one of
the screen stars who has risen rapiGl-
above the mediocre of his profession.
His associates are chosen to reflect
the personality of the Ibanez charac-
tiers and to inspire them with life and
nirit. The South American, the
Prussian, the Frenchman, the Cas-
lillian, the mystic, the swashbuckler,
the passions, the ruling habits of the
people and the composites of conflict
ing natures-all these come to us in
this work with remarkable reality.
We have no criticism for the pic
ture except that some of the more
exotic dance movements and artist
model scenes might have been sug-
gested With less display.
Years ago the war plays were un-
satisfactory until military activities
were removed from the front Of the
stage. They were merely suggested
with the noise Of the cannon and the
tramp of horses and men in the back
ground. With this arrangement Will
liam Gillette and other actors and
dramatists were able to succeed with
their work.
The motion picture service is COM
ing to that. IT must and will come
with the better standards of picturi-
zation. The blase and superfiuous
will be relegated to the rear.
But we cannot overlook the i'm
pertance Of the visit of this great
work to Union City, thru the efforts
of the manager, Mr.. Lyle Boyd, and
its popular reception. Union City
people, everyone, we presume, who
likes pictures or play, was at one
of the evening or matinee entertain
ments. But this is not saying nearly
all Of it, by far. for people from va
rtous sections Of the county came in
to see the screen. 1t was enjoyed here
in general way as one of the best
pictures we have had in Union City.
NOTICE OF ADMINISTRATION.