Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1923-01-17
monte CRISTO'
AT THE LYRIC
Great Photoplay to be Shown in De-
corah for Three Days, Jan. 2l,
22, % at Lyric Theatre.
BIGGEST PRODUCTION
MADE IN YEARS
$4,000 Paid by Fox for Four Words,
THE World is Mine," Keynote
Monte Cristv".


Miss Ellen Larsen, manager of the
Lyric theatre announces another
great picture, "Monte Cristo" to be
shown at the Lyric on Jan. 81, %
and %.
When William Fox decided to make
the spectacular screen production of
Dumas famous romance, Monte
Cristo,' he sent three special agents
and scenic artist to Marseilles in
the south Of France, to make sketch
es of the harbor of Marseilles and
of the famous Chateau DIFF and to
secure all necessary historical and
biographical data to aid in the max
ing of this super photoplay.
The Chateau DIFF, grim guardian
of the harbor of Marseilles, in an
cient days an impregnable fortress,
still stands on the rocky island
guarding the harbor. In olden days,
this solid mass of rock played an
important role as fortress for poll
teal prisoners. Soon after the re-
turn of the second empire in the
nineteenth century, it was thrown
open to the public and became
museum, as it usefulness as fort
ress had long since disappeared.
The present governor of the Chas-
eau DIFF is Colonel Armand de la
Bruy de Rocheville of the famous
Chausseur dAffrique. Colonel de
Rocheville is veteran Of the world
war, and was wounded in the, flrst
battle Of ths Aisne. He does not
reside in the island fortress as that
venerable island is scarcely fit for
human habitation. His post is mere
ly titular, but because of an old
associations is very hJhorable one,
with numerous privileges attached to
it. He and his staff gave every aid
and consideration to the researches
of the Fox Film Corporation.
1t was through the data thus Sc
cured that Emmett J. Flynn, direc-
tor of Monte Cristo," was able to
erect upon the rocky sea coast, near
Santa Barbara, California, a great
cement structure that architecturaly
duplicated the celebrated political
prison, the Chateau DIFF. This great
pile of masonry from which so many
beautiful scenes were taken in the
photoplay, still stands on the rocky
coast of California as monument
to the ingenuity of the Tox Film
Corportion.
Further to the south on the same
coast near Balboa, California, En-
NETT J. Flynn reproduced with most
amazing fidelity, the fishing village
on the outskirts of Marseilles where
Edmund Dantes met and loved. This
French village, which cost the Fox
Company large sum, has been CIV
en- to the municipality of Balboa a,
a memento of the screening of
Monte Cristo."
Perhaps some day the identical cot
tage of Mercede, may be rented out
to California tourists as bungalow
for a summer vacation.
The remarkable ballroom scene in
the Fox production of Monte Cristo'
cost another great sum. Every con-
ceivable detail was utilized to make
it a faithful reproduction of the
famous ballroom of the noted palace
at Versailles.
Technical and art directors fami-
liar with the cost of studio picture
settings, who visited the Monte
Cristo" ballroom are unanimous IN
declaring it the most beautiful Ella
boration of Empire effects thus far
recorded in the films.
The real Island of Monte Cristo
is a small island of granite rocks
about forty miles from Leghorn,
Italy. It is uninhabited, but legend
credits it with being the hiding place
of great fortune accumulated by
an Italian nobleman during the mid
die ages. The island has often been
visited by Italian authorities and adj
venturers in search of the mysteri-
Gus treasure, but no treasure has
ever been found, except in the Won
derful imagination of Alexandra
Dumas. The story of the legendary
treasure, repeated to countless gen.
erations, unqSestionably inspired the
great French novelist to write this
romance.