The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-02-25

this one is finished l think I'll try the experiment 1 have in mind. This will be nothing less than a return to the simplicity of setting almost equal to that of the stage in Shake speare's time. Then you know the back drops were rarely changed but signs were put out-'A village inn, Castle Courtyard Battlefield, 'Throng room and the like.
 What I have in mind is a strip ping down to fundamentals akin to this-enhanced, of course, by beau ties of modern lighting. What would you think of plain grey drop. II it is to be a street scene a lamp post and the outlines of buildings could be drawn on it in simple lines with black chalk. Maybe sign over a door-'court house. or tavern. Be fore such drops the actors could come and go. On this would require acting of first quality naturally but if the cast were good the audience would know what the acting meant and would know what the play is all about.
 'The experiment. is worth trying at least, for this would give us beauty, simplicity, acting and-what Is so often lost today, drama-in- stead of merely setting and situa- tions."
 The talk veered then to clever critics who, for the sake of using a bright phrase, will damn a whole picture play. With real criticism Mr. Ray is in sympathy. In fact, he feels that the art of the photoplay has suffered from a lack of intelligent criticism, constructive. criticism.
 "And by constructive criticism" he laughed, "I do not mean sugared praise. Not at all. mean discrim- mating criticism, the intelligent pointing out of faults that can be remedied Every medium of artistic expression has it's limitations and criticism by persons who do not know what these limitations are can not be intelligent criticism.
 Many critics who rail at photo plays have no knowledge of how they are made. The wonder Is that they are so good that they have made such marked improvement in the last five years.
 Take the question of lights, for instance. The ordinary film fan, and even the great majority of critics, have no idea of the difficulties of handling the lights for interior
 
 smooth sequence of great emotional appeal has taken days in the mak- ing though when it is run off it looks as though it must have been made in five minutes. In realty 50 feet of film may have been made with one, two, or more people in front of the camera, and then may have come tedious wait of 20 min utes or half an hour while camera
 oAf, "A of another slightly different angle. The whole emotional state must be re- surrected; the final run must make it appear that there has been no break. Problems of this kind are not easy for the actor. I assure you.
 "The lights we use now are com plicated massive affairs. They weigh hundreds of pounds and it takes sew eral men to move them. Some day, no doubt, some one will inevnt easily portable lights which boy can move, but of late the tendency has been to greater size and, unwieldli- ness.'
 New Star on Screen.
 A young girl hitherto unknown to the screen, girl who has never yet had the yellow makeup of film land on her face Is to be starred at the head of a supporting cast which will include Pola Negri. Betty Comp son, Gloria Swanson, May McAvoy Lois Wilson, Agnes Ayers, Jacque line Logan, Antonio Moreno, Rich ard Dix, Jack Holt, Walter Heirs and Cecil and William DeMille.
 This girl is Hope Drown. who heretofore has played only small parts in stage stock companies at San Diego and San Francisco. The picture will be Hollywood" and shooting will be begun this week at the Lasky lot here under the direc- tion of James Cruze.
 The story of Hollywood" will be that of young girl who comes west from small town in the middle west to "break into the movies" The | plot will carry her through her | struggles as an extra, to her first small part, her growing prominence l and her final achievement of sue cess. Hollywood streets, cafes, the 1 atres and homes will be the scenic I backgrounds, and scenes shot on the l Lasky lot. The play, program feature, will show the public how