San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1923-10-21


way UP the aisle.
They had expected something revo-
lutionary. Even more revolutionary.
Chaplin's first feature, you know.
That man has wild ideas. Head-shak-
ing. Pursed lips. Worried brows.
Perhaps worried more for their own
conventional lens product than for
Chaplin's unconventionality.
We'll, he had TO have the happy
ending, / notice." came in jubilant
tones from one. as though this con-
stituted brilliant justification of
the popular movie manufacturing proc
esses.
That has been the biggest surprise
to the case-hardened brains of the
old-timers. They thought art and real
ism and revolution presupposed fl
nal view Of dead and dying actors.
They have not learned yet that laugh
ing lips may be tragic. that death
itself may be as joyful as life is sad.
In the first part of "A Woman of
Paris" the girl is waiting for the mid
night train and for the lover who Is
to board it with her.
Train time has come. but not the
lover. Shall she wait? Or so to
Paris without him? Suddenly Ii ht
sweeps across the gloom of the plat
form, a string of lighted rectangles
race along the dark wall of the depot.
across her face and on. They SLOW
down. They stop. She walks rapidly
out Of the scene.
That's all.
No locomotive light coming about
curve. No view of train grinding
10 a stop, nor of girl helped up steps
nor of conductor signaling TO start,
nor of wistful face gazing from d.
minishing observation platform.
All this never was needed. But 1t
took a Chaplin to demonstrate that
it was unnecessary. routine detail.
We'll, he saved the train anyhow,
didn't he"
This bright remark came from a
studio executive. a vice president in
charge of production OF one OF the
biggest film companies.
Saved the train? Oh yes-saved
the price Of renting Il real train.
Smart man. Chaplin. Cut off gooa
slice of production expense there.
But the executives alert mind had
seized a further thought.
Don't believe he saved cent by
it." burst forth with a Triumphant
chuckle. Probably took him two or
three days to figure how 10 do it "
That's right. There's the true eff
ficiency angle to it. Two or three
days thought by a man worth sew
eral thousand dollars a week. :
figure it out yourself. He might have
had real train for only a few hun
dred cash. And he spent few thou
sand dollars time figuring a make
shift. That's great joke on Chaplin.
huh? Shows how impractical it is 10
let these chaps with ideas" have their
own way in this movie industry.
Chaplin is great comedian. but
with "A Woman OF Paris" he appears
as a great director. The direction
or rather, indirection-of Chaplin Is
delightful. In one stride he appears
as a rcalist director, achieving Il sub
tlety. a sly method OF putting on the
screen the frankest incidents in thu
most engaging manner. that it took
Won Stroheim several productions TO
develop.
Won Stroheim is mentioned because
he has been the only genuine realiSt
|, az motion pictures. "A Woman OF
Paris" shows Chaplin as great real
list. with the substitution Of satire for
Won Stroheim's cynicism.
Chaplin starts his cameras going
apparently at random on incOnse-
0uental activity that soon swells 10
drama. The characters are few: their
gestures speak in place of many sub
titles. Events move casually, while
incidental details. skillfully and de-
Iiciously emphasized, bring out the
drama Of things.
The personal triumph among per-
formances is Adolphc Menjou's. who
seems most responsive to the Chaplin
subtlety of direction. Edna Purvi-
ance is calmly beautiful. and plastic
enough to appear the actress in Chap
Inns patient hands. Carl Miller, tragic
hero of the story. is called on for
what emoting there is. and does ii
with repression and fineSse.
The sweet uses of adversely served
Pola Negri once. She was a nobody
suppressed by poverty and hard cir
cumstancc. Then like Il. great flame
she burst across the cinema horizon.
Pola Ncgri in passion The film
was made in Germany. Film wiscacres
laughed at those who sponsored it in
this country.
Pola NCgri in that picture was IA
diant. sparkling. moodful., 1t mattered
not where that pictures was made
pola Negri was in il. and her sill
houette was the most cOlorful ever
caught captive on the moving film.
Overnight Nola Negri became fa.
nous. Her name was on millions of
tongues. Who was she? Strange
legends sbrang up about her, rs al
WAYS in the case with pc"Scns cata'
pulled suddenly into the public spot
light.
Adversely and poverty we're no
longer about Pola Negri. She
was brought TO America and
made first star under the Paramount
banner. The best dresSingroom was
hers. Her word counted for more
than that of the directors of her pic
lures. And her new American pic
lures were just about as poor in
every detail as any pictures made in
America in the nast two years. Prob
ably the worst feature of those pic
lures were Ncgri's acting.
After seeing bella Donna" and
1.-THE Cheat" II was this writer's
opinion that Pola Negri would not
finish ont her contract with Para