Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-08-29
The Moving Picture
BY Robert E. Sherwood


Lillian Gish in THE Scarlet Let
ter" directed by Victor Seastrom.
so This Is Paris directed by that
nimble-wftted Teuton, Ernst Lubitsch.
One Minute to Play" which cele-
brates the screen debut Of the most
popular iceman In Wheaton. ILL.,
Harold CRed') Grange.
In THE Scarlet Letter" the Metro
Goldwyn Company indicates that it is
to continue the high record of excel
lence established last season with
THE Big Parade" The Unholy
Three" "Ben-Hur" and THE Merry
Widow" This latest offering is a
genuinely great production, worthy to
be included among the finest achieve
ments Of the silent drama.
AS Hester Prynne, the sad little
seamstress who shocked Boston in the
Puritan days. Lillian Gish contributes
the most powerful. most mature per
Torrance of her career. She is ably
supported by Lars Hanson, a young
Swedish actor who is new to Ameri-
can audiences.
Victor Seastrom's direction Of 1.-THE
Scarlet Letter" Is consistently admir-
able, as is Frances Marion's adapta-
ton of the Hawthorne novel.
THE Scarlet Letter is extremely
wistfully appealing. 1t should be pop
ular, particularly with those who are
not ashamed TO shed tears in public.
x
In $50 This Is Paris" Ernst Lu-
bitsch broadens his comedy to a con-
siderable extent. He aims his shots
at an audience much larger than any
that he has enjoyed before. He sacri-
fees some OF his far-famsd subtlety,
but the laughs that he earns are inf
nitely louder and more uproarious.
so This Is Paris" like THE Mar
riage Circle" is concerned with the
marital troubles of two couples, played
by Patsy Ruth Miller, Monte Blue,
Andre de Beranger and Lilyan fash
man. all four of them excellent.
Incidentally $50 This Is Paris is
being shown in New York under aus
pieces of the International Film Arts
Guild at the Cameo. Hitherto the
guild has specialized in repertoire,
featuring revivals Of past successes.
with occasional showings Of foreign
pictures that are not suitable for gen
eral release In this country. $50 This
Is Paris" raises the /. r. A. G.. to the
level of ''f1rst-run" organization. and
attendance at the Cameo is crafty
tngly large.
One Minute to Play" is ire
mendous surprise to those skeptics
who INDUCED In lip-curling when it
was announced that Red Grange
had signed a contract to appear in the
movies. tAmong those skepticS YOU
might have identified the writer of this
column)
Not only is lone Minute to Play"
lively. amusing and unusually enter
tanning picture Red himself is ac-
tually a pleasing personality on the
screen and an actor Of astonishing
skill
"One Minnie to Play was written
by Byron Morgan and directed by
Sam Wood. Unless my guesses are
all wrong, ii will be terrific hit
Recently | commented in this col
umn on the need for more young
writer's in Hollywood. mentioning in
passing the Inflated Eminent Authors
Film Corporation. which was formed
about seven years ago by Samuel
Goldwyn.
My remarks inspired Mr.. Goldwyn
TO sit down Tor possibly to stand up)
and dictate the following letter:
Sincerity is taking hold of the
motion pictures. | firmly believe that
the gag man and the plot that is
dragged in by the ears is finding
closed door with the motion picture
producer Of vision. It IS only a ques-
ton Of time until insincerity in pic
lures will have the same effect that
insncere people have in life.
''Of course these things will not
happen In day. but I felt that way
about 10 years ago. when l started to
interest the picture public in better
pictures.
Not in defense of myself. but In
defense of producers as a whole.
want TO say to you that II is not the
producer who is responsible for the
authors failure on the screen. be-
cause there is no one today more
vitality interested in the writer than
is the producer.
1T is the author himself who all
too often looks upon motion pictures
as means of acquiring a large
amount of money quickly, after which
he plans to return home and syndi-
cate unfavorable criticisms against
the motion picture industry as a
whole
Had the author taken motion pic.
lures as seriously as the producer who
brought him out and gave him his
chance to make good in this new
medium of expression, and had the
author given his best, the history of
motion pictures in the last few years
would have been quite different
Mr.. Goldwyn closes with the fol |
lowing words: ASSURING YOU of my |
sympathetic response to some of your |
reviews. and disagreeing with you on |
others. I am. etc"
II is quite true that Mr.. Goodwin |
and | have disagreed on occasion. but |
I'm glad to note that there seems to |
be no hard feeling,
+
John Barrymore has protested VIC |
lently because. in connection with the |
New York showing of Don Juan" |
his name was featured In the billing |
below that of the Nitaphone, also on |
view at the same theater. :. The diff |
culties have been amicably settled
Famous Players has decided TO
shelve The Golden Journey" pro
duced last year at a loss of several
hundred thousand dollars.
The film which Cecil e. de Mile
has long threatened TO produce with
an all-negro cast is soon to go into
work. 1t is an adaptation of the
novel "Porgy. Tho Metro Gold.
wyn Office here New York City) has
learned that The Big Parade" was
screened before so members of the
Australian Parliament and condemned
by them as American propaganda.
Thus it cannot be shown in
Australia, which doesn't seem quite
fair.