Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-12-25
FRED HARRIS and JULIE CLAIRE Fox
A Very Serious
Week Before Christmas
By PHiLANDER JOHNSON.

n TO prelude to the celebration
of Christmas day could have
been more lacking in frivolity
than the programs promi-
nentiy offered in this theater's drama
for the week.
Though listed in motion pictures.
he King of Kings" takes its place
on footing with the spoken stage
play. offering no extra added attrac-
tons and limiting even the orchestra
10 interpretive music. closely related
10 the action of the film.
1t realizes one of the early dreams
OF motion picture enthusiasts. hold
ing its place in frank competition
with the play which utilities voice as
well as gesture and accomplishing
'naryels in the way of vast group
ings Of human beings. such as make
any mob scene staged within foot
light limitations a small matter by
comparison.
Mobs have been ordeals for stage
managers. although in some in
stamr~s they have contributed ma
fe~.aIiv To success. Few have been
~ we'll staged as was the attack on
Iohu Storm in The Christian II
has lent suggestion ~ other scenes
Of the kind with little satisfactory
result
Curiosity often asserts itself as TO
Why some player. long admired. APP
pears so seldom where once he was
expected as j visitor. at least once
possibly two or three tiiues-during
the season. The cast of characters
of The King of Kings explains
what a number of them have been
doing. 1t is another proof that a
legitimate actor intelligently cast for
the cinema is we'll qualified by his
old experience TO hold high rank
in the domain of silent cloquence."
No contrast could be more en-
phatic than that which this film
points between screen art OF today
and the Pickering and faint expert
ment which invited curiosity. but
could not pretend TO satisfy taste.
This early film. showing where ii
could. in ar empty hall or even in
vacant storeroon1, employed extra
features 10 enhance the pictorial en-
tertainment nothing so elaborate as
the singing. dancing and comedy now
made available. Prices were not
high ard a lecturer undertook TO
keep the audience amused by appro-
pirate chatter. One OF his favoriie
articles was TO interest the box Of
zee in getting names OF patrons
whenever possible as they passed in
and then introducing them from the
.tsye in personal references. always
good -naiuYed. frequently witty and
sure 10 bring the glow OF Sa,isfac-
ion that comes 10 the average citi-
zen on being picked out from a
crowd for moments prominence.
Step by step. popular attention
Las been led into a federation Of the
4. more human side Of persopages,
,gho. for centuries past. have been
clothed with sanctity universally
respected. In the case Of play like
The King Of Kings" the theme IL
elf Is q protection against critical
s,tack. or even cayiI II has all been
80 resoecfiuiiy done that the differ
. enre Of opinion Oh any minor tech .
meal poin, is likely 10 he balanced
by opinion the opposite way.
sSs
That Mr. H. y. Warner should
have enacted 50 difficult part as
,br title role If this bold and stu
nendous production in A manner
which 80 generally contents the
imagination. is an achievement Of
historic distinction. II is the more
,r,uarksbie because nothing in his
esvaisy career. 50 brilliantly asso-
GATED with types lar unrelated 10
religious thought. gave promise oi
.av such possibility A. he now
seaiigss III nlshaer that hts hun
% III. ioltiesi heights Of current
repsfaiaoH,
nae of the boldest strokes il the
,,,eroye,ssion Of Judas Iseafiot b.
tnseoh schildkrsut The character
las 80 long been held IN scorn
be0iuuing with earliest childhood,
Though life il IL Involuntary
Thought Of. like the serpent IN the
Iardrn II Eden. as something
sunerlstiyely repuisiye SchIldkrsut
makes him young. handsome and
ambitious man. so intellectual that
bis act d bciFasai scarcely needs
faf purely dfsmatie purpose The al
tG.io.sI motive ri aYsries which the
sefi0tufai narrative demands The
sugje al .utefrsi given fo ilie char
scer Of Judas is highly conspicuous
snd gives the play aside from u,
powerful religious appeal, AL sspsei
~ political drama, comparable even
80 julius Caesar n IL }iriIe aud
gigantic drama with the phantom Of
World iyfsnny 1be fate ~ julius
tassaf refectk. ID . eullnmaiA nhAhi.