Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-06-19

ton OF the III leading directors
of the past year, and the one
which will attract most attention
among the theatergoers concerns
statements by the directors them
selves. For instance, it is usually
considered that The Birth OF d
Nation" is the best picture directed
by d. w. Griffith, and that THE Four
Horsemen" finds first place in the
work of Rex Ingram. But, in writ
ing for the Film Daily. these well
known directors make their own Sc
lections, and the latter are not in
accord with public opinion.
d. w. Griffith selects Intolerance
as his outstanding picture, and he
tells why. Il consider Intolerance
my best he says. NO film is ever
really satisfactory TO the producer
tor there is always Scandalous dit
terence between the fore-painting OF
the imagination and the final results
on the screen. Workers in other
arts have time to retouch and re-
arrange their work toward perfec-
ton, a protection and a relief which
IS denied the picture makers. When
making Intolerance there was little
thought OF re-takes or corrections.
The sun shone. the film was exposed
and the results were set forever.
But none other of my pictures has
as great canvas against which to
paint the story. 1t has sweep and
purpose, with great theme. By
variety i'll time and story. it reveals
how the human characteristics, good
and bad. persist through the CEN
turies. The field is alive with force
Jul and interesting persons III broad
action, which has always seemed to
me the major province OF the cinema.
The picture dehed many traditions,
and was not always welcome. 1t had
vigor, aim and color, a grip upon the
centuries and twist upon human
motives. Happy would be if l
could make another picture like it.
It is odd how fond one can be of
picture"
Rex Ingram selects Mare Nos
Erum' as his best picture, and he
says: This novel by Blasco Ibanez
Impressed me SO much that | re-
fused to consider any concessions to
the accepted ideas of cinema enter
talnme'-t ~ filming it. ] consider it,
py lar, me best picture | ever made
t--or, for that matter, that / ever ex-
aect to cake The story, a stark
narrative of the war at sea, contains
everything that good box Office ma
terial is supposed to contain.
Mare Nostrum is, to my mind,
my most sincere work on the screen.
1t is unvarnished, its realism is stark
naked. 1t is dramatic and magma
tive, but its drama is not OF the the
ater-rather OF life"
Others of the 10 leading directors
OF the year select their best pictures
as follows: Herbert Brenon, Peter
Pan; Cecil B. De Mile, The King
of Kings; Ernst Lubitsch, The
Marriage Circle: Malcolm St. Clair,
Knockout Reilly; Erich Won
Stroheim, Greed" and King Vidor,
1.-THE Big Parade" In the balloting
on the selections, Clarence Brown
led with 81 votes. Lubitsch was sec
ond with 81. and the others ran as
follows: King Vidor, so: Frank
Borzage. 49; Erich Won Stroheim,
~; Cecil B. De Mile. 40; Raoul A.
Walsh, So; Henry King, 80; d. w.
Griffith, 81. and Charles Chaplin. o.
:: x x =
MEMBERS of the Harvard and
IA Yale clubs of New York and
prominent leaders of Tammany Hall
are puzzled. They have received an
invitation to take active part in the
new First National picture, ''Hell's
Kitchen" and their bewilderment is
caused by the invitation itself. They
cannot decide whether to accept or
not-whether the invitation is a COM
pliment or otherwise
An explanation is made, in SO far
as the members of the Harvard and
Yale clubs are concerned The guests
are supposed TO be in attendance on
a Yale Harvard boat race: one of the
highlightS of the film, Skeets Gal
lagher. will act as coxswain of crew
stroked by Ben Lyon, and the race
will be filmed this week.
y = V y
THE newest idea in motion picture
- production is the team of play
ers," producers having discovered
that such pictures. provided with
leading man and leading woman of
the romantic type. possess unusual
appeal for the public. First National
Pictures will furnish two such teams
for the season of 1929 in four pro-
auctions each. Mary Aston and
Lloyd Hughes, who were together in
Forever After" will be featured in
the productions directed by Ray
Rocket. mo Place to Co" from
Richard ConnelPs story, THE Isles
of Romance" will be the first of the
four pictures. The other stories in
the list are Tell the World" an
original by Howard Irving Young.
TO be screened under the title OF THE
Perfect Sap; DO 1t Again." adapt
ed from the Dixie Wilson story,
'Help Yourself to Hay" and Sail
ors' Wives" the Warner Fabian
novel.
Dorothy Mackaill and Jack Null
hall will form the other First Ma
tional team, and they have already
appeared together in successful pic
lures. They are now at work on the
first OF their four features for the
1923 season, 1.-THE Road to Ro-
nance, all original story by Al
Boasberg. The other three features
will be Ladies Night" which Ed
ward Small will produce from Avery
Hopwood's stage farce; the Bolton
and THOMPSON musical comedy,
Lady BE Good" and Crazy Man"
from story by Grace Sartwell
Mason.
Charlie Murray and George Sid
ney, who were teams in the war
farce, Lost at the Front" recently
completed, will be paired in at least
two productions, Wine, Women and
An.,r-3 Il n.y.