Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-01-02

a" HE National committee for
Better Films, affiliated with
the National Board of Re-
- view of Motion Pictures, has
lust listed the 40 outstanding pic
lures of the past year. Members of
the committee have worked upon a
principle of selection-not censor
ship-and their findings result from
the votes of ESQ volunteer members
of the National Board of Review.
Nearly all of the photoplays are
cited for "all-around excellence"
but some only for particular merit
Of acting, plot or setting" The
pictures are listed alphabetically,
and their order does not indicate
preference as to their merit
There is no getting away from the
fact that the committee went Just a
bit too far. To select the 40 best
pictures gives too wide a variety.
The list could have been held to IS
or 20 and taken in the best work of
the studios. But here it is:
alaskan Adventures" THE ANA
teur Gentleman" Beau Geste,"
Ben Hur," "The Black Pirate"
The Blackbird," Diplomacy" Don
Juan" The Exquisite Sinner"
'Everybody's Acting" Faust" For
Heavens Sake" "Gigolo," God
Gave Me Twenty Cents THE
Gorilla Hunt" THE Greater Glory"
Hotel Imperial" La Boheme,"
Mare Nostrum," "The Marriage
Clause" Michael Strogoh," Nell
Gwynn," "Ohi What a Nurse"
sspo4aY,,I,;, 0Tba O,,~+arba~i,
The Return of Peter et Grimm" The
Scarlet Letter" The Sea Beast"
Secrets of the Soul" THE Show
OF Satan" THE Strong Man." THE
Tcmptress," Variety" 1.-THE Watt
Dream" What Price Glory" THE
Winning of Barbara Worth" and
The Volga Boatman."
Several motion picture critics on
the West Coast have also been busy
in their. 1926 selections. They give
Norma Tamadge first honors in
'Kiki," Estelle Taylor comes second
in don Juan" and Marion Davies
third in Beverly of Graustark."
Other stars who receive mention are
Eleanor Boardman in "Bardelys the
Magnificent" Ricardo Cortez in
The Sorrows of Satan" Wilma
Banky in "Son of the Shiek," Monte
Blue in $50 This Is Paris" Patsy
Ruth Miller in the same picture,
Sidney Chaplin in 1.-THE Better OLE"
Noah Berry in Beau Geste." Viii
liam Boyd in The Volga Boatman,"
Edmund Lowe and Victor McLaglen
in What Price Glory" Mary Pick
ford in "Sparrows," Lon Clancy in
"The Road to Mandalay," Ramon
Novarro in "Ben-Hur" and John
Barrymore in The Sea Beast"
1t is quite possible that the movie
fans have their own ideas concerning
the best films of the past year, and
1t would be interesting to see Just
how their lists compare with those
of the pros" of the film industry.
A N interesting and rather humor-
"A Gus experiment has been tried
by a Rochester, N. Y, exhibitor.
His exhibition of high-class photo
plays failed to draw good crowds.
Discouraged. he hit upon a plan
which has turned out successfully
He advertised for special audiences
Invitations to a movie minority
and discriminating audiences" He
raised prices and announced that the
pictures TO be exhibited in his the
alter we're for only the "discriminat-
ing few
Now this theater owner can hard
ly take care of his crowds. The
discriminating few" gather bv thou
sands, pay the higher prices and
view the regular run of photoplays.
All the photopiay fans of Roches-
ter desire to be classed among the
"movie minority" and with the dis
eliminating few"-while the exhibit
Tor is laughing in his sleeve.
THE FILM ARTS GUILD is ceie-
4 brating its first birthday, the
repertory idea having been inaugu-
rated January |, 1926, at the George
NJ. Cohan Theater, in New York.
The first film to be exhibited was
Lubitsch's Deception" with Emil
Jannings. The attendance was quite
discouraging at first, but it was in
creased with such photoplays as
"Othello," "A Woman of Paris"
Broken Blossoms" "Merry-Go-
Round" "Salome," 1.-THE Miracle
Man" and "The Last Laugh" After
a series of revivals the guild i'm
ported "Das Wachshguren Cabinet"
later known as THE Three Wax
Works" and after extensive editing
and titling It was presented at the
Cameo Theater, in New York, at
special subscription performance.
The film created sensation.
Special performances featuring
European photoplay masterpieces
are a regular part of the Film Guilds
work at the Cameo Theater, and
among the productions are Shat
tered" with Werner Kraus; Back