Evening star., 1944-09-12
Movie Wilson Seen
Faithful to History
Lawrence Doubts Film Will Have
Any Adverse Effect on COP
BY David Laurence

Many persons in official Washington
went few evenings ago to see mo-
ton picture called Wilson" Their
curiosity had been aroused to some ex-
tent by reports that here was a movie
OF a propaganda nature brought out
just at this time because of the parallel
of events in it and in the life of Presi-
dent Roosevelt There was mention,
too, OF the fact that the War Depart
ment at first hesitated and then re-
leased the film to be shown to the
troops overseas.
This correspondent was engaged in
news reporting Of the events in the
last 13 years of Woodrow Wilson's life
and had chance, therefore, to see
at first hand all the things now being
portrayed The movie is faithful re-
production of history; in fact, it ap-
pears to be the first movie in which
Hollywood has succeeded in sticking to
the facts Of history without striving in
any appreciable degree for dramatic
effects by artificial or fictitious devices.
One can go even further and say that
II Hollywood has at last discovered that
an accurate portrayal of past happen
ings can be made interesting for the
screen, then a milestone has been
reached in the teaching of American
history to the people of this country.
Ideas Truly Shown.
The characters in Wilson" NAV not
resemble facially some of those in real
life, and here and there are physical
changes in reproducing buildings or
rooms where various events occurred
but these are minor matters Woodrow
Wilson did say the things which his
counterpart in the movie quotes him
as saying. He did live the life in which
he now is pictured-only he lived even
more tragic days than those now Sc
lected for emphasis.
The unsuccessful fight in the Senate
lor tne ratincation Of the Covenant OF
the League Of Nations was, of course
far more complex than now dramatized
on the screen, but the main ideas are
truly shown and the lines of cleavage
are faithfully outlined.
Inc broken man who failed to con-
vince the Senate or the Nation that in
international cooperation lay the only
nope to prevent Second World War
never thought perhaps that many years
later his words would be repeated by
voice In a dramatic presentation to
mliilons OF persons. 1t took nearly three
years to plan and make the movie, will
son, so II the events of this period do
mt the picture by comparison it Is purely
coincidence
The movie will last longer than the
lew weeks Of this campaign and it is
doubtful, moreover, whether it will have
any damaging effect on the fortunes Of
the Republican party whose leaders were
50 mistaken in 1919 and 1920. For Gov.
Dewey now has embraced the position
taken by the Roosevelt administration
on the kind OF international security
league which Is soon to be established IN
prevent another World War.
| Nonpartisan Goal.
so the movie would appear to have
reached goal Mr.. Wilson himself fer
vently wishes to attain, namely, non-
partisan and objective consideration for
his great proposal.
For most everybody agrees today that
the sacrifices of the World War were
lost IN maze of conflicting currents Of
seI-lnterest and that because of world
olsuhlty IN the end the youth Of this
i generation mad to fight to preserve
democracy and human liberty again as
against uncivilized and cruel aggressors
II the movie helps Americans to un-
derstand the meaning of this war. II it
heips the parents of those who have
already made the supreme sacrifice to
ieel that their sons have not died in
vain. 1t will accomplish for America
something which no other motion pic.
ture has ever achieved-a lesson in his
tory that sticks and lesson that should
never De omitted from the history books
or the history screens of the future,