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Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 81, 29 December 1917, Page 10

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tmiumtuiuifui i" MEWS OF i; IW FILMS ; j^jiHiuiiiuaiiiai

;/:■:■■ •■■■V..:r-;iy Y.v\.. ... . SOME THINGS THAT HAPPEN IN '• MAKING A'MOVING PICTURE. All isn't beer and skittles in putting on-a'-reel dramay'that .is,'all isn't acting, for there is much, that is real, at least that is truei .in "The Barrier." ■Rex Beach's play of life on the last frontier—-Alaska, . When one sits .in the orchestra'and watches the smoothly moving scenes—romance, struggles, lights, daring chances—passing' easily by, the thought that events shown actually are : happening allows little thought to the reality. ■.''., Risks and hurts that could not be shown in. speaking drama because of lack of setting \ni. the fact that a hazardous incident may be successfully handled, two or three times, whereas done too often eventually it means serious injury to the actor taking the risk. .An instance,of this may be'uited<in< Jfcho scene ; in ".The. Barrier," .. where Runnion has drawn-a gun and got the drop on Lieutenant , Meade Burrell, 'Poleon .suddenly strikes Runniou acniss the arm with a bottle filled/with "John Barleycorn," the ■ real .stuff for colour ordinary conditions this ibottie, would ".be 'made of paraffin, but the'.hot , "weather ■ melted the makebelieve bottle, and, as the scene, was laid' far from''the-stock room, the onjy course left open was..to use a genuine glass bottle.. '\ . ' ' . x

In the excitement'of. the tense scene Poleon forgot, of the property bcttle's ibsence- and .-smote Runnion a terrific jrack --with- .the glass;,bottle. The result was that Runnion got a pietty had wound; and later, when he is struck with the butt of a gun: and falls to the floor the fragments of the bottle cut his leg badly. . In'the wrestling scene on the •< beach between; Runnion and 'Poleon, both-powerful men, the i-atch' was genuine. No tenderness was shown by oither party, with the result that many bruises were accounted for on each contestant, and later when. Kuncion:fall's:;upoh- the' 'jagged .iock'sr-nq carpet props., but nature's-own invention—he gets considerably lacerated. I£ one-watclies the' film closely he can-

.-•■"' THE BARRIER."; ■-'The screening of ,-Rox Beach's novel, "The Barrier," at the King's to-day ' .is an exemplification of the, power of V-"tho motion picture to preserve the peculiar natural touches of an author's story. , As'produced l by-Rex Beach's own company, a faithful and artistic . ] interpretation 0f ' the gripping story, - embracing-the'sinister .barrier of race and blood, is given. The' scene is laid in Alaska,, north of that line where runs' "never a law of God or man," '.where convention is unknown, and a. • rude but pure justice is administered ■according to primitive ideas: The wild and wonderful natural scenery of the country, .its lakes and picturesque mountains,. form fitting backgrounds for the tense and gripping story worked out amongst them. The following excerpts from the book will foe interesting to intending patrons. '.. "I've just begun to realise what I am, ,, said Necua. "I'm not respectable; I'm not like other women, and ; never can be. I'm a squaw—a squaw. 'No honest man can marry me.' I'm a vagabond." "By God I who offered you that?" Gale's face was whiter than hers now. The tempest of emotion swept her along. "He can play with me, but nothing more, and when he is fone -another can have me, and then nqtuepfaud then another'. 1 ■'■Jii i - i 'tinie ■tins "niiin! will beat me, just like any ■•'otheiv'sqtuiw, I-suppose, but 'I can't .- inarry. 'I can't be a-wife to a decent " inan;'" ■ She was in the clutch of an ' hysteria, "and the tears were coming : bow: "I want .to bo loved; I waut to ..beloved.'- 1 , ,-.

not help observing the genuineness of the action—not.acting—but whole heart and. soul-participation'in the spirit of the action. . ■ ,-'*' Through all one never hears an actor complain; that is not the stuff of which moving picture actors aid rrade. They know that the scene will have to be gone through only two cr three times in order to be shown a million or more, and they take the big dance every time. In the speaking drama, of course, the -real thing could jibt take place.because if one were to be honestly choked almost into insensibility overy night and a matinee or ..two,, eventually —or.sooner —a headstone would adorn . his brow. The result in the selection of moving pictures has been that where the rugged sort of drama, „ such as "The Barrier," is filmed, the weakhearted, weak-lunged, weak-muscled actor has found his way into the discard. In other words," playiug a redblooded part requires an actor with red. corpuscles in his veins—and in. "The Barrier" that's the predominating quality. "The Barrier" comes to the King's Theatre to-day.

"THE WOMAN BENEATH." Ethel Clayton, in this World Film drama, is a society "bud" who marries a self-made millionaire as a part of the general scheme of tilings. _ To her intense surprise the millionaire aforesaid finds society customs very displeasing, the most distasteful of all being the habit of wives having men friends. Not until she was married, lie found, did the girl of his heart attract full notice. Then she was surrounded with hosts of compliment-mongers. Bitter misunderstanding takes place at once, snd the pair drift apart. The husband then resorts to an old trick, and announces his financial ruin. He gets the surprise of his life, and the story at tliis juncture leaves the beaten path. The settings naturally are of the most luxurious description, the action taking place in the surroundings of the New York smart set.

oiRECTORy BjSj , OF THEATRES ft 7|S

THE RUSSIAN REVOLUTION. This film is instanced by the censor in his report as an example of up-to-dateness in importation. It is no studio product, but the genuine scenes taken by a camera-man at tlie very timolol tiio gigantic upheaval. Kerensky himself was approached for permission to take the picture, and lie readily gave it.' As the storm-tossed crowd rush by, and wrecked- and shot-spattered buildings' appear on the screen, one might almost" be dwelling in Petrograci, that uneasy and troubled capital. One important part of the film shows the funeral procession of the victims of the first rising. Over two millions of people attended this. The dreadful fortress of Peter and Paul is shown, as salutes are fired from , .it in honour' , o[ the dead. Snamensky Square, where the very first shot of the Revolution was fired, is seen, and tho grim Alexandra Nevsky Police Station, which was sacked and fired by the , infuriated crowd. Tho infamous Black Hundred controlled a newspaper called the "Russkoie Snamo," and its offices are shown after the crowd' had worked their will upon them. .

BRITISH IN RUSSIA. One of the scenes of "The Russian Revolution" shows the British armoured cars firing at roofs where police and Cossacks are still hidden. Another scene shows British officers congratulating the Volinsky Regiment on their decision to take the part of the oppressed people, "THE SWAMP ADDER." NINTH EPISODE OF THE SECRET KINGDOM. Bloodthirsty bandit, dweller of the swamps, this desperate criminal has captured the castaways who wore dnttiiicr at sea. Phillip, the King of Alania, offers money'for the freeing of Julia, princess. and . daughter of the usurper. Count Ramon, tho secret a"ent, also offers money for the free-, ing of Madame Savatz and Julia. l.be pirate sets both men adrift. He holds the girls for ransom, and withdraws to-his dismal swamp, with Julia and Madame Savatz. : How his advances to the Princess Julia are frustrated, how a band of Cuban settlers attack "The Swamp Adder," and how the ■princess is saved 4 from a horrible drowning death between the decks or the sinking hulk of the pirate ship by: Phillip and Juan, and how a jealous octoroon woman guides the party'out of the dangerous morass, make a dramatic, sensational, tingling episode, which keeps up the quality, tone, ana "punch" of .this serial.