“RESURRECTION”—

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 329, 14 April 1928, Page 23

“RESURRECTION”—

TOLSTOY’S FAMOUS NOVEL A UTHOR ’S SON ON THE SCREEN ( 'OUNT ILYA TOLSTOY, A SON OF THE FAMOUS NOVELIST WHO GAVE THE WORLD “ RESURRECTION ,” PLAYS A. ROLE IN THE SCREEN VERSION OF HIS FAMOUS FATHER’S NOVEL DOLORES DEL RIO AND ROD LA ROCQUE PLAY THE LEADING PARTS. RESURRECTION ” WILL BE SCREENED AT THE STRAND THEATRE AT THE CONCLUSION OF THE PRESENT SUCCESSFUL SEASON OF CHARLES CHAPLIN IN “THE CIRCUS

“Jj>ESURRECTION” was written by Tolstoy in the years from 1894 to 1898, at Yasnaya-Poiiana, Russia. The roles which Rod La Rocque and Dolores del Rio play in the film already

► went to America and Canada on the royalties of “Resurrection.” In Russia, England, France, Germany, Italy, the United States, Spain, Japan, Austria-Hungary, Turkey, Belgium, in practically every reading community, “Resurrection” was soon being read. Soon it was in every public library in the world. It was an increasingly huge success, because the human, flesh-and-blood story represented the outpourings of five years of painstaking application by the genius, Tolstoy. As George Rapall Noyes says in the preface to an English life of Tolstoy: “Tolstoy was the first and only Russian to reach the great reading public of other countries and to become known and loved by the average man as well as by literary experts. . . . His portrait was as familiar as that of his antithesis, Prince Bismarck. “When Leo Tolstoy died in 1910 no writer remained whose fame could even distantly be compared with his own.” Edwin Carewe, director and coproducer of the film version of “Resur-

have been honoured with great names on the stage. In 1903, at His Majesty’s Theatre in London, Sir Herbert Beerbohm-Tree created the role of Prince Dmitri Nekhludof, one of literature’s most famous characters. Leo Tolstoy was still alive at the time. Miriam Clements played Katusha Maslova, the role Dolores del Rio portrays in the film. The original novel, ‘‘Resurrection,” was published for the first time in 1899 in the “Niva,” a Russian magazine. Leo Tolstoy was paid by A. F. Marx the equivalent of 6,000 dollars for it, and he promptly gave the money to the Dukhobors, a Russian sect of peape-loving folk opposed to government by violence. “Resurrection” was the only novel Tolstoy ever had copyrighted; he did it in that case to ensure the proceeds going to the Dukhobors, many of whom

rection,” sought and finally found Count Ilya Tolstoy, son of the great Russian, and induced him to come to Hollywood to aid him in screening his father’s novel. The Count not only did that, but he made his film debut as the Old Philosopher, a chaarcter intended to Suggest Leo Tolstoy, who Count Ilya, the author’s son, resembles greatly.

THAMES WILL SEE “CHANG” | ON MONDAY NIGHT npELAMES will have the honour - of seeing “Chang,” the Paramount jungle release, at the , same time as Auckland. Mr. Chapman, proprietor of the King’s Theatre, Thames, has 1 made arrangements to present the feature on Monday night. “Chang” was screened at the ’ Regent Theatre in Auckland , last night.