ON THE SCREEN

Ladies' Mirror, Volume I, Issue 6, 1 December 1922, Page 52

ON THE SCREEN

Among the Film Stars

TAAVID Griffith has achieved another dramatic masterpiece in his “Orphans of the Storm,” a tale of the French Revolution. It was running at the New Scala Theatre, London, when the last mail left, in association with an operetta. “L’Orage.” The reproduction of Paris, seen in “Orphans of the Storm,” covered 14 acres of Mr. Griffith’s studios at Mamaroneck, and constituted the biggest “set” ever built. Three of the houses are exact reproductions of houses now standing in Paris, past which the death-carts rattled over one hundred years ago. The room in which the King appears is an exact replica in size, and in every other respect, including the wonderful paintings of the Grand Saloon in the Palace of Versailles. It is the biggest room ever built in a studio. The fountain in the Bel-Air scene weighed sixty tons and was valued at £IB,OOO. The Bel-Air scene faithfully portrays the lavishness of its period. Many of the girls in the scene are famous beauties. The fountain of wine is an actual reality; real wine being used by special permission of the prohibition agents! One of the most beautifully dressed women in America is Miss Rosemary Theby. She is a handsome brunette, stately and graceful. As the leading lady in the screen production of “Kismet,” she won success, and this she establishes more firmly in “The Eternal Flame,” Norma Talmadge’s latest production. One of Miss Theby’s most effective afternoon gowns is made of draped black crepe de chine, the hem almost touching the ground on one side and reaching a height of ten inches at the other. With this she wears a picture hat of black taffeta with a large deep red rose at the side. Princess Mary does not often get an opportunity to go to picture theatres, but the Princess Royal and Princess Maud are quite enthusiastic visitors.

When in London they go to the cinema near the Princess Royal’s house in Portman Square, attended by one lady. In war time, during the lighting economies, they used to walk home in the dark with a butler following as escort. Norma Talmadge airs some of her views—very sensible ones too. “I love nice things and I love shopping. But I do not shop indiscriminately. In Paris I saw the most gorgeous gown, tried it on, and wanted it. The price was exorbitant, and the gown too unusual to wear it on many occasions, so I didn’t buy it. That gown is more pleasant in my memory than it would have been hanging in my wardrobe.” Miss Talmadge’s great ambition has always been to play the part of Du Barry in Balzac’s “La Duchesse de Langeais.” She has satisfied this desire, and we shall sec her characterisation of a French “grande dame” in “The Eternal Flame”—the film title of Balzac’s story. Constance Talmadge makes an adorable little Chink in her latest picture, “East is West.” She had planned an expedition to China for the production of this film, but the political disturbances there forced her to abandon the plan. . The career of Robin Hood is at ' present in the making. Douglas Fairbanks, it is understood, is cast as the famous archer of Arden Wood. Constance Talmadge is at present [ making “East is West.” The production is bringing more Oriental charac- . ters into the studios than have ever been seen before. Many Chinese have been imported from San Francisco. There is much talk about a film ; planned by Elinor Glynn of the situa- , tion in Hollywood. It is understood ; Miss Glynn will write the story about ;. the title “Eyes of Truth.”