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Show Notes from the Studios The release bv the Vitagraph Company Com-pany of "Pickwick Papers," in two parts, has delighted all lovers of Dickens' Dick-ens' favorite work. Every scene in both part was made in the famous haunts of Pickwick. Every character j seems a living reproduction of Cruik-shank's Cruik-shank's famous cartoons John Bunny as Pickwick gives the film added interest inter-est a e e Ten thousand soldiers of the Imperial Russian Army figure in a Pathe play, "The Pptrcat from Moscow" The film reproduces the historical retreat of Napoleon's army from Moscow in 1812 I he scenes for the most part are enacted on the Jites upon winch they originally occurred and the ensembles are modeled after the famous painting by Verest-chagin. V ' The eighth picture in the popular Fdison series of "What Happened to Mary" an adenture styled "A Will and a Way " is the first attempt madr by any film manufacturer to produce a motion picture story in serial form. The innovation is in line with a recent pro-phocy pro-phocy by the great imentor that the day is not far distant when well known writers will submit their itories to motion mo-tion picture manufacturers for publication publica-tion in installments on films instead of to mag.T7inej and other periodicals as at present Whether this be true or not. the fact remains that the adventures adven-tures oi "Mary" have been followed from weed to week with keen interest bv thousands oi habitues i the photoplay photo-play theitrcs. a e e hakespi - p 's immortal drm3, "The Merchant of Venice." has been adapted to motion picture in two reels under the title "Shylock." and is released this month. The film is an Fclipse production and was made abroad. The leading t haracters in costume are introduced with the aid of vry clever dissolving effects, and then the story proper opens wlh a scene showing the Rialto in Venice, where BassSMO is telling bis triend Antonio, the merchant, of his love for thr beautiful and n:h Portia From this point the story progresses much the same as the original text with the omission of some of the minor details de-tails The part of Shylock is abl taken b) Harry Raur. of the Athenec Theatre, Pans Miss Pepa Bonafc makes a beautiful and bewitching Portia. of course, a detective story, and. equally of course, sensational. The detective work illustrated is, however, vastly different dif-ferent from that presented for so many vears in the usual detective melo drama, and it; sensationalism stands out with binnbr difference Burns pursues his work coolly and calmly alons: undeviating, scientific lines that inevitably attain the results he is seeking This drama oi the films pictures Burns doing his work as he does it in daily life. It is based wholly upon facts Its sensationalism is that of intense realism. It was not easy to induce the famous delect i e to lend his name and person to the motion picture stage, but he was finally brought to see the great good he' could thir accomplish and when he at last, gave assent he did so wholeheartedly, wholeheart-edly, and gav every possible assistance to the work of preparing the drama in which lie was to ugurc so prominently. Ml Bunvs's Own Diama Throughout the year in which this film drama has been in course of prep aration Mr. Burns has given much thought and time to its production. The scenario, in three parts, is written at his dictation, from bis personal experiences, and he was insistent that every scene should be a faithful reproduction of actual life. Those scenes were photographed photo-graphed in Mr Burns' New York office, in a Southern state, in Washington, D C, on an ocean liner and on a railroad rail-road in New Jersey To produce the last scene it was necessary to lease an entire branch of the railroad This photoplay is entitled "Detective William J Burns in the Exposure of the Land Swindlers" and it depicts the operations of certain unscrupulous politicians pol-iticians who are engaged in a fraudu lent land scheme. The story told by the films is, in brief Thf Stopv or the Play The country i- flooded with the alluring allur-ing literature of the Nelson Land Company, Com-pany, which alleges that investors are establishing comfortable homes on prosperous pros-perous farm lands which they control Fdwards, a hard working man in moderate mod-erate circumstances, living in Vermont, answers an advertisement which reads "Come to the South and In e like a king. Ten acres will make you independent inde-pendent Many make S500 a year on each acre." Edwards invests all of his savings and takes his wife and daughter daugh-ter Kitty to the new country. When lie arrives in the South he discovers that "the comfortable home on a prosperous Cordon takes Mary Archer to hear an address given by Detective William J i Burn; Cordon is greatly impressed bv the remarks of the noted detective and I makes a memorandum of the state-J state-J merit "Every criminal leaves a track I through which he may be traced There are no mysteries, and a failure to obtain ob-tain results indicates that the matter has not been properly or thoroughly investigated inves-tigated " Returning to the South, Gordon meets the Edwards family and karns of their plight lie promises to call for an investigation in-vestigation at Washington and when he again visits the capital he seeks the aid of Mary's father, little knowing that Archer, the lobbyist is hand in glove with the Nelson Company Archer's influence is so strong that the investigating investi-gating committee reports that no fraud exists and Gordon is about to despair when he finds th'- memorandum made at the Burns lecture. He decides to place the case before the great detective. detec-tive. How the Rogt-fs Are Caught How Barns through the identifica tion of linger prints on one of the land contracts and by the installation of the dictagraph, which records the conversations conver-sations at a meeting of the land grafters, reveals the source of the fraud: how Gordon in an impassioned speech in the House of Rcpre;cntatics secures an investigation winch wipes out the swindle, offers a series of thrilling scenes which have never been equaled in a photoplay. In his flight Archer boards an ocean liner and keeps in touch with his confederates con-federates by wireless, while NVU.n. tic-land tic-land agtnt. flets in an autotn il ile which is wrecked by an express tram The automobile was aetu.-i!v wrecked bv an engine which tossed it thirtv i sway from the trark For the purpose pur-pose of the picture, however, the wrecked machine was again placed on leneath the wrecked machine The pic-1 pic-1 1 : r s showing an expensive seven-seat car hurtling through the air have occa-ioned occa-ioned comment regarding the lengths to which th film manufacturers will gu these days to achieve realism. The DtTRcrivr or Reality When Mr Burns was first asked to appear in this play, he remarked in his characteristically direct manner: "The detective of fiction and the detective ol I reality are two entirely different persons per-sons It you propose to portray my methods you will find none of the blood and thunder commonly associated witb the imaginary sleuths because my work onducted along scientific lines en-trely." en-trely." It if therefore in the faithfni repre er.tafnn of Mr Burns's method! that the play has its thrill as his qnc work i s strongly contrasted with the operations of the swindlers and theif desperate efforts to escape the nci which the detective slowly but surely draws about them. A notable company of artists was assembled by the Kalem Comnanv to portray the leading parts in support ol r Hums. Miss Alice Joyce, the leading lead-ing lad) whose personality is known wherever motion pictures are presented, enacts the strong emotional role of Miry Archer, the daughter of the lobbyist. Anart from the thrilling story, the production will enable people who have never visited the National Capital to Form an acquaintance with the mam thoroughfares and buildings in Wash-The Wash-The scene representing ths House of Representatives in session is one of the greatest achievements in photo-play production s there is no studio stagr in existence which will - i the construction of such a setting, Kalem sent scenic artists and carpenters t ashington for the purpose of making mak-ing accurate sketches and plans, and built the set on a special outdoor stage, |