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Show Novels Transmuted j M Into Photodramas I Famous Authors Commend ' V Presentation of THeir Master. j pieces By Famous Players Thoma Hardy aad Louis Joseph Vane. Critlci o! Their Own Work. 'in I Film Form "The Silver King" hy II Sir Arthur Jonet, in Gourie of Pro S duorion V It is an obTious and natural fact that i tho sternest critic of a motion picture l production based upon a popular norel is thcauthor himself. It has not so long i been customary for authors to j,ee repro- j duced upon the screen the characters and v 7ft events that have before lived onlv in V their minds or between the covers of a I ( book. j t; When Thomas Hardy, the celebrated novelist, saw the Famous Players' pro- 1. j duction of his masterpiece, "Tess of the ' 1 D'Urbervilles," he said, according to the "London Post," that it was a very fine I production and showed the high perfection perfec-tion to which the cinematograph had come. "In some ways" he declared, ."it i was superior to the stnge play which he i j saw in America." The "Daily Sketch," j Jnotber London paper, relates: "Mr. Hardy himself was even more pleased ' than the 'Daily Sketch.' He was pres- ' ent yesterday at the production, and in conversation with Mr. Sidney M. Baher, general manager of the Famous Players I I Film Co.. of England, said he was' delighted de-lighted with the pictures." j On January 21st, Louis Joseph Van.ce, ' author of "The Day of Days," -which has just been released by the Famous Play- ! crs, wrote that concern as follows: f. "This afternoon, for the Grst time, I witnessed a run of your film version of my story 'The Day of Days,' and I hope you may care to learn how thoroughly pleased I was. My delight, indeed, .was j only equalled by ray astonishment at the - V sympathetic imagination with which your -' jjj scenario department arranged my sto'ryv -A in order to make an intelligible picture, y$ the admirable acting not only of Mr. i A Scott, but of every member of the cast, the deftness of the stage direction, the careful attention which has been given ' ' to each and every detail, down to the . very props." Such endorsement of film productions by the authors of the originals is quite significant. . Hugh Ford, the famous theatrical producer, who, together with Frederick j btanhope and Edward A. Morangc, re- i cently became allied with the Famous Players Film Company, to collaborate on i the production of massive, spectacular ; film subjects, is now at the Los Angeles : studio of the Famous Players, making preparations for the first of these productions, pro-ductions, "The Silver King," the celebrated cele-brated play by Sir Arthur Jones. Hugh Ford and Edwin S. Porter, , technical director, will organize a com- , j pnny to enact this famous play, which I In the courso of the production will go i I to Europe for the exact atmosphere in I ! which the action occurs. i When the alliance between Messrs. ! Ford, Stanhope nnd Morangc and the I j Famous Players Film Company was an- ' , nounccd, recently, it created a sensation j j in the industry due to the international i reputation of these men and the impor- tance of their productions, among which ( I are numbered "The Garden of Allah." I "Joseph and His Brethren " "The Melt- , ing Pot," "The Deep Purple," and ) numerous other plays ,o equal promt- nonce. j j Mr. Ford has had as extensive an ex- pcrieuce in the producing of plays and I largo spectacles as any producer of our time. Ontsidc of his wide knowledge of I the drama in nil its phases, he has- the 5 , ability to strip a play of all non-essentials f that might cloud its motive and minimize I its central interest. His keen, sense of ' the pictorial nnd his belief in the ncces- ity of its employment to heighten dram- ; atic situations have resulted in the won- derfully beautiful productions that bear ; his name, and, coupled with his quick intelligence and artistic receptiveness, ( augur much for the work in the field of motion pictures to which he has chosen J to bend his energies. " I1 Lois Weber, of the Rex brand, Univcr-sal Univcr-sal films', has written one scenario a week , (j for the iHst three years. More than this, ii J; her works are never mediocre and the ;i Ji vast majority of them are masterpieces iu 'I the art of action and continuity as well j as in the originality of the themo. Only i a scennrio writer knows how difficult IC must be to Mistnin such a record. However, Miss Weber says thnt she is ' never at a loss for original ideas. She 1 is of an intensely emotional character and all the little incidents of her life and those she reads about in the newspapers, she views with an eye to their heart interest. in-terest. When she is lining a scenario np, she says sbo keeps in mind the individual in-dividual actors in her company, and as she thinks the prospective story over, she thinks of the characters in It as- her own people. In her most recent story, which is now in course of production, entitled, ! "Once Upon a Time There Was a Fairy i Princess," she- built the story around j the character nnd appearance of Miss i Ella Hall, a member of her company. It 1 is laid in old England in the olden time 1 and is a beautiful, romantic, heart-throb story. Miss Weber never thinks' of characters char-acters as mere names in the scenario or story. She always conceives them as r flesh-and-blood people with their frends, Interests, affections and sorrows. ' j In this production Phillips Smalley I plays the part of a good prince, and. Rupert Ru-pert Julian theroleof an ogre. - Wi The third great mystery story of "My jfflj Lady Rafiles ' series which is being pro- -4J duced by Francis Ford and the scenarios '. j of which are bein written by Grace i' ' Cunard, Mr. Ford's leading woman, is ; now In courso of production at the Uni- ! versal Pacific Coast studies. It is in two i j reels and is entitled, "The Mysterious :j Leopard Lady." ! Francis Ford plays the part of the J professional detective and Miss Cunard 2 that of "My Lady Rafflw." In the ; wreckage of two automobiles two dead 1 3 bodies are found and the police presume J that the two men were killed as a result . '. of the accident. The detective discovers : that one of the dead men had been dead; : for two hours when the accident occurred. In the dead maa's hand he finds a piece ! 1 of leopard's skin. This cluo he follows to a theatre where "My Lady Raffles," now reformed, Is exhibiting some trained ; leopards. She also po&sessea a. leopard ; Icoat and all the evidence points to the J I fact that she murdered the mysterious, ji dead man. The development of the 1 story and "My Lady RoJRes" escape hx 1 a balloon lead up toa atirriny climax. Harris Gordon, the good-looking yquW j leading man who is well liked on .the i screens, has severed his .connection with j 11 the Reliance Compapy to make a. betUr JM contract with-the Umrersal Company. |