How to Appreciate Motion Pictures: A Manual of Motion-Picture Criticism Prepared for High-School Students

HAVE you ever wondered where the motion-picture producers get the stories which they film? You recognize some of them, of course, as adaptations from well-known books and plays, but perhaps you never thought much about the source of the others. Now, the quality of a story bears some relation to the source from which it was taken. Therefore, you will probably be interested in becoming familiar with these sources, and you may discover that your motion-picture enjoyment and appreciation will be increased by learning to evaluate pictures according to type.

There are two common sources: first, stories or plays not written originally for the screen; and second, "screen plays" or stories written for the motion pictures. In the first group are included all pictures made from books, novels, short stories, dramas old and new, musical comedies, light operas, and the like. Those in the second group need no explanation; they are simply original stories written directly for the screen.

The motion pictures based on well-known stories are generally easily recognized since the material used has already had some publicity. Of course, books and plays less well known are sometimes purchased and adapted or "doctored up" in some way. At any rate, here are a few examples of motion pictures made from stories or plays not written

-74-