handsome film star, has been ex-Mr. Henry Wilcoxon, that very pressing some opinions on the film actor and film acting. From his experience, he seems to suggest that film acting is a branch of athletics; that it implies riding, swimming and all manner of energetic operation: This does indicate a wide gulf betwee the studio and the stage. Many of the most popular films have bee: melodrama in which action has been more important than acting—not a few of the stars have very little his trignic ability; they are clean-limbed and agile puppets.
It is not often that athleticism is carried so faras it is in the Tarzan pictures, but it cannot be denied th Douglas Fairbanks and John Gilb owed not a little of their success to the expert way in which they could mount a horse and climb a wall Even John Barrymore, coming of a family of distinguished actors, was often to be seen in distinguished athletic feats.
But perhaps Mr. Wilcoxon is think ing too exclusively. As many French and Austrian pictures have shown recently, film acting can still be fine art and muscle is not the essential quality.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.