In the Realm of Books
By C. A. BRANDT
A Cinema Phrophesy
After a brief stay at one of the big screeneries, one of the most fascinating films I ever saw, left New York, to return probably sadly cut, to the lesser talkie houses. For once, the Critics of the various Metropolitan Dailies were pretty well unanimous in their praise of:
THINGS TO COME. By Herbert G. Wells.
The film follows the scenario (reviewed in a previous issue) quite closely, and by not trying to improve upon the original idea, Alexander Korda has created a truly magnificent film. It is lavishly produced, in the Grand Manner, of course not in the U. S. but in Great Britain. It shows a city of the Future—triple deck Highways—sky-scrapers and apartment houses built of glass, etc., etc. It shows the life of the future, created, protected and governed by science. We are shown glimpses of a better and saner world. Greed and Chaos and Depressions are things of the Past. Organic ailments are non est and robust splendid health is enjoyed by everybody. Work is reduced to two hours per day. The rest of the time is taken up in cultural pursuits and health giving sports, for which all men and women are trained from earliest childhood.
"Things to Come" is Movie Magic at its best. Go and see it if you have the chance.
Another Film (in book form)
Mr. Wells apparently has gone in for scenarios. The first one: "Things to Come" made fairly good reading in sports, but "The Man Who Could Work Miracles" is much better—as a scenario.:
It seems that the Guardian Spirits of the Universe have an argument as to the uselessness of the Human Animal. One of them contends that mankind is so utterly useless and silly that it should be eliminated. The second Spirit claims that mankind appears ridiculous only, because it lacks the necessary power. They settle the argument by endowing a veritable non-entity, a small clerk in a small dry goods shop, with the power to perform any and all miracles. Becoming more and more confused the poor fish performs miracle after miracle, but each performing increases his troubles, until thoroughly exasperated he wishes himself free of his miracle working power.
The book is quite amusing but I doubt, if it will ever be seen on the screen.
Adventure in Cambodia
This is another Version of the legendary Emerald Buddha, which figures with fair regularity in mystery novels of the Far East. This time the story begins in Angkor, ancient Capital of Cambodia. We meet a party of tourists, Americans all—a lawyer, a movie star, her leading man, a wealthy oil widow and her daughter, with whom Kendall the lawyer is in love. This party is crashed by a Colonel Fonteney an alleged archeologist, who fools Kendall into helping him steal above mentioned Emerald Buddha. In spite of the frantic efforts of the enraged priesthood the priceless relic is not found. The spurious archeologist, who in reality is an international crook, blackmails the oil-widow into helping him in smuggling the stolen idol into Bangkok. The entire party, Buddha included, gets safely aboard the steamer, but through the clever detective work of two East Indian Secret operators, the idol is recovered, Fonteney paying for his crime with his life.
The book makes pleasant reading.
A Good Imaginative Novel
According to Miss Ertz, it is "up to" Woman in general to end war and as Man (all munition, armament and war material makers are men) is very unwilling or too greedy or too stupid to stop this foolish waste of unthinkably large sums I think Miss Ertz is right.
"Woman Alive" is a peculiar yet a very remarkable book. It transports us into the
