Dorothy Kraus Memoir

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Movies in Pruzhany
My greatest thrill during my stay with Esther and Tolle was to be taken to the movie house, which I saw the early comedies of Max Linder.

Tolle had an interest in the movie house and Esther took me there. The film was very jumpy; the reel would break repeatedly and there were sometimes long intervals of waiting. But that did not spoil my pleasure. Those little people hopping, falling, throwing things. How they made you laugh! Yet everything was so strange, at time frightening. Still it drew you and you wanted to go again and again.

But many people were not quite ready to accept this amazing novelty. Others were probably ashamed of entering such a place. And some condemned it, no doubt for religious reasons. Surely it had something of the devil in it. Whatever the reason, in the end my uncle's business venture folded.

Editor's Notes: This is a unique mention of moving pictures at this time in the region. While still photos were common, a movie must have been a sensation. Max Linder: A French Actor, Film Director, Screenwriter, Produce, and Comedian.

This material is from Original Page 44 and Original Page 45 .

Page Last Updated: 15-Nov-2012