Big Deal Closed for South America -- August 13, 2018

Moving Picture World, 24-August-1918

Big Deal Closed for South America

Peruvian Exchange Purchases Rights on Fox, Pathe, Ivan, Paralta and Numerous Special Productions.

THE Empresa de Teatros y Cinema, Lda., one of the largest renting and exhibiting concerns in South America, has recently put in practice a plan designed to bring together the Spanish speaking public of its territory and the American manufacturers of moving pictures. Eduardo Rodrigo, one of the managers of the firm, arrived in New York about two months ago for the purpose of establishing connections, and will be on his way back to South America by the time this issue goes to press. Following a course much in vogue among Latin-American and European buyers, which is, however, being rapidly eliminated by the modern publicity methods developed in this country, Mr. Rodrigo refused to make any public announcement whatsoever in regard to his New York activities until he had closed his contracts and was ready to leave these shores.

Moving Picture World, 24-August-1918

"The contracts that I have signed on behalf of the Empresa de Teatros y Cinemas, Lda.," said Mr. Rodrigo to a representative of the Moving Picture World, "cover as much as a million feet of film and represent an nvestment dollars. All these contracts year.

"We have bought all the Paralta output, which includes the pictures featuring Bessie Barriscale, Lois Wilson, Henry Walthal, J. Warren Kerrigan, Louise Glaum and Clara Williams; most of the five-reelers produced by the Select Company with Clara Kimball Young, Norma and Constance Talmadge, Alice Brady and Marion Davies ; the Selexart productions in six and seven reels ; all the Ivan films ; 'Les Miserables,' 'When a Man Sees Red,' 'Du Barry,' 'Jack and the Bean Stalk,' as well as a large and comprehensive selection of other Fox subjects; practically everything produced by Pathe here and in Europe, and numerous special productions, such as 'Inside the Lines,' 'Hypocrites,' 'I Believe,' 'The Married Virgin,' 'The Reapers,' 'The Master of the House,' 'Liberty,' 'A Man's Man,' and 'The Victim.'

Moving Picture World, 24-August-1918

"As you are undoubtedly aware, our firm, besides supplying the exhibitors in general, owns several theaters and controls many others. Some of them are our absolute property, and I mean by this that we own not only the buildings, but also the land. In this connection, I wish to mention the Colon and Excelsior theatres, of Lima, as well as the Cinema-Teatro of Barranco, an aristocratic watering place located twenty minutes from the capital of Peru. In Arequipa we have just opened the Olimpo theatre, equipped, as all the others, with every modern improvement. One of the theatres we control, the Merced Street Cinema-Theatre of Lima, shares the honor with another Buenos Aires house of being the only ones in South America giving continuous performances.

Moving Picture World, 24-August-1918

"In Chile, Ecuador and Bolivia we have branches and agencies, besides exploiting several theatres, amongst them the Alhambra of Valparaiso, especially built for moving picture exhibitions. This house is doubtless one of the most comfortable in South America.

"I might remark in passing that competition in Chile is assuming suicidal proportions. There will be very shortly eight exchanges within the republic. However, owing to the purchases recently made by us in this country, we can look to the future without the slightest fear.

"In regard to Peru, you will allow me to make one point perfectly clear. I have noticed that some South American renters, in interviews published in Cine-Mundial, insist on, alluding to their 'branches in Lima.' Now, I wish to state that amongst the theatres and moving picture houses of Lima there are only three that we do not supply. Our programs constitute ninety per cent, of the moving picture business done in Peru, and, therefore, the talk about branches and agencies down there only reveals abnormal powers of imagination.

"The capital we do business with -- not counting our investments in films -- as represented by our theatres, real estate, furniture and cash, amounts to 65,000 Peruvian Pounds, equivalent to about 325,000 Dollars in American currency. This does not include our recent purchases.

"Before closing, I might say that the American moving picture production appears to me to be simply wonderful, colossal, in quantity and quality. I have been purchasing films in all the producing and exporting markets of the world within the past five years, and it is by honest opinion that the Silent Art is advancing with gigantic strides in the studios of this country."

The Empresa de Teatros y Cinemas, Lda., which Mr. Rodrigo has been representing in New York, was founded in 1900 and occupies a prominent position in the firm (Film? - JT) trade of Latin-America.

Its president, Aurelio Garcia y Lastres. was for some time secretary of the treasury of the Peruvian Republic, and is to-day the manager of the Popular Bank of Peru. Felipe Chavez, of the Parisian commission house of Chavez Bros., is the vice-president. Chavez Bros, do all the buying for the firm in European markets.