Cinema News and Property Gazette (1913)

86 FILMS.— Supplement to THE CINEMA. January i, 1913. Robert will not hear of this, and explaining the circumstances to I.azare, a friend of the notary, the old man indignantly repudiates the suggestion. Darbois, however, has his suspicions, and persuades Robert to allow him to disguise himself as an old clerk, so that he may gain access to the notary's office and make investigations. Robert gives him a lettei of introduction, and the notary, on the strength of this, l^ives Darbois a place in his office. At night, when all is quiet, lpposed clerk begins to investigate the private office. He ers a trapdoor in the floor, and places a seal cunningly upon it. He has hardly restored the carpet and left the room when the notary enters, descends to the cellar, a.pd there again 's the documents in the murdered man's pocket-book. This 1 an almost nightly practice of the notary's, as he is everlastingly pursued by the remembrance of his tragic deed. Dar eporta to Robert, and they decide to test their suspicion. Luckily Robert has his father's clothes, and as Darbois is about the same sized man they make him up so as to represent Marval at the time of the murder. Concealed in the outer office, they watch the notary as he descends to the cellar ; then they follow him down the stairs. A slight noise attracts the guilty man, and he turns to find himself confronted with what he believes to be the ghost of his victim. The scene is highly dramatic, and very well acted. Under the influence of his fear the crime is revealed. Driving him before them up the stairs, they leave the notary in the office, and go to the house of Lazare, who returns with them. The notary, confronted at last with his crime, and unable to face the dishonour, returns to the cellar, enters a secret recess, and just as Lazare and the others come back he blows up the premises. When the smoke and the shock have passed there is left only a heap of debris, which forms the tomb Of the murderer. ■ FATHER." (Itala.) Behind the brow of a hill there stands a factory blazing. It has been set on fire by Tonio, hired to do the deed by Everiste Marny, a jealous rival of the factory owner, Andrew Vivanti. After seeing the factory fairly ablaze, Marny pays Tonio. Tonio retires to an archway, changes his clothes, and while transferring the notes to his pockets, reflects that he may as well keep a card of Everiste Marny's, upon which is inscribed his instructions concerning the firing of the factory. Several lives are lost in the fire. Vivanti is accused of deliberately firing the factory for the sake of the insurance, and after an exciting scene at the court room is condemned to prison for life. Marny is uneasy concerning his crime, and to soothe his conscience adopts Yivanti's little daughter Lydia. Thirteen years have rolled away when Vivanti succeeds in escaping from prison. The warder leaves him in his cell. Listening till the footfalls have died away, the prisoner then removes the head of his bed and reveals a spot where he has been working. With great care he removes some bricks, and works with increasing excitement until the hole is large enough for his purpose. Tearing the sheet into strips, he makes a rope, and the next we see is his figure as he slowly descends the steep prison walls. Remembering his little daughter, Andrew, disguised as a rag-picker, makes for his native town in search of her. l.ydia has now grown to be a beautiful woman, and is betrothed to Robert, Marny's son. Old Andrew arrives at the inn of " The Two Glasses," a low tavern frequented by vagabonds and rogues. Amongst the crowd assembled there is Tonio, now a drunken sot, who lives by sponging on Marny. Old Andrew enters, and Tonio insults him. There is a scrimmage, and a knife flashes in Tonio's hand. Hut others intervene, and peace is patched up. Tonio visits Marny, and demands more money. This is a capital scene. Seated at his desk, Marny tries to browbeat his accomplice, but Tonio produces the incriminating card, leering in drunken triumph at the exasperated manufacturer. Marny offers a large bribe for the card, and Tonio pretends to accept it, but when the manufacturer advances he Twixt War and the Girl." THE Exclusive.— WALTURDAW. snatches the note, knocks Marny down, shakes notes and card in triumph before the fallen man, and disappears. Returning to the tavern, Tonio squanders his money, and is stupidly drunk when Old Andrew enters again. He begins to sort his rags, while T01110 pours a stream of drunken rambling in his ear. Evidently the scoundrel is gloating in his power over the manufacturer, and waves the card before Andrew's eyes. Old Andrew, however, takes little heed of the drunkard's maundering. Endeavouring to put the card back in his pocket, Tonio drops it on the floor. Old Andrew notices it, and shakes the now sleeping drunkard, telling him to pick it up. As this is without effect, the old man stoops, and is restoring the card to Tonio's pocket when his eye catches the writing. A terrible conviction forces itself on his brain, for the dates and particulars reveal the fact that Marny was responsible for the fire. Without pausing a moment, Old Andrew rushes from thctavern, forces his way up the magnificent staircase into the drawing-room, where he meets — his daughter. Lydia is terrified by the sight of this ruffianly intruder. She flies for assistance, and meets Marny at the door. Old Andrew bids the manufacturer dismiss the girl, then follows one of the finest episodes in the play. Andrew challenges, and by the aid of the card, convicts the man who has wronged him. " In a frenzy of passion he lays violent hands upon Marny. Then he turns to go and lay information against him. But Marny arrests him with a call, and pointing out of the windows shows him in the garden Lydia and Robert. " That," he says, " is your daughter, and she is betrothed to my son; now strike ! " With supreme self-sacrifice the old man decides to efface himself and leave his daughter in her happiness. On his way down the stairs he passes the young couple ascending. In the tavern Tonio awakens, and finds the card gone. Believing that it has been stolen by order of Marny, he flies in a frenzy to the manufacturer's house. It is night ; unable to obtain entrance at the doors, he gets in through a cellar grating, and, demented with rage, sets fire to the premises. Oid Andrew, painfully toiling up a hill outside the city, turns for a farewell glance, and observes, with horror, the mansion in flames. He hurries back again to save his daughter. In the mansion the scene is terribly dramatic. Tonio we see struggling in his own trap. Suddenly in the rooms upstairs livid tongues of flame leap out. and the startled occupants rush hither and thither seeking escape. Lydia, frantic, succeeds in reaching the stairs, but collapses there, and is with great difficulty rescued by Robert. Marny has collapsed in the drawing-room, and close before him a yawning gap opens over a bed of flame. The greedy fire seizes upon the magnificent stairway and verandah. There is no mistaking the deadly nature of the fire. Suddenly, amid the distraction and confusion, there appears the figure of Old Andrew. His daughter is safe, but his enemy lies unconsi ious above. The brave old man runs up the burning staircase, enters the drawing-room, and, wrenching a door off its hinges, lays it across the gap. Then passing, he hoists his enemy on his shoulder and staggers with him back to the stairs. But the flames are before him, and as he seeks to descend, the stairway collapses in a roar of flame. Rescuer and rescued hang in a perilous position, saved only by Andrew's grip on a pillar. The firemen run below, hold out a jumping sheet, and catch the two men as they fall. It is a thrilling incident. Marny has received mortal injuries; he is dying, and Old Andrew at the bedside bids farewell to his daughter, who is as yet ignorant of his identity. Feeling his end near, Marny writes a confession, and, pointing to Andrew, tells the astonished Lydia that he is her father. Weeping over the bier of Marny, Lydia and her lover find that although they have lost one father they have found another. It is a story of profound human interest, developed in absorbingly arresting manner. Staging and quality are alike perfect, and there can be no question that this film will take its place in the very front rank of photoplay achieve ments. " T*ixt War and the Girl,'' the greatest money getter of all times.-WALTURDAW.