The Film Daily (1918)

Sunday, July 21, 1918. isitjA DAILY Wild Serial Meller that Handicaps Star and Support Irene Castle in "THE FIRST LAW" Astra=Pathe DIRECTOR Lawrence McGill AUTHOR Gilson Willets SCENARIO BY Roy Sommerville CAMERAMAN .Not credited AS A WHOLE Wild serial meller involving the "poipers", lifted by star and Mr. Moreno STORY Wife forced to betray her husband because of appearance of former husband she thought dead. DIRECTION Not distinctive and allowed some bad slips. PHOTOGRAPHY Acceptable LIGHTINGS Didn't light star to advantage. Generally too uniform. CAMERA WORK Routine STAR Handicapped somewhat in this on account of poor lightings and wild story. SUPPORT Mr. Moreno and Miss Snow good but detective was theatrical and unconvincing EXTERIORS Acceptable INTERIORS Satisfactory DETAIL Some bad spots in story CHARACTER OF STORY. . . Wild, and showed struggle in Shero's boudoir but otherwise not objec= tionabla. LENGTH OF PRODUCTION 4,700 feet 1SAT through an episode of "The House of Hate" before I saw this and I couldn't help but notice the general similarity between the two. This is a wTild meller produced in serial style, has a few bad spots and borders on the risque at times but it may get over with the gang that likes serials with all the wild stuff. Personally. I can't see it but they are still turning out photoplays on the installment plan so there must be a demand for this kind of stuff with a certain element. Pathe is undoubtedly the undisputed champion of the serial field and having made a success of these they seem to think that it is necessary to produce five reelers on the same general basis. Miss Castle appears in this as the daughter of a retired physician and they decide to take in a lodger to help out on the household expenses. Through an incident at a bookstore. Hero Antonio Moreno learns that Shero is seeking a lodger and he, being interested in her, answers her ad in the paper. Being brought together in the house, the couple fall in love but Shero, for some reason she will not explain to Hero, refuses to marry him. We get a lot of mysterious business, faces at the window, notes shoved under the door, etc., which prove to be from Shero's former husband, whom she had thought dead. He is a crook and a detective who is on his trail comes to the house and accuses Shero of hiding him. The "dick" insidts Shero and Hero intervenes. Later, Shero's former husband comes in her bedroom through the window and after a tussle and a title making it very evident what he intends to do, Shero shoots him in self defense. The detective sees the shooting and demands that Shero marry Hero and be the go-between in a crooked deal which would throw Hero's contracts his way. Shero marries Hero, whom she loves, but is compelled to thus steal from him or be prosecuted for the murder. In the meantime, the "dick" has married Marguerite Snow, a chorus girl, and she. tiring of him and knowing that he is blackmailing Shero. squeals. It develops that Shero's former husband had not died, but had been nursed back to life by the detective, but in a dispute later, the detective kills him. Hero appears on the scene and the "dick" is prosecuted for the murder. With this blot on her past obliterated Shero is happy again and we finish with the usual clutch. The man who played the detective was very theatrical in appearance and actions, making his role laughable at times. We also had a bit during the wedding of the detective and Miss Snow, where a mysterious bum was s en to sneak up behind the cab and throw a shoe at the "dick". This was a Keystone character and if this business was intended for comedy it certainly should haATe been labeled "Joke." J. H. Gilmour was acceptable as the father who died in the errly part of the offering. -' eginaM O &»«& s«a ■