The Film Daily (1918)

Sunday, July 21, 1918. jM^ DAILY 25 This Has Speed and Suspense. It Will Knock 'Em Out of Their Seats Alice Brady in "THE ORDEAL OF ROSETTA" Select DIRECTOR Emil Chautard AUTHOR Edmund Goudling SCENARIO BY Paul West CAMERAMAN Jacques Bizuel AS A WHOLE Beautiful star, swinging tempo, a well worked out story, wonderful suspense and a surprise finish that really surprises put this over with a bang. STORY They don't come often like this one; don't let your folks see it backwards and they'll never guess the finish. DIRECTION Kept you in suspense all the way. Developed action intelligently and provided classy atmosphere. Madje characterizations ring true. PHOTOGRAPHY Very good; some excellent bits, although duped flashes were unnecessary and jarred. LIGHTINGS Some very artistic; generally pleasing CAMERA WORK Effective STAR Beautiful and convincing SUPPORT Excellent EXTERIORS Some beautiful shots; foreign bits good. INTERIORS Very good DETAIL Many good touches and some good titles CHARACTER OF STORY Certainly holds you in suspense 'til the finish ; some rather risque bits are excused by dream finish. LENGTH OF PRODUCTION 4,865 feet I DON'T remember of ever seeing Alice Brady in a picture in which she appeared to better advantage than in this and although the offering doesn't get away to a flying start, it keeps building, with the suspense getting more intrikut all the time until they spring the big surprise and I want to tell you that it knocks 'em out of their seats. In the dream — which you don't know is a dream if you see it at the beginning — there are some situations, drinking, etc., which would ordinarily be rather raw but I think the surprise finish will keep any one from being offended because then they know that it didn't really happen, Shero just dreamt it. Miss Brady is a young stenographer, an Italian girl, who lives with her father and she gets a job doing some private work for a young author at his country estate. As they work together, a love springs up between them, causing much jealousy on the part of a friend of hero's who is staying with his sister and who has set her cap for him. Hero proposes that they take a spin in his car and Shero tells Hero her life story, explaining her rather tragic career, in which she had lost track of her twin sister over in Italy during an earthquake shock, after which she and her father came to America. ■ Her unusual story finished, Hero says he will go on where she has left off and we get some sure-fire titles here wherein he describes his love for her as if he was telling a story. We see them kiss and then Hero gives directions to the chauffeur, after which a title says, "And now another story unfolds". From here on it's the dream of Shero, who. it develops at the finish, has fallen asleep, but I'll defy anyone to figger It out in advance, it's been so cleverly handled. This dream part of the offering, while tragic, isn't so wild that folks will suspect it's a dream. We get some wonderful characterizations here, wherein Miss Brady plays the part of her twin sister and the doubles in this are worked out in a way that will fool even the sharpshooters. After Shero has killed herself — in the dream — and Shero's sister has ruined Hero's sister for revenge. Hero comes in and shoots Shero's sister — Banff! and we set a close-up of auto tire blowins: out and they bring you to your senses with a jolt— Shero had fallen asleep in the car and had dreamt all this. It's so dern unexpected that yon can hear murmurs all over the house. We finish with Hero and Shero goin' for the preacher while the chnuffpnr fixes the car. The exceptional cast included Crauford Kent. Ormi Htwlpr. Hpnri Leone. Maud Turner Gordon, Ed. Burn. Hazel Washburn.