The Film Daily (1918)

Technically Wrong and Over-Reaches But Has Sure Fire Appeal Clara Williams in to determine which is really correct, because an in"THE ONE WOMAN" telligent opinion could not be secured from the milThomas Dixon Prod.-Select Release. lions of film fans DIRECTOR Reginald Barker. Personally, I am in favor of the natural school for AUTHOR Thomas Dixon. tne screen, and consequently feel that the over-acting SCENARIO BY Thomas Dixon and Reginald Barker! fn this was injurious. I am quite sure that the film as CAMERAMAN Clyde de Vinna '* stands is a pleasing production, and I know that AS A WHOLE....... Technically faulty in construe most any audience will consider it very much worth tion through excess footage and over-reach while, and yet I feel certain that had the players been ing in dramatic scenes, but has definite pop held doAvn a little more and had the footage in cer ular appeal. tam incidents and episodes been considered so that STORY Contained excess of material which the action moved more smoothly and more rapidly, made problem of transference to screen the effect upon the audience would have been greater, rather difficult Various incidents should and they would have marked this as a truly great prohave been condensed or omitted. duction instead of a very interesting pleasing one. DIRECTION Held attention throughout despite The subject material treads on dangerous ground, as length of certain incidents and over-playing' most of Mr. Dixon's stories do, but that only gives in some situations. them added interest to most fans. Here we find a PHOTOGRAPHY Varied from fine to fair; some married minister with a socialistic inclination, falling times quite contrasty. in love with a very wealthy woman, whom he finally LIGHTINGS Many very fine; some just good. decides to live with, giving up his wife and family. CAMERAWORK . ..Varied decidedly; averaged good. She founds a church for him 'where he preaches social STAR Gave excellent characterization. istic doctrine and they announce that they are going SUPPORT Mayall, self-conscious willun. Law to live together without the formality of a religious son Butt forceful, but over-reached; others ceremony. satisfactory. His argument to Hershall Mayall who struts about EXTERIORS , Qu,lte satisfactory. as the wealthy cynic, is that he can hold Miss Wil INTERIORS •• Generally very good. liams because she loves him. When later on, Mr. DETAIL Generally good, except unnecesary Mayall convinces Miss Williams that she should play footage in various incidents. with him instead of with the minister, we have quite CHARACTER OF STORY ..Deals with efforts of a battle between the two men and this ends with the two men to win one woman who steals min minister killing the millionaire. ister from his wife. Treatment should keep In the offering has been a character who has now you out of trouble, however. become Governor. All along he has been in love with LENGTH OF PRODUCTION ...... 5260 feet. the minister's wife, who now secures from him the Considered purely from the angle of technical treat minister's pardon by forcing a confession that it was ment and construction, I would say that this is en his influence which had helped drag the minister into tirely too long and suffers decidedly from too much his final difficulties, ending with conviction as a mur footage being devoted to certain episodes that could derer. have been made much more effective had they been No matter from what sympathetic angle this is con— condensed. It is also certainly true that most of the sidered. it is undeniably interesting. To my mind, it players over-reached in their dramatic moments, with is decidedly lacking in comedy relief, because I feel the result that we had quite a lot of "acting." that the melodramatic scenes follow one another so From the popular viewpoint, I believe this is going regularly that they lose some strength through lack of to register as an intensely interesting and very pleas contrast and relief. ing production. The argument of all directors who The atmosphere generally was very good and we allow their characterizations to over-reach in big certainly are given to feel that we know the charactermelodramatic moments, is that they must do on the izations intimately. While I think this _ could have screen what is done on the staee; — they must over been accomplished with less footage, it is undeniably emphasize the ivk'matic situations in order to make true that the aveYU'J.I audience will not t omplain parthem 1\\\. This of course is one of the basic problems ticularly about the purely YJlT11103' criticism which I H:,'at cannot be settled in an off-hand manner, because am making here. both this method and the natural school of direction Others in the cast were Adda Gleason ~a?d Inurston have a decided following, and it is an impossible thing Hall. Meller of Human Passions Will Please. Has Big Ad. Possibilitr Box Office Analysis for the Exhibitor. ,. This should be a good bet now because the public Klondike.'' everywhere is turning to drama and comedy in order As you have undoubtedly discovered by this t ., it to Ket away from the depressing atmosphere of the is frequently advisable to mention the names of films past four years of war. that have been shown in your community in order to The name of Thomas Dixon, Hie title "The One give a definite meaning to the names of authors, stars Woman," the fact that Clara Williams is the star and and directors. We in the film business are very famil Reginald Rarker the director, should be a combination jar with these names but it is undeniably true that a sufficient to guarantee real business anywhere. large percentage of those who attend the theatres have If there is. any question in your mind as to your fans only a hazy knowledge of the actual merits of any being familiar with the work of Reginald Barker, I except a very few stars, directors and authors, want to suggest that you will bill this from the view A line which would make them sit up would be "Are" point that it is a Thomas Dixon production, stating men still primitive? Do you believe that they should that Thomas Dixon is the author of "The Birth of a still fight with their fist for a woman?" You can Nation," that it is made by Reginald Barker who has speak of this as a big special production because there made such successes as "Carmen of the Klondike," are a number of scenes that have a great many people "The Hell Cat," etc. with Miss Williams as the star, and there are some very big sets. It will undoubtedly mentioning particularly her success in "Carmen of the impress as an out of the ordinary offering.