The Film Daily (1918)

Sunday, December 29, 1918 Sli^ >AILY Beautiful Shero and Appealing Hero as Well as Artistry Lift "Movie' Plot Juanita Hansen in "THE SEA FLOWER" Universal. DIRECTOR Colin Campbell AUTHOR George Hull SCENARIO BY H. Tipton Steck CAMERAMAN Not credited AS A WHOLE Very artistically produced and principals very pleasing in plot that's interesting but unreal. STORY Obliging meller contains all elements of fairy tale. DIRECTION Kept atmosphere truly artistic and developed characterizations effectively, but could not make unreal plot convince. PHOTOGRAPHY Excellent LIGHTINGS Generally clear and satisfactory CAMERA WORK Splendid; many exceptionally beautiful shots. STAR Indeed pretty and gave pleasing performance tho' not forceful; decided ingenue type. SUPPORT. Whitman handsome and appealing ^ero; others satisfactory. EXTERIORS Very beautiful throughout INTERIORS Held to atmosphere of story DETAIL Atmosphere beautifully artistic CHARACTER OF STORY Very much a la fiction. LENGTH OF PRODUCTION About 5,500 ft. Considered purely from the viewpoint of interest and appeal this ought to register, because your fans will enjoy looking at beautiful Juanita Hansen and be impressed with Al Whitman's very pleasing personality. The production itself is truly artistic, the scenes beine wonderfully well chosen. Technically the plot wont bear deep analysis, comprising the fundamental elements of a movie or fairy tale, in that it presents one situation following upon another wherein shero is endangered, to be saved just in time by hero. Furthermore, we get the fiction ending of father discovering in shero his long lost daughter who had been kidnapped in her infancy. The situation presents Juanita as a "gel" of romantic dreams who ever longs for the coming of her Prince Charming, as in the case of the heroine in her story book. (This in the 20th Century.) She yets her wish sure enough when Hero Al Whitman, Secret Service man, is washed ashore on the island where she lives having been thrown overboard by a traitorous gang of plotters who caught him in the act of spying on their plans to blow up a national munition plant at Frisco. When" shero discovers him, they plunge right into the "Ah, at last my Prince Charming" business, and immediately you get set for a fairy tale so the rest doesn't matter. You just take it as it comes and keep agreeable. Of coiurse we get the development of romance, with hero having to leave after a few days in order to arrive in Frisco in time to save the lives of the workers in the plant. Shero meanwhile, is sold by her drunken fosterfather into marriage to a fat, greasy-looking beast, one of the spy gang. When she jumps overboard on his ship in an attempt to escape him, hero, on a steamer abreast of the vessel discovers her through an eyeglass and is there to effect a rescue. Here the conventional society atmosphere is introduced, no doubt for the reason to dress shero in some decent looking clothes; when a wealthy elderly woman whom hero has met on board takes shero into her custody. While out driving through the park with her guardian, shero gets off to look at some animals in the zoo. Her husband, discovering her from another auto, comes up to her and threatens to introduce -himself as her husband unless she goes with him quietly —which her does. That's some alternative for a pretty young girl to choose. He might have been a coon for all the physical attraction he possessed^ and yet they had her decide to go with him. There is no earthly reason for this at all since she could easily have explained to her guardian that she was forced into the marriage against her will. Anyway, they should worry about logic. . Well nevertheless, hero accomplishes his mission ot saving 'the plant by breaking in with the police force on ti-.e roug^ eang. at the same tune rescuing shero a^ain from the willun. Here also is the meeting between the father and daughter, long-lost daughterfather who accompanied hero, being President ot the plant ' As might he expected, the clutch long due. is nulled Others in the cast were Fred Huntley Eugenia T^esserrer. Frederick Starr. Alfred Allen and George Pearce. Use Photos of Miss Hansen and Al Whitman to Attract Crowds. Don't Promise Story Merits Box Office Analysis for the Exhibitor. As a regular program offering, this will pass muster. Of course an intelligent clintele will recognize in the story idea, a "movie," plain and simple. However, they've come worse than this, and at least this has been given an artistic background. Besides the principals are both very appealing and that goes a long way from an interest point of view. Juanita Hansen is decidedly easy looking and her side-partner in this is equally attractive. Your fans ought to recognize the name of the star, since her appearance in "The Brass Bullet" has been very extensively advertised, throughout the country. Use photot of Miss Hansen, as well of Al Whit man— they will attract, undoubtedly. As for promising things, just side-track the merits of the theme, but emphasize the fact that this is a truly artistic production with many of the scenes laid in the tropics. The title has little or no meaning and scarcely suggests melodrama, so your surest bet is the star and M Whitman. You'll not be wrong in saying that this is alive with plenty of meller situations, and has action and keeps moving, only don't commit yourself by telling them what the situations are. I really doubt whether anybody Ml kick about it for tho' weak, the characterizations have been well developed and hoU the heart interest.