The Film Daily (1919)

Sunday, July 6. 1919 tm Historic War Episode Re-Enacted by Survivors "The Lost Battalion" MacManus Corp. DIRECTOR Burton King SUPERVISED BY Edward A. MacManus SCENARIO BY Charles A. Logue CAMERAMEN A. A. Cadwell, Wm. Rhinehart, Roy Vaughan, Wm. Tuers and A. Friez. AS A WHOLE Virtually a visualized news story of a dramatic episode of the war, acted in part by survivors; embellished with home scenes before and after; is much too long. STORY Sticks closely to fact as far as a screen description of an actual occurrence can. DIRECTION Battle scenes conventionally done; close=ups of fighting men used for much footage. PHOTOGRAPHY Varies; some very good, some harsh. LIGHTINGS The usual thing on interiors CAMERA WORK Nothing special PLAYERS Officers and men of famous battalion do appointed tasks well enough; also screen players, among whom are Jack McLean, Helen Ferguson and others. EXTERIORS Chosen to represent actual battle= ground. INTERIORS Conventional studio sets DETAIL Sometimes shows military prompting; many bids made for laughs in early reels; camp incident O. K. LENGTH OF PRODUCTION 7.700 feet SOLELY on its merits as a pliotoplay, presented as photoplay entertainment, "The Lost Battalion" would not get very far. But in a picture of this sort there are many angles to be considered. In a large measure the film is an historically true re-enactment of one of the most dramatic episodes of the war, played in considerable part by actual survivors of the fateful "Pocket" of the Argonne, and as such is deserving of merit. The film brings to the screen many members of the famous unit of the 77th Division whose stand against the Germans was so indicative of the spirit of Americanism. There are seen on the screen Maj.-Gen. Robert Alexander, Lt.-Col. Whittlesey, Major George G. McMurtry, Capt. William J. CuUeu, Lt. Arthur Mc Keogh, Lt. August Kaiser, and many other soldiers who have earned the Nation's gratitude. Also is seen the {tctual note asking for surrender sent the "Lost" Battalion's commander by the opposing German chief. The scene of the note's receipt is re-enacted by the men who received it in France. The picture sticks closely to fact as far as the hapnenings in realities are concerned. It shows incidents of those terrible six days and nights lived through in "The Pocket" by the band of Americans who took part, and explains to the spectator just how it was that the Battalion became separated from the larger command. "The Lost Battalion" can be likened, in a sense, to a magazine article telling of one organization's part in the war. But instead of merely sticking to the historical end of the Battalion's heroism, the producers of the picture have endeavored to make it photoplay entertainment by embellishing the war scenes with much extraneous matter.. It is on that score that the film is criticized. As photoplay entertainment the picture is far, far too long and not very timely. The prologue leading up to the time the men reached France is composed of sequences devoted to the old stuff of showing how its members came from all sorts of New York homes and places — from the highest to the lowest.. Of course, this is all true; but so much already has been written about this and so often has the snme thing been seen on the screen before that it becomes tiresome. In these early passages bids are often made for laughs, both through the medium of the "kicker," who always finds something wrong, and through incidents of camp life. And one sees the usual sweethearts waiting and other scenes among the women at home while the boys are fighting overseas. After the boys leave Camp LTpton you follow them through their training in France, through their advance, and through their famous fights in the "Pocket." Then, after the armistice is signed, are shown many views of the parade of the 77th Division in New York. The battle scenes in the Argonne were evidently staged under the prompting of someone who knew something of military affairs. The detail of this end was watched fairly closely. These sequences) are given considerable footage, and close-ups of the fighting, starving and thirsty men are used in great profusion. Some of the scenes in the picture were obtained with the co-operation of the U. S. Signal Corps. V Must Rely on Picture's Appeal as History Box Office Analysis for the Exhibitor This picture ought to go very big in the smaller neighborhood houses throughout New York City because of its local interest. There are few neighborhoods in the city and surroimding boroughs who did not have representation in the 77th Division, and returned members of that Division surely will want their families and friends to see the officers and medalmen of the "Lost" Battalion. But outside the City of New York the picture's drawing power is questionable. The exploits of the Battalion are too recent to be interesting as histoi'y and too old to be appealing as news. And that is what the picture is — virtually a visualized news story. Of course, it is a fact that when the 77th Division paraded in New York it contained many replacement troops whose home towns are numbered in almost every state of the Union. This might bring in some additional folks to see the picture; also it must be considered that the exploits of the Battalion were of interest to the entire Nation. There is the war angle to be considered in weighing the picture, too. It is a conceded fact that now that Peace is at hand peoples' minds have turned to other things than war. War stuff no longer gets the crowds that it did while most of the boys were still overseas, and this picture is pui-e war stuff all the way through.