The Film Daily (1919)

Sunday, July 6, 1919 sa5gl lAll-Y 15 Production is Artistic, But Much of the Story Doesn't Seem Real Elsie Ferguson in "The Avalanche" Artcraft DIRECTOR George Fitzmaurice AU I'HOR Gertrude Atherton SCENARIO BY Ouida Bergere CAMERAMAN Not credited AS A WHOLE More narrative than drama in picture giving the star a dual role. STORY Adaptation of novel by Gertrude Ather= ton; has an inherited passion for gambling as its theme. DIRECTION Responsible for a number of de^ cidedly artistic scenes that catch the atmos= phere of a Spanish town. PHOTOGRAPHY Excellent LIGHTINGS A big factor in heightening the charm of picturesque settings. CAMERA WORK Many double exposures finely handled. STAR In appearance and manner she makes a sufficient contrast between the characters of mother and daughter. SUPPORT Efficient cast with Lumsden Hare and Warner Oland in the most conspicuous roles, EXTERIORS Attractive and varied INTERIORS Have class and appear correct whether the interior of a convent chapel or of a fashionable gambling house is represented. DETAIL Carefully looked after in the matters of costumes and furnishings. CHARACTER OF STORY Safe for any sort of a crowd. LENGTH OF PRODUCTION 5,273 feet STARTING off with an introductory title to the effect that gambling is the most fatal of all human passions and that it may be passed on from generation to generation, the author of "The Avalanche" proceeds to illustrate the contention through following the life story of a Spanish woman and her daughter, both victims of games of chance. In picture form, (iertrude Atherton's narrative doesn't strike deep, partially because of the somewhat episodic nature of the plot that skims over a long period of years, and partially because an American audience is not inclined to worry about an instinct for gambling becoming a family curse. The story is colorfully romantic i-ather than realistic and its moments of tragedy seem to be the result of odd coincidences, not an inevitable fate, as the author would have one suppose. Taken individually, without considering the total impression left, there is much to commend in the scenes prepared by Director Fitzmaurice, who, by the way, makes his debut as aii Artcraft director with "The Avalanche." His Spanish sets profit by a wealth of detail and some beautiful lightings. Two shots in particular deserve a word of comment— one a silhouette of Elsie Ferguson seated in a window, another a chapel scene with the rays of the setting sun stealing softly over the heads of the convent girls. Here, and in several other instances, the picture achieves that elusive quality termed atmosphere, to a marked degree. What amounts to a prologue is enacted in a Spanish town where Miss Ferguson, as the wife of a gambling house proprietor is a part of the gay life centering around the resort.. The first death — there are four in the course of the story, all directly attrfbutable to gambling — comes with the killing of the gambler, freeing Elsie that she may marry an Englishman, who generally makes his headquarters at Monte Carlo. After a run of bad luck, husband number two shoots himself, leaving the young wife with an infant child whom she places in a convent. A third mfirriage makes the woman the partner of still another gambler, this time an American operating in New York. These sequences are introductory to the main part of the story which brings Elsie, as the convent-bred daughter, to New York where she soon marries a successful author, and, tiring of the monotony of their life, is persuaded to try the excitement of gambling. Needless to say, the house she visits is that in which her mother has an interest, although, of course, she is not aware of their relationship. Double exposure scenes, with Miss Ferguson in the roles of mother and daughter, are a feature of subsequent passages, showing how the girl becomes more and more involved in debt, how she kills the gambling house proprietor when he threatens to expose her to her husband and how the mother assumes the guilt, eventually taking her own life. There is plenty of tragedy in the picture, but most of it doesn't get below the surface. The cast includes Fred Esmelton, ZefHe Tilbury, William Roselle and Grace Field. Let Folks Know that You Have a Drama Dealing With the Vice of Gambling Box Office Analysis for the Exhibitor It ought not to be ditflcult to get folks iu to see this picture if you go after them in the right way. The story is essentially tragic, but it isn't gruesome, despite the number of sudden deaths. Advertise it as a powerful drama dealing with the menace of gambling, without giving people the impression that it is just a lurid meller. That Elsie Ferguson is the star will help in establishing the tilm as a work of artistic merit, for fans know that she is not associated with cheap productions. Tell your patrons that in "The Avalanche" she has au exceptional opportunity for varied acting in the dual role of mother and daughter, showing stills of her in both characters. Also, it will be worth while to play up the name of Gertrude Atherton as the author, whether or not you hgure that many ot your people have read the book. It is enough that her name stands for something in eontemporaneous American literature and lends dignity to a production in consequence. Then a regular fan crowd will be interested in knowing that this is George Fitzmaurice's first picture for Artcraft. Catchlines may be worked along both the gambling and mother love angles. For example: "Do you believe that gambling is an inherited vice? See how the question is answered in 'The Avalanche,' starring Elsie Ferguson," or "In Elsie Ferguson's powerful drama, 'The Avalanche,' a mother meets death rather than seen her daughter suffer."