Motography (Apr-Dec 1911)

50 MOTOGRAPHY Vol. V, No. 4. The Test of Love. — Edison. One sought without much return for the "sublime pathos" which the maker promised this film would disclose. It is a pleasing, wholesome story, with a pathetic tinge, but scarcely rises to heights that could be called sublime. The hero's fear that the recovered blind girl will be disappointed by his lack of comeliness seems oversqueamish and scarcely dignified. His scheme, moreover, is so futile that one wonders how any sensible man could have entertained it. The screen quite properly describes him at this point as panicstricken. The situation would be more convincing if the sexes were reversed. A homely woman might well suffer trepidations under such circumstances. The strong part of the drama is, of course, the recognition scene. For a few moments the dramatic suspense mounts to a high pitch. The acting and general presentment are praiseworthy. flash. The play is not very pleasant, but has a certain amount of dramatic realism that stimulates a close interest. The Lieutfnant's Wild Ride. — Gaumont. This piece is quite dramatic and has a strenuous feature that is intended to thrill ; but it loses force because the characters have no hold upon our sympathies. We don't much care whether the lieutenant gets there or not, and the woman's selfish love affair stirs us not a little. Our attitude throughout is purely passive. The characters do nothing to win our good will. The best part of the film is the beautiful photography. Nemours and the River Loing. — Eclipse. A fairly interesting scenic showing some picturesque river scenes. The film gives one the feeling of a pleasant but uneventful trip to the country. The Money Lender. — Eclipse. This film seems to teach that money lending is such a vile and iniquitous profession that the lender deserves mental torture and death ; which is, of course, very sentimental and absurd. The money lender concerned had disagreeable manners, but that is no reason for consigning him to limbo. The picture ends with a tableau of the money lender's victims ; just why they were "victims" is hard to figure out. The acting shows some very excellent assumptions of peasant types, and the environment is picturesque. It is an interesting film, more on account of the setting than for the dramatic action. The Actress and the Singer. — Lubin. Another of the delightful comedy series which this firm has been giving us of late. The Lubin Monday release is becoming one of the conspicuous pleasure spots of the weekly round of films. "The Actress and the Singer," like its recent predecessors, is lively, humorous, and human, and receives spirited interpretation from a stock company headed by Florence Lawrence and Arthur Johnson. It is not flawless, but it creates so much hearty pleasure that to find fault would be ungrateful. The Way of the Transgressor. — Selig. A drama that is quite familiar as regards plot. It receives such a remarkably realistic and able performance, however, that the interest is easily sustained. The principal role is taken convincingly — another of Mr. Bosworth's graphic character delineations. At a glance we divine the man's vicious, intractable nature, a man for whom there is no possible reformation. His treatment of the Salvation Army girl in the saloon is a bit of action that reveals character like a lightning The Secret of the Pine. — Imp. A mildly interesting Cuban drama, with one novel feature. The villain steals a mail-bag in order to cast guilt upon the hero. He hides it in the top of a lofty palm tree, to climb which is very difficult. He learns that the mail-bag contains an article of value addressed to him. He climbs to get the mail bag, and falls on the way down, injuring himself badly. Discoverey and confession ensues, and the hero is cleared. If the villain's motive had been stronger, and the hero's position more precarious, the film might have been quite dramatic. The piece exacts almost nothing from the actors, beyond a certain amount of good looks, which they supply quite generously. The Cuban atmosphere is pleasing. The Heiress. — Rex. A sentimental comedy of the "love-test" type. A wealthy and beautiful woman pretends to lose her beauty and her fortune in order to test the sincerity of her lovers. Of course, the nice young man proves faithful, and it ends with a kiss in the moonlight. The mountings are rich, the acting satisfactory, the photography clear and steady, and the film-tones most pleasing. The drama offers an agreeable mixture of humor and sentiment, and proves entirely commendable. The Sword and the Cross. — Gaumont. The plot is so hackneyed and the action so artificial, that this drama offers little for the spectator's enjoyment save some very sumptuous stage pictures depicting the Roman era. These alone are enough to hold the eyes in close attention, but one wishes that the money and' labor had been expended on a subject more worthy of serious consideration. It is one of those pseudoimpressive dramas which will doubtless strike awe to the souls of many people, the subject being of a religious nature. The pictures, moreover, are colored, which will strike some more awe ; in spite of the fact that they show all the faults of hand-coloring. The dramatic action is rather incoherent toward the end. The crucifixion tableau has much impressiveness, being so skillfully led up to. The screen had promised that the Christians would be eaten by lions, however, so the crucifixion, comes as a disappointment. The film falls below, the Gaumont standard for classical productions. Breakers in the Clouds.' — Gaumont. Scenes of the rarest beauty are here shown. The film was taken near the 15,000-foot summit of Mount Blanc, and we look down upon a sea of rolling, billowing clouds, such as words are powerless to describe. The spectacle creates a reverential mood. The Disreputable Mr. Raegen. — Edison. This is a very good film, particularly in respect of settings. They are remarkable in their realism. Devoid of anything in the way of beauty, since the action takes place in the lowest sinks of the tenement world, they nevertheless command admiration for their sheer truth and naturalism. To construct such settings requires an amount of first-hand observation plus imaginative and creative ability, which is not to be sneezed at. Better a tenement scene that is perfect in its squalor than a