The Moving Picture Weekly (1919-1922)

THE MOVING PICTURE WEEKLY 15 Harrison's Reviews of Three Features P. S. — Harrison, formerly connected in the capacity of critic with The Motion Picture News, is now issuing a weekly letter entitled "Harrison's Reports," containing the same critical reviews he formerly supplied in the columns of the News. Herewith are three reviews of Universal-made pictures contained in the last "Report." "HOME," WITH MILDRED HARRIS QNE of the most sympathetic photoplays ever released on the Jewel program is "Home," with Mildred Harris, now Mrs. Charles Chaplin. It is plainly evident that, in producing it, Director Miss Lois Weber has done some deep thinking. It is unquestionably as good work as she has ever before done. It is subtle in psychology, deep in thought. The spectator, in watching the picture, becomes so interested, so absorbed that he becomes an actual participant in the drama. He is affected fully as the characters are. So naturally is it acted; so sympathetic are the thoughts and the actions of the characters. This is particularly so when the daughter, heroine of the story, wounds her mother's feelings by expressing unwillingness to receive her wealthy girl friend in her lowly, though happy, home. It is a story about a young girl who poses to her wealthy friend in school as a well-to-do. By a twist of circumstances, the heroine is invited to visit her friend at her home. There she mingles with some unprincipled society people, and thus tastes the first disappointments in life. She returns home to her parents, brothers and sisters, much wiser and better able to appreciate a happy home. While there is much love making in the wealthy friend's home, particularly between a married woman and a batchelor, there are no salacious scenes of any description shown. — Jewel, 6 reels. "The Ace of the Saddle" With HARRY CAREY. "pHIS picture is as good as any ever released by Universal with Mr. Carey in the leading role. With Jack Ford at the helm, every picture with this star seems a sure shot. Suspense is very high; heart interest is there in liberal quantities and of the most sympathetic kind. These elements are crowned with that of comedy. So the picture keeps you now laughing aloud, now grinning, and then again roaring. It is a Western subject, same as all pictures in which this star appears. There are some novel situations introduced. The villain poisons the waterhole where the hero's cattle drink. This gives the hero an idea how to get back at the villain. He buys knock-out drops and mixes them with liquor. When the villain and his gun-men come to the hero's house, they find it deserted; so they drink the liquor. Thus they are caught like rats. Good for any theatre. — Universal, 6 reels. a DESTINY With DOROTHY PHILLIPS and WILLIAM STOWELL. Lobby display of the Superba Theater, Los Angeles, for "Riders of Vengeance" "[)ESTINY" is a big picture, based on a big theme, handled by Allen Holubar, director of "The Heart of Humanity," in a big way. Heart interest and suspense are the predominating elements. Frenzied finance is the theme. The story opens in a farm showing the happy life of a farmer and his family. The brother is dissatisfied. He longs to go to the city and become a big man. The spectator is then carried twenty years forward. He is shown the brother as a prosperous Wall Street financier, despotic in manners, attempting to impose his iron will upon his sister, heroine of the story. She defies him and marries the man she loves, a young stock broker. The brother puts all his resources against his brother-in-law and ruins him; but in so doing, he drags down others. He, himself, however, is unable to avoid the same fate. Later he is also ruined. One of his victims meets him and a struggle ensues. Just as he is about to be thrown from a high window to the pavement below and killed, the picture fades into a subtitle with a wording to the effect that "so it would have happened had the brother gone to the city; but he did not go, having thought it best to remain at home, help father cultivate the farm, etc.," a beautiful view of the good things he helped his father to accomplish appearing after each enumeration. This ending is entirely unexpected. It is very pleasing. The picture is clean and suitable for any theatre. — Jewel, 7 reels.