The Photo-Play Journal (Jul 1919-Feb 1921)

N o v e in be r, JQJO ;59 THE SCREEN-GOER By LEWIS F. LEVENSON GOOD pictures are being produced and bad pictures are being produced, but let no one say that the movie is not making progress. The last month has revealed "Way Down East" and "Earthbound," the one a step in advance for the path-finding Griffith, the other an experimental plunge into the super-high-brow and the spiritistic. Both pictures set new standards. "Way Down East" is the thrill picture supreme ; "Earthbound" is a technical masterpiece rr.cl a daring effort to transfer the psychological drama to the screen. As for the bad pictures, there have been many. But the redeeming feature of the bad pictures is that, with one exception, they are hardly as bad as they would have been a few years ago. The occasional re-releases which the larger producers make from time to time illustrate how much better the best pictures of today are than the best of two or three years past. Two years represents almost a generation in filmdom. The pioneer picture companies, which stamped each scene with their trade-marks could not dispose of their antiquated production today to a one-horsetown Y. M. C. A. And the ricketv rockety one-horse producer is having a hard time negotiating connections with the bank-rolls of the exhibitor and the public today. A positive appreciation of what is good in motion pictures is appearing in the public. "Humoresque," with its lengthy runs ; "Earthbound," "Way Down East," are creating long run records. Instead of expiring at the end of a few days, as does the average program picture, they are living longer than many a legitimate stage play. WAY DOWN EAST (D. W. Griffith) D. W. Griffith's long awaited big picture of the year arrived with $10 prices for the first night at the Forty-fourth Street Theatre. "Way Down East" was received with cheers by the first night audience, and cheers have greeted every projection of the film thereafter. Lottie Blair Parkers' famous old melodrama has undergone numerous changes in its journey to the screen, but it is doubtful if the audiences of the olden days were thrilled more by the stage production than the audiences of the present will be by the motion picture. The characters assume more genuine proportions under Mr. Griffith's direction, the settings are stupendous when they are not extraordinarily beautiful and the photography reveals new effects, .original ideas such as we have in the past expected from Griffith super-pictures. The complete thread of the old drama has been retained. It has been elaborated into a sometimes pastoral poem, sometimes hokum melodrama, sometimes pathetic realism. Acted with sheer skill throughout, it has the benefit of what is perhaps the greatest climax which any motion picture producer has yet devised for a picture play. The snowstorm scene and the chase on the ice packs of the frozen river, the breath-taking shot where Anna Moore is saved from impending death over the rushing torrent of ice, work audiences into a frenzy and send thunders of applause toward the unhearing actors on the screen. Lillian Gish has done her greatest work in this picture. Just as "Broken Blossoms" revealed the art of Richard Barthelmess, ''Way Down East," melodrama that it is, places Lillian Gish in the forefront of present-day artists of the screen. Bearing the burden of one dramatic scene after the other, accomplishing some stunts that the most daring serial actress might hesitate to attempt. Miss Gish breathes life into the puppet tragedies and romances of Anna. Lowell Sherman, as the villain, has accomplished the feat of making himself so thoroughly disliked that his audiences hiss him with sincere delight. Mr. Sherman gloats in his villainy; he is the ancient heavy man of the stage personified. Richard Barthelmess has little to do in comparison to his antagonist, but does that little exceedingly well. Burr Macintosh, as the famous old squire, storms and commands realistically, and softens with correspondingly real New England humanity at the happy ending. "Why go to see such theatrical clap-trap as 'Wav Down East?'" some one will ask you. Go because you will see a primitive drama that will appeal to the primitive in you. a drama revived and reborn under the magic guidance of Griffith, and because you will leave the theatre wondering how mere shadows on a screen could ever set you gasping and laughing and weeping and cheering as you never did in a theater before. EARTHBOUND (Goldwyn) "Earthbound" is easily the most unusual picture of the year. It represents an effort to put into the much abused movies a drama which is almost completely intellectual, representing at most times the states of mind of the various characters. Written by Basil King, formerly a minister and now a novelist, it preaches the immortality of the soul and the annihilation of sin by love. Furthermore it expounds a new doctrine, that of the purging of the soul which has done evil on earth by spiritual restitution. The soul, according to Basil King, remains earth bound and cannot go on to eternity without rectifying the evils done by the body when it was in this sphere. It is obvious that so profound and unusual a subject could only hold the interest of the average audience through unusual direction and acting. The action for the most part is exceedingly slow, but the direction and the photography, principally the latter, leave nothing to be desired. The double exposure scenes in which the ghost takes part represent tedious hours of careful work in the studio. Each of the actors seems to have grasped fully the significance of the role assigned to him, and there is a certain restraint which is rarely seen on the screen. Wyndham Standing as the faithless husband and the earthbound soul combines complete naturalness with a keen appreciation of the difficulties of portraying a disembodied role. As the betrayed wife, Naomi Childers does the best work of her career ; she is Medean. Mahlon Hamilton combines brutality and resignation admirably as the outraged husband. Flora Revelles. as the wanton wife. gives the most restrained portrait of a vampire ever seen in pictures. And Billie Cotton is winsome as the child. Lawson Butt has little to do as the philosophizing Harvey Breck. He is sombre and dignified. Goldwyn has given the screen something new in "Earthbound." It is the first completely intellectual picture. WHILE NEW YORK SLEEPS (Fox) The short story is the most concentrated and therefore the most artistically unified form of literature outside of the sonnet. In ''While New York Sleeps" the true short story form as applied to the screen appears for the first time. Of course, there have been short subjects before, but in recent years the five-reel picture has dominated. It corresponds to the novel in fiction and screen writers in overlooking the shorter form have neglected one of the highest forms of literary and dramatic expression. "While New York Sleeps" consists of three short plays, acted by the same cast. In each of the plays, characteristic short story technique has been applied: the slow building up of character and setting, the gradual develop ment of incidents, the intermediate crisis and finally the smashing, gripping climax. William Fox has not hesitated to sweep away the conventions of the screen as to form; he has also blasted the theory that tragedy cannot be made as entertaining as meaningless action concluded with a happy ending. Two of the three plays have tragic endings. Only setting links the three little dramas together. They all deal with phases of lift in New York, and take the audience from the suburbs to the "white lights" and thence to the darkness of the wharves and the squalor of the East Side. Perhaps the only criticism to be made of the plays is that the acting is not always in keeping with the high purpose of the producer. This does not apply to Marc MacDermott, who plays three widely different character roles, one of which ranks with Lon Chaney's portrayal of the crippled Blizzard in "The Penalty," as the finest thing on the screen this year. Mr. MacDermott as the completely paralyzed old man in the last of the three plays, acts with his eyes alone, and with his eyes alone conveys to his audience the tremendous emotions which surge through him as his son is killed before him and as the world sweeps by unheeding his dumb protests. Estelle Taylor works hard as the heroine, but sometimes too hard. Harry Southern is excellent in unsympathetic roles. And Earl Metcalf as the gangster in the last of the thee episodes does a bit splendidly. William Fox is to be congratulated upon his initiative in sweeping away cheap conventions which cling like barnacles to the good ship Filmdom. MADAME X (Goldwyn) Alexandre Bisson's famous play has been made into an interesting motion picture. The degredation of the wife has been vividly portrayed by Pauline Frederick. In the role first made famous by Sarah Bernhardt, Miss Frederick plays with greater restraint than many of the stars of the speaking stage who have appeared in the same character. Frank Powell's direction is able, although the French atmosphere is not always convincing. Some day, perhaps, photoplay companies will journey to the veritable locale for exteriors. Until then, slight inconsistencies must be pardoned. The large cast of ''Madame X" does excellent work. BLACKMAIL (Metro) This slight little drama in which Viola Dana and Wyndham Standing play the leading roles makes an amiable program picture. Miss Dana occasionally overacts, but her vivacity makes up for this defect. Florence Turner, an old friend of the old days, is in the cast, playing the part of a maid.