Canadian Moving Picture Digest (Apr 1923-Apr 1924)

TORONTO, ONTARIO. “Tiger Rose” WARNER BROS. Through Regal “Tiger Rose” is the second of the famous Belasco productions to be presented to the cinema public by Warner Brothers. The genius of the great director is more easily grasped than that of his famous protege, Lenore Ulric, indicating possibly that some stage celebrities have too much ability for screen work. Lenore UlIric, who charmed many thousands in _the stage production, will prove pleasing to those who have witnessed her success in the “speakies”: it is quite possible she will make little impression on the movie fans who are not acquainted with her brilliant work as a legitimate actress. Thus, you hive good entertainment with a great star and Belasco’s name to back it, but “Tiger Rose” is not on the screen what it was when we had Ulric in the flesh with her marvelous accent and her vivid interpretation of the primitive little queen of the Canadian back woods. On the whole the star photographs disappointingly, although at times she is very attractive, and be it said to her credit, she plays her famous role for all it is worth. “Tiger Rose” (on the screen) is very much like the James Oliver Curwood stories; it shows how a wild little child of nature fights: to save her sweetheart from the Mounted Police who want him for the murder of a doctor. After the girl has put up the most marvelous battle for her lover, and he is caught and sent down for trial, it transpires that the doctor's practice made killing too good for him and the young engineer is freed. He sends word to his plucky little sweetie and she hastens to a more thickly populated area where the policeman’s beat is patrolled with less dash, to say the least, and usually with less effect ; the knot is tied, and we presume that they live happy ever after. Sidney Franklin is in wide measure responsible for the good value oe in this reproduction, he has : sag thes picked the best episodes of Ber nous Play and handled them Nes bs oe satisfying dramatic efee i where the director has sucnen i titles have failed—it needs rics dialect. ne very pleasing feature is the delightful sufficiency of fine atmos Page Eleven Digest Reviews Current Attractions By H. M. BALL phere shots; the outdoor scenes have grandeur and beauty good to see. Forrest Stanley, as the Mountie, was not in our opinion sufficiently engaging as the representative of this band of fearless young men. Theodore Von Eltz was somewhat better as the lover. There was nothing lacking, as usual, in the convincing portrayal of Claude Gillingwater, who played ‘“Mac.” “Neck and Neck” EDUCATIONAL Each day’s news brings fresh evidence of the increasing importance of the short subject. The bigger the house and the better the feature the more important becomes the selection of the comedy, news reel or short novelty chosen to complement the program. Demand affects supply in all things —the producers of the short subject are reaping a just reward. “The better you want, the better we’ll give” is their slogan, and the marked improvement in the standard of short subject production during the past few months is ample proof of the fact that the Christies and Sennetts, the Whites, and the Roache’s, are right on the job. : Regal tells us that they are getting all kinds of flattering calls from the first run houses in the big centres, the exhibitor is seeing the wisdom of careful selecting with regard to the detafls of his entertainment. Kiducational are booking a consistent flow of entertaining short features. ‘I'he other day we saw “Neck and Neck,” a fiew Mermaid in which Lige Conley and Peg O’Neil treated the Hippodrome patrons to the Jack White brand of speed and humor, of which there is surely none faster ! Hector (Lige Conley) is a bright unsophisticated farm boy who saves Peg, the village wallflower, from death at the heels of a runaway team, knowing no beiter. Peg has a face that the title writer tells us has saved her from many a kiss. Witness for yourself. Peg’s father believes he is indebted to Flector and rewards the voung fellow by sending him to a leading American university. Think of it. Hector makes the senior eight and rows the shell almost single-oared to victory, thus proving that he has made good at college. If you call Peg a prize, he wins her, too. It 1s during the process, of course, that all the clever gags are introduced, rendering this Educational comedy from the Jack. White factory of fun right up to the standard maintained under the Mermaid banner. First National Recovers Print of “Flaming Youth” Seized at Quebec Following the complaint lodged by a body of women in the City of Quebec, the management of the Empire Theatre in that city was accused of presenting “Flaming Youth,” an immoral picture, and fined five dollars in court. The judge in making the conviction expressed his opinion that as a private citizen he did not find the picture immoral. The Canadian Motion Picture Distributors Assoctation therefore decided to appeal the case, but later dropped it with the intention of taking immediate action to have the Criminal Code of Canada amended in such a manner as to give supreme authority to the various provincial censor boards in the passing of motion pictures which would make the distributor and exhibitor immune from the action of any court or provincial official. When the appeal was dropped the court surrendered the film and it 1s understood that presentation of the picture will take place in other parts of the Province, the-first run in Montreal having taken place before the complaint was laid in the City of Quebec. “Flaming Youth” has been presented in a few cities in Ontario. The Toronto first run took place last week at the Hippodrome and it is reported that all attendance records for that house were broken. All Toronto suburban houses have extended their bookings for the picture to four days and a week in some cases which constitutes another smashed record in favor of “Flaming Youth.” Dominion Films’ Releases Montreal—J. P. O’Loghlin, manager of the Dominion Films Limited, announces that he will be releasing shortly “Maytime,” “The Virginian,” “Rob Roy, “Married Love,” “Sign of the Four” and “David Copperfield” during February and March in this city. “The Prodigal Son” has already been released at the Imperial. 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