Canadian Moving Picture Digest (May 1924-Apr 1925)

| Digest. Reviews. Current Attractions TORONTO, CANADA. Page Seventeen HAT “something” different came -&: -to Toronto in full measure the week of May 26th. We were favored with two photoplays which could justly claim interest, two pictures which presented something out of the ordinary, two movies built for genuine entertainment purposes. At the Tivoli Was: presented the Film Booking Offices’ much heralded release. “Judgment of the Storm” and at the Hippodrome was seen “The Great White Way,” Cosmopolitan’s tale of modern New York. 7 , kk ok Ok “Judgment of the Storm” F. B. O. Photolpay “Judgment of the Storm” is one of the few pictures being offered to the public: this season that justifies the advance publicity which has reached the fans far and wide through nation. a! advertising columns. The photoplay was written by Ethel Styles Middleton, the wife of a factory worker, we are told, who won the Palmer ‘Prize for her dramatically constructed and brilliant story. F. B.-O. gave it a production that will be memorable for a number of reasons. In order to indicate the high spots of this remarkable photodrama, a brief sum -mary of the story is given: | John Trevor, a wealthy -college senior, loves Mary Heath, who lives on a small, impoverished farm near the college town. Martin Freeland, an adventurer, also. admires Mary. The burden of supporting the Heath ‘family rests upon sturdy Dave, Mary’s elder brother. Bob, slightlybuilt, younger, and much-petted brother, goes to college. Martin takes Dave on a “sight-seeing” tour in the city and John goes along to visit his mother. Dave is killed by accident in a fashionable gambling den, secretly run by John’s mother. John is almost frantic with grief and shame at the discovery and binds himself out as a slave upon the farm—for life — to atone. No chance is mised to humiliate him but during a storm it is he who rescues most of the family from otherwise certain death, and of course wins his. reward. The story from the start “gets you ;” but the scenes between the boy and his mother when he learns that she owns the gambling den, and later, the marvelously thrilling struggles in the storm are high spots that will make this picture notable among the . big successes of the year. ° By H. M. BALL “Judgment of the Storm” relies upon the value of the story and the intelligence of the acting and direction for its success—there.are no showy sets, thank fortune. The result is thrilling entertainment full of heart interest and dramatic value, with a cast which does honour to the director, Del Andrews. So excellent is the work of the company that the reviewer experienced that rare illusion of the characters being people, not actors; and to this end it must be admitted that many of the established “stars” have at last something to worry them in the person of that exquisite little creature—Lucille Ricksen. Just a year or two ago, this pretty blonde child was cavorting in juven ile comedy subjects—today, at sixteen years of age, with beauty rare and wonderful, and an intelligence which makes her face all the more remarkable, she is on the road to fame. Few experienced actresses in pictures today can begin to register with the charm, ease and conviction displayed by this clever young girl — mobility and youth are on her side but it is certainly intellect as much as beauty which makes so attractive her part as Mary. ‘Lloyd Hughes as the hero who denounces his mother when he finds that she is deriving her income from a gambling den, their sole legacy from his father, is convincing and equal to the demands of the role throughout. Vera Steadman as the mother, who pleads that her efforts have all been for the love of her boy, does a splendid characterization. George Hackathorn, Clare McDowell, Philo McCullough and Bruce Gordon complete the excellent cast. F. B. O. has every reason to regard this as one of the real successes —it.is a picture that can play to any audience anywhere, and for sheer sensation there has never been anything better than the scenes of struggle in the blinding snow storm. x oe * “The Great White Way” COSMOPOLITAN Through Regal “The Great White Way” blends drama with comedy and achieves a unique background to insure its success. There is no nonsense here either; the picture is what its title tells you—just a photograph of lil’ ol’ New York today, doing its daily doz en! There is a love story, but who cares that it is subordinated to the greater theme of Manhattan. Clever-. ly and effectively has been evolved this panorama of Broadway—you see the Follies rehearsing under the kindly but discriminating eye of Ned Weyburn—Mr. Ziegfeld looking on from a lonely orchestra seat. You see a great Metropolitan newspaper going to press—you don’t know the half of it until you have seen “The Great White Way.” ‘Then there is the romantic life of the prize fighter in training, and in the ring—victor and vanquished; there is life, life every where, in the streets, in the theatre, in the all-night cafes—there is the New York Fire Department and there is a fire to show them in action. Anything you want to know about the Great White Way, see the picture. The way its done is this: There is a resourceful young press agent, a “perfect pest” in the editorial room of the big daily—but he gets his stuff across just the same—a regular pig for space. He contrives to work for a musical comedy star and a prize fighter simultaneously ; and by using their respective personalities with which to build up a fictitidus romance, thereby gaining “space” for both, ‘he eventually produces'a real one. Ere its happy culmination, however, there is the deuce to pay and it is this eventful and almost disastrous path of. the lovers that enables the fan to see so much of Gotham. In and out through a maze of Metropolitan activities the adventures of these two lead us; we shake hands with all the big wigs in the show game, with Tex Ricard, the boss of the ring, with great journalists, cartoonists, writers and promoters. The wise theatre owner will not pass this one up, for in addition to a strong cast including Anita Stewart, lovely as Mabel, T. Roy Barnes, as. the press agent, Oscar. Shaw. as Joe Cain, the attractive pugilist,.Harry Wilson (“himself, in person”. as the editor), and Hal Forde, the popular stage star of the famous success “Oh, Boy!” as the rival, you have a galaxy of celebrities to exploit that will make the world and his wife take notice. = H. C. Witwer wrote this clever piece of entertainment which introduces the lady fans to a real live boxing match and brings the Follies home to popa—don’t miss it folks, its rare! Before Buying Pictures Read The Digest Advertising Pages. Google