Cinema News and Property Gazette (1912)

October, 1912. FILMS.— Supplement to THE CINEMA. 31 god-daughter, Sylvette de Villes. The Marquis, however, fond of the Court and of a life of excitement in town, will not hear any talk of settling down, and the Marchioness has recourse to a ruse to gain her ends. At his country house Roger receives a note, unsigned, purporting to come from a lady who loves him and asking him to return with the bearer of the note. Roger consents to be blindfolded, and entering a carriage in waiting is carried to the house of the Marchioness. His chagrin, when he learns the trick played upon him, can be imagined, and it is deepened when the Marchioness tells him that he will not be allowed to go free until he agrees to marry Sylvette. The Marquis is put in a room on the first floor and locked in, and the servants are instructed to supply him with nothing but dry bread and fresh water. His plight excites the pity of Sylvette, who in the moonlight gathers some of the peaches which grow on the sunny wall of the house, and placing a ladder below the Marquis's window, leaves the fruit on the sill. The Marquis is on the look out for her next visit, and gets out of the window before she can remove the ladder. The handsome young man does not find it difficult to make an impression on the girl, and they soon become firm friends as they wander through the beautiful gardens of the chateau. The Marchioness is told by her servants of the Marquis's escape, and creeping softly behind the young people as they sit together on a rustic seat sees them kiss. Her wish gratified, she declares herself, and laughingly points out to her heir that the wife she had chosen is not so unattractive after all. "BOBBY COMMITS SUICIDE. "—Released October 17th. Length 540 feet. With Julie, his nurse, Bobby goes daily for a walk — or should — and during the hot weather they both found the constitutional somewhat irksome. A convenient deck chair is a temptation, and, on Bobby's instigation, Julie lies down for a quiet nap, Bobby meanwhile running off to tell his parents he is going for his walk. On his return he throws himself down alongside his nurse, and they are soon in the land of nod. Coming through the gardens, endeavouring to find a cool spot, Bobby's father and mother find the sleeping couple, and papa, in his anger, tells Julie she must leave at once, as he cannot have his orders disobeyed. Julie is wrath, and no wonder, after seven years' service to get dismissed for so small an offence is hardly justifiable. She demands and receives a character. Bobby hits on a plan to soften his parents' hearts, and writes a little note to say as Julie has been sent away he intends throwing himself into the river. He carries out his threat, but takes jolly good care to wear his father's cork waistcoat as a safeguard. Carried along by the stream, he is eventually hauled to safety by a fisherman in a punt, who spends many hot minutes in endeavouring to resuscitate the supposed corpse. Meanwhile his parents have iound his note, and have rushed off to fetch Julie back, when all three make all haste to the river. Bobby comes to life all right directly he finds his beloved Julie is reinstated. "AN OLD MAN'S FOLLY." Length 1,360 feet. Released October 10th. A nobleman, greatly renowned for his skill as a musician, is summoned from his country seat to Paris by a friend, who requests him to act as accompanist to a Russian lady singer, who has become all the rage. He leaves his daughter in the care of her fiance, a worthy country gentleman, and rides post haste to keep the appointment. When the evening cf the reception arrives, he falls a victim to the charms of the fair stranger, whom he invites to return with him to the country nd spend a few days with him and his daughter. The Russian at once arouses the antipathy of the daughter and her fiance, who are convinced that she is an adventuress, determined to marry the father. These suspicions are soon confirmed, the nobleman formally presenting his guest to his daughter as his future wife. The young man, determined to prevent, if possible, a step which he is confident wiil be keenly regretted, gets into communication with a friend in Paris connected with the police department, and receives from him particulars of the life history of the singer, who proves to be an international adventuress, well known to the police of various cities. He shows' th» incriminating letter to the woman, and tells her he will not expose her if she will agree to leave the castle at nightfall, and allow him to escort her down to the river some distance away. She agrees, but writes to her lover, telling him that the young man has tried to persuade her to elope, and asks him to be at the rendezvous adding that she will pretend to fall in with the young man's plans, in order to convince her host of the truth of her statement. The nobleman sees the man and woman mount in the moonlight and gallops after them, his heart full of fury against the young man, his supposed rival. At the river the two enter a boat and in midstream the woman persuades the young man to give her the incriminating letter, which has served its purpose. Then she suddenly pushes him into the water, and striking at him with an oar, stuns him, before rowing the boat back. To her lover she says that she was compelled to take the step she did , in defence of her honour, and the two ride back towards the castle, the woman thinking herself safe with the letter in her possession. The injured man, however, manages to crawl from the river, mounts his horse and, overtaking them, suddenly clutches the rein of the woman's horse. She falls to the ground and, dismounting, he takes the letter from her and shows it to the old nobleman, who realises as he reads what a narrow escape he has had. The adventuress creeps away, and the two men return to the castle where, in the contemplation of his daughter's happiness with her lover, the old man forgets his own grief. GERRARD. Film House, Gerrard Street, W.C. "THE 2,400 feet. LAST HURDLE."— Released October 6th. Length Harriet is a charming young lady besieged by two lovers. One is Lieutenant Harder, the other Falk, a military judge. The two young men are quite good friends, but Falk is startled one day when a money-changer presents him with a bill signed with his own name which had been cashed by Harder. The signature is a forgery but Falk honours the bill. He then visits Harder in his quarters, taxes him with the deed, and scornfully tells him that he paid for the sake of their old friendship. A little while later, at an evening party, the lady and her two lovers take a walk in the grounds. To settle the rival claims, she on the spur of the moment rather foolishly promises to accept the one who succeeds in winning the great hurdle race in the Military Sports which are to be held on the morrow. With the idea of being perfectly fair to each other the rivals agree .to exchange horses. Next morning Harder bribes his orderly to tamper with his horse's shoes, hoping that thereby Falk, who will ride it, will lose the race. The orderly is not anxious to perform this rascally trick, but he is finally won over by the bribe. On the racecourse is an animated scene. The riders mount for the great hurdle race and their friends wish them well as they set off for the starting post. There follows a capital race, which Lieutenant Harder wins. Falk, whose horse has fallen behind, comes a fearful cropper at the last hurdle. Ready hands lift his unconscious form from the turf and convey him on a stretcher to the hospital. Harriet, who had secretly hoped that Falk would win the race, visits the injured man at the hospital. This scene is capitally done, she is not permitted to talk to him, and the doctor in attendance informs her that he will be crippled for life. Harder claims the fulfilment of her promise, and in due time they are married. Time passes and Harriet receives a call from Falk, now sufficiently restored to get about with the aid of crutches. This is a pathetic interview, but both realise the hopelessness of the situation. Troubled with an uneasy conscience, Harder indulges in gambling and drinking. Once, returning to his room, he finds the orderly enjoying his cigars and lounging on the sofa. In an outburst of rage he beats the man and drives him from the room. The orderly attempts to retaliate, but is arrested and has to appear beforea court-martial. The court assembles, over which Falk presides, and Harder lays his complaint against the orderly who is brought in to make his defence. Out of revenge he reveals the trick that Harder has played upon Falk at the races. The officers of the court are indignant, but the judge, thinking of Harriet, begs them not to take the matter further. This is a powerful scene, iii which the actors acquit themselves magnificently, That night Harder gambles more wildly than ever and returns home half crazy with drink. Harriet, shocked and distressed, spurns his drunken caresses and leaves him in possession of the drawing-room. He calls for more wine, and then, catching sight of Falk's portrait which is hanging on the wall, he flings his glass at the picture with an oath. Not content with that he seizes a pistol and shoots at the painted figure. His excesses have undermined his constitution, and when the terrified household enter the room they find his lifeless corpse. Later, we observe that both Falk and Harriet are likely to have a happy future.