Close Up (Oct 1920 - Aug 1923)

A NEARER POI'-'T OF VIEW “CLOSE-UP” | VOL. IX, NO. 3. LOS ANGELES iiumniiiiiiiiitiiiniiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiuiiiiiiiiiiiiHiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiniiiiiiiiiiniiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiMiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiniiiiniiiiiiii •■>1! A MAGAZINE OF MOVIE-LANP , CALIF., FEBRUARY 20TH, 1923 TEN CENTS g :illlllllllllllllllllllllllllll!lllllllllllllllllll!llllllllll!llllllllllllllllll!inillllllll!IIIIHIIIIIIIIIl;llllll!!lllllllllllinill|ll|l|llllllllllllllllllltlllllllllllllll!IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIMIIIIIII|llllllllllllllllllllllllllu !llllli§(l!l!!l!IIIIIIINIIIIII![lll!!ll!llltllll!lllll|l|lllllll!lllllllll(imilll!llllllilllllll!lllllll!lllllllillllllllllllllllll[lllllllli!illlllll!l![!!llll!l!lll|[|[!lllllllllllll|ll|l^ SOL LESSER PRESENTS JACKIE COOGAN IN “OLIVER TWIST,” KINEMA THEATER. PHOTOGRAPHERS—GLEN McWilliams and Robert martin, co-adapted and DIRECTED BY FRANK LLOYD. REVIEWED BY EMM. ELL. I’ll be frank enough to say that I waited very impatiently for the release of this immortal story by Charles Dickens. I felt, no matter what would happen to the theme, that from a directorial standpoint it would be a gem of direction. Nor was I disappointed in the least. You could not help but feel that Frank Lloyd, its directing genius, knew his story thoroughly, and revelled in its unfoldment. Yet the thought struck me that somewhere, somehow, somebody was responsible for a great deal of eventual cutting which made the continuity a bit ragged, and in consequence the picture dragged. Also that too much was attempted when the powers that be insisted that Jackie Coogan be brought so pronouncedly forth, and so relegate the other vital people and sequences, merely as corollaries and mere “fill-ins,” judging from the many comments n ade about me, people do think. I will take two, to illustrate what I mean: A very intelligent looking lady remarked: “AN OTHER PICTURE SUCH AS THIS, AND JACKIE COOGAN WILL REST PERMANENTLY IN THE UNDERTAKING PARLOR, AS FAR AS THE PUBLIC IS CONCERNED.” Then a gentleman said: “JACKIE COOGAN IS THE GREATEST BOY ACTOR IN THE WORLD— B U T THEY SHOULD HAVE WAITED FIVE YEARS BEFORE THEY ALLOWED HIM TO APPEAR AS OLIVER!” This is representative criticism. It seems invidious to attempt to give you a resume of this classic, but I can give you my impression of a something unreal that gripped my attention as Jackie Coogan attempted to ape the mannerisms of an older boy. This criticism doesn’t in the least belittle his marvelous mimicry, or artistry, but to emphasize that Coogan was entirely miscast! When people go to a picture house it is with the hope that the producer will deceive them into believing certain situations are feasible and do occur, but when a producer imagines that because an infantile star has become an obsession with the public, and in consequence that youngster is dumped into a part totally unsuited to his years and experience, where subtlety is an essential, then that producer is making a mistake, and the public in time will hold him to account for the error. I’ll go on record as saying that if Oliver Twist had been advertised as an All-Star Production and an older boy placed in the name part, the patronage would have been as great, and a greater satisfaction would have resulted. Atmospherically this feature deserves a special niche of its own. The photography in its light and shade deserves great credit, but to me the pleasure of the night consisted in delightful acknowledgment of the great artistry and appealingness of a wonderful actress — GLADYS BROCKWELL as NANCY. Can anyone doubt her tremendous import to a picture? Hasn’t she every requisite necessary to STARDOM — beauty, ability, naturalness and potent personality? Then why isn’t her name blazoned forth on “twenty-four sheet stands”? She is as much a household word today as she was three years ago, and exhibitors all over the country know the value of her name as a box office attraction. Then why a purblind policy that doesn’t take advantage of this national asset? Getting back to the balance of the cast, let me tell you that George Siegemann gave a tremendous portrayal of a repellent character, viz., Bill Sykes. His brutality in the story was edged with a keen sense of the finest perception; his acting will long be remembered as an achievement. Lon Chaney as Fagin interpreted a fictional wretch as only he can interpret it. He needs little publicity on his characterization — he’ll get it. Lionel Belmore was happily cast, and made Mr. Brownlow a pleasant recollection for your future memory. James Marcus as Bumble was unusually fine, and you have to concede a deep admiration for the ability of Carl Stockdale as Monks. There were many other parts, all admirably handled by the following people: Gertrude Claire, Edouard Tre baol, Eddie Boland, Taylor Graves, Lewis Sargent, Aggie Herring, Joan Standing, Esther Ralston, Florence Hale, Nelson McDowell, Joseph M. Hazelton, and others, each of whom, without exception, showed that they were giving their best. Only lack of space forbids me mentioning each of them in an individual manner. “OLIVER TWIST” will undoubtedly make a lot of money for tbe Lesser interests, and, frankly speaking, it warrants it. It is a great film; it has a great cast; it is directed by a great director; and, furthermore, it will not grate on your nerves — and this is the greatest thing in pictures. JOHN ARNOLD TO PHOTOGRAPH “THE FOG” John Arnold is to photograph “The Fog,” the newest Graf production to be filmed for Metro release. Mr. Arnold has been doing the camera work for Viola Dana’s pictures for the past few years. A man may not recognize a girl’s face, but he will usually remember her legs. This one by Roy Stewart. EACH IS A HELP “Every day, in every way, ’Im getting better and better” — Especially when I have the “Flu”; Every night I’m getting “tight” And of course am getting “wetter.” Has this happened to you? By M. L. “Not knowing anything bad about your husband makes him rather deceitful, doesn’t it?” murmurs Gil Pratt. LEVEE TAKES A TRIP M. C. Levee, president of the United Studios, left a few days ago for New York where he will attend a conference with a group of the leading factors in the motion picture industry. The outcome of this meeting, according to Levee, will mean several million dollars worth of new productions for the United. A1 Herman is directing “Bus Boy.” What is this, another cafeteria joke?