Exhibitors Daily Review (Jul-Dec 1928)

Exhibitors DAILY REVIEW, SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 1928 PICTURE REVIEWS "Shadows of Fear" First National Directed by Jaques Feyder Featuring Gina Manes, J. Marie-Laurent, H. A. Schlet tow, Wolfgang Zilzer. A GRUESOME TRAGEDY, ESPECIALLY WELL DIRECTED AND PRODUCED. POWERFUL CAST MAKES THIS PRODUCTION STAND OUT, DESPITE A MURDER, TWO SUICIDES AND A PARA L Y T I C MISFORTUNE. ONLY FOR SERIOUS AUDIENCES, AND THEN IT MAY LEAVE BAD TASTE. Story of a middle-class Frenchman, who works as an accountant while his new bride and his mother run a small shop. Camille is a weakling and when an artist friend of his boyhood wanders into the scene, an immediate attraction is set up be-, tween the accountant's wife and th^ artist. They finally plan to drown the husband which they do. In time, they marry, urged on by the dea 1 man's mother. But they find no hap-i piness as the shadow and spirit of: the dead man always comes between them. The culprits finally take t) hating each other and the mother after learning of their guilt has a paralytic stroke. From then on, they gradually retrograde until they fin-, ally commit suicide as the paralize 1 woman looks on, with satisfaction. Though produced abroad, from a production standpoint it is well handled and up to our standards. "Companionate Marriage" First National Story by Judge Ben B. Lindsey Directed by Erie C. Kenton Featuring Alec B. Francis and Betty Bronson ANOTHER ATTRACTION BY TITLE ONLY. PEOPLE MAY GO TO SEE IT BUT NO ONE WILL EVER RECOMMEND IT. IT IS CHEAP. The story is just a tedious bit of preaching that proves nothing against marriage but a whole lot against people — especially those who made the picture. It is in reality a plea for birth-control and offers no remedy tor human nature or ills. The direction is terrible and the titles date from Laura Jean Libby. Alec B. Francis and Betty Bronson are entirely lost and wasted on a badly thrown together picture. The action drags terribly and the players are allowed to go through scene after scene doing nothing but mugging. Another thing about the titles is the fact that they never say what the players do. It is so easy to read their lips and the sub-titles are either two scenes ahead or behind what they are saying. Story taken from Lindsey's noted book and production personally supervised by author. This did not help it much as Lindsey insisted that the letter and spirit of the book be carried out. "Man, Woman and Wife" Universal Directed by Edward Laemmle Featuring Norman Kerry, Marion Nixon, Pauline Starke, Kenneth Harlan. WHILE THE STORY LEAVES MUCH TO BE DESIRED, YOUNG LAEMMLE HAS TURNED OUT A FINE PROGRAM PICTURE AND HAS BROUGHT FORTH THE BEST WORK SHOWN BY KERRY, STARKE AND CRAUFORD KENT SEEN IN SOME TIME. This film, has, in addition a pleasing synchronized score which adds materially to the whole. It is a tale of a poor man who marries the daughter of a wealthy Senator, and later turns out to be a coward in the Great War. He deserts and his pal marries his wife, they thinking he is dead. A former sweetheart picks him out of the gutter and gives the gunman who is keeping her the air, in order to start life afresh with the man she has always loved. This they do, but they are traced to their hideaway by the gunman, who is killed by the hero. He goes to prison for life, but his common-law wife almost effects his escape from prison — only to see the hero deliberately allow himself to be killed, for the sake of his first wife's peace of mind and safety. The lighting of this picture is not up to snuff, and appears to have affected many sound pictures recently made. Neighborhood, suburban and off-the-main-street houses will like this one. "The Cop" Pathe Directed by Donald Crisp Featuring William Boyd, Jacqueline Logan, Alan Hale and Robert Armstrong. THIS IS FAIR DRAMA OF A COP OUT TO GET HIS MAN. HAS GOOD POPULAR APPEAL AND SHOULD DO WELL IN ANY NEIGHBORHOOD THEATRE. THE PHOTOGRAPHY IS POOR. William Boyd plays the part of a sort of dumb lead in this who is "done dirt" by a man whom he befriends and so he becomes a cop in order to avenge himself. He tails in love with a member of the gang and manages to convince her that she has made a mistake in leading such a life and of course puts an end to the life of the bad gangster, who has killed his best friend on the force. Boyd does well in his part but he is photographed very poorly. There are times when it is hard to distinguish his face from the background. Jacqueline Logan does some of the best work of her career as the heart interest and Alan Hale and Robert Armstrong are both excellent. The direction is pretty good. The only mistake is that in leading up to a smashing climax, the director seemed to forget all about it by the time he reached it. It made the ending raher week, but it's a good picture and will give the exhibitor nothing to worry about. 'Dry Martini" Fox. Directed by Harry D'Arrast Featuring Mary Astor, Albert Gran and Matt Moore SO-CALLED SOPHISTICATED COMEDY. SLOW MOVING WITH A WEAK STORY TOO EVIDENTLY PADDED. GOOD DIREC-i TION WASTED ON A PIC-j TURE THAT WILL NEVER! MEAN MUCH AT THE BOX| OFFICE. FOR THE NOT' PARTICULAR FEW. The little story there is concerns itself with a divorced ex-patriot living in Paris, whose daughter visits him there and while being shown the town, shows up the American life in it. There is no action to the plot and it proves nothing except that it was a mistake to make a picture of it. There is one scene, that is inexcusably vulgar and the photography is terrible. Albert Gran works hard and well in his part, while Matt Moore and Sally Eilers. erstwhile Sennett girl, do good work and deserve better material. Harry D'Arrast's direction is excellent and strives hard to lift the picture out of the mediocre class. "The Wind" Metro-Gold wyn-Mayer Directed by Victor Seastrom Story by Dorothy Scarborough Featuring Lillian Gish, Lars Hansen, Montague Love, William Orlamond, Dorothy Cum mings. WIND — WIND — WIND. TOO MUCH WIND. WIND TO THE RIGHT OF YOU, WIND TO THE LEFT OF YOU. WIND ALL AROUND YOU. AFTER THE WHOLE THING IS OVER, IT IS STILL WIND, AND QUITE A BIT OF SAND. One of the best things in this picture is the excellent acting of Lars Hansen. He makes his character human and wholesome. Miss Gish gives a performance that makes one believe there were a lot of things she would like to have done with the part but this did not meet with the approval of director Seastrom. The story concerns itself with life in a wind devilstated region and the conflict of a girl from a country, not so inflicted. Circumstances forecs her into a marriage that, although is not so pleasing at first adjusts itself, but not before the villiau has been shot by the heroine and many, many feet of wind and sand is thrown before the lens of the cameras. fThe Woman from Moscow' Paramount Directed by Ludwig Berger Story by John Farrow Featuring Pola Negri, Norman Keery, Paul Lukas, Bodil Rosing, Otto Matieson. THIS IS THE LAST PICTURE MADE BY POLA NEGRI DURING HER AMERICAN STAY AND IS A FAIRLY GOOD PICTURE HURT BY SOME VERY SPOTTY DIRECTION. NEGRI NEVER LOOKED BETTER. This screen play was adapted from "Fedora" by Victorien Sardou. The story concerns the Russia during the days of the Czar, and has for its leading character the Princess Fedora whose fiance was killed by an uprising of Nihlists. She sets out to find the person directly responsible and this being done fiuds her real love. Having promised vengence and not wanting to harm her lover, she commits suicide instead. Miss Negri is excellent in her part, ably supported by Norman Keery, Paul Lukas and Otto Matieson. The direction of Ludwig Berger is very spotty and. to our mind, the pictures great weakness. The camera work of Victor Milner was beautiful. "Show Girl" First National. Directed by Alfred Santell Featuring Alice White with Charles Delaney HILARIOUS FARCE. PACKED FULL OF LAUGHS. GREAT EXPLOITATION ANGLES AND SURE FIRE BOX OFFICE VALUE. EVERYONE CAN ENJOY A GOOD LAUGH AT THIS ONE. Its all about a wise-cracking baby from Brooklyn who through her own fresh brazeness and a series of publicity stunts is pushed through to stardom on the Broadway stage. This calls for a lot of funny situations and broad satire on the methods involved in starmaking. It is taken from J. P McKvoyV book and the subtitles lifted bodily from this same book are plentiful and very good. Alice White in the part of Dixie Dugan proves that First National used good judgment in lifting her to star parts Charles Delaney is tine and Jimmy Finlayson as Dixie's Pa gives a particularly funny version of the henpecked husband that does the familiar worm-turning act. Altogether, this picture should be a decided help to the exhibitor.