Exhibitor's Trade Review (Dec 1923 - Feb 1924)

Page 40 Exhibitors Trade Review 'Anna Christie' Perfect Screen Adaptation First National Production Wins Wide Praise A NNA CHRISTIE" marks the greatest step forward which the movies have made since Griffith produced his epochal "The Birth of a Nation," says the Baltimore (Md.) Sun. "Unless we are greatly mistaken, it will take the films five years or more to catch up with this picture." The director: Has taken Eugene O' Neil's play, and handled it in such a way as almost to defy the slightest criticism. If you have never been satisfied with any adaptation of a book or play that you have seen, by all means see this picture, and note what one man has done. It is a film that will "hold your rapt attention" from the outset, in the opinion of the Cincinnati (Ohio) Post. Like the play, it represents a "drab side of human life" in all its "stark ugliness," and pleads for a chance for the "victim of circumstances." However, it is unfair to compare a movie with a stage play, because: The human voice, wondrous thing that it is, cannot be replaced by anything else. Blanche Sweet as Anna Christie hasn't Pauline Lord's opportunities, because Anna's voice is not there. Yet Miss Sweet gives as fine a screen interpretation of the role as could be desired. One of the "really talented actresses" in the films, Blanche Sweet is "finely convincing" in the title role, according to the Newark (N. J.) News. George Marion, who created old Chris in the original production, gives such "a portrayal of the repentant father" as is "hard to match in current plays," and: William Kussell so admirably denotes Matt's traits that his share in the performance helps to give it di3.tinction. In fact the acting of the trio is masterly. "Divorced from its realism," the picture would perhaps be a "sordid and depressing play," believes the Los Angeles Times. Much has, of course, been done to "lighten the film version," so that it "might have a broader, popular appeal," and while perhaps something of the power of the sea "has been lost," there is still "vigorous and crude strength" behind the development. The treatment: Is about as daring as anything that has yet been shown. Those cutbacks of the early life of Anna, reach the outposts of realism. Much is left to the imagination, but what happens is sufficiently vivid to allow the mind to fill in the rest. "Never has Miss Sweet done anything to approach this characterization of the weak daughter of Sweden," we learn from the New York Tribune. "We did not enjoy the end of the picture with its touches of comedy and its final bringing home of the truth that men must work and women must weep," this paper goes on to say "Although Miss Sweet's performance did stand out, competition was keen." George Marion as her old and bibulous father, "was almost too real." One could actually "smell stale booze and coal dust on him," and Eugenie Besserer was gorgeous as Marthy." Current Productions (Continued) Flaming Waters Eddie Hearn Not credited.. F. B. O. . Flaming Youth Colleen Moore ...Jack Dillon . First Nat'l . His Children's Children .All Star Sam Wood ..Paramount . Hospitality Buster Keaton ...Jack Blystone Metro Human Mill, The Special Cast ....Alan Holubar Metro Huntress C. Moore Reynolds 1st National Jealous Husbands Special Cast M. Tourneur . First Nat.'l Kentucky Days Dustin Farnum ..David Solmon Fox Leavenworth Case Special Cast .... W. Bennett . . Vitagraph . . Light That Failed All Star Melford Paramount . Little Old New York . . Marion Davies . . Sidney Scott . Goldwyn . . Man, Woman, TemptationSpecial Cast ....Not credited .. Metro Maytime Special Cast ....Gasnier Preferred .. Million to Burn, A ...Herbert KawlinsonWilliam Parke Universal .. Monna Vanna All Star Eichberg Fox On Banks of Wabash ..Special Cast J. S. BlacktonVitagraph . Pleasure Mad Special Cast . Reg. Barker . Metro Scars of Hate Jack Livingston . H. G. Moody. Independent Shifting Sands Special Cast ....Granville Hodkinson . South Sea Love Viola Dana Not credited .. Metro .... Social Code, The Shirley Mason ...Oscar Atsel . Fox Social Code Dana Apfel Metro Spanish Dancer Pola Negri Brenon Paramount . Stephen Steps Out D. Fairbanks, Jr. .Henabery . . . .Paarmount . The Leavenworth Case .All Star Cast ...Chas. Giblyn . Vitagraph . Thundering Dawn Kerrigan-Nilsson .Harry Garson Universal .. Thy Name Is Woman . . Special Cast .... Fred Niblo . . Metro Unseeing Eyes Barrymore-Owen .E. H. Griffith . Goldwyn .. Wanters, The Special Cast John M. Stahl First Nat'l . DECEMBER Feature Star Director Distributor Length Anna Christie Blanche Sweet .Tom H. Ince. First Nat. .7,631 Acquittal All Star Brown Universal . Barefoot Boy All Star Kirkland C. B. C. . Countrv Kid Barry Beaudine Warners . Call of Canyon Dix-Wilson Fleming Paramount Dancer of Nile C. Myers Earle F. B. O. .6,000 .8,434 .8,338 .6,220 .6,000 7,000 .6.000 6,000 .6,000 .7,013 9,000 6,000 6,000 5,000 .8,648 .7,000 7,547 5,000 .6,000 6,000 6.000 .6,000 .8,434 .5,652 .6,000 7,000 6.000 .8,500 .6,000 6,523 .5,769 .5.686 .6993 .5787 . .Babv Peggy ....King Baggot. Univ 6,239 " ~ ..6,282 , . .6557 . .5,663 . .7,800 5.70O Darling of N. Y. David Copperfield All Star".".' 5andberg".". . . . Asso. Ex. Day of Faith All Star Browning . . . Gold-Cos. Defyi.i? Destiny All Star Chaudet Selznick . Eternal City LaMarr-BarrymoreFitzraaurice .. First Nat. Extra Girl Normand Jones Asso. Ex. Fashion Row Murray Leonard Metro 7,300 Fashionable Fakers All Star Worthington F. B. O. ...4869 Fighting Blade Barthelmess Robertson First Nat. ..8,000 Gold Madness Post Thombv Prin. Pic. ..6.068 Halt a Dollar Bill Nilsson Van Dyke ..Metro 5,700 Her Temp'y Husband ..AH Star McDerraott .First Nat. ..6723 His Mystery Girl Herb. Rawlinson .Robt. F. Hill. Univ 4.375 In Palace of King Sweet Flvnn Gold.-Cos. ..7453 Lady of Quality Valli-Sills Sedgwick Universal . . 8,000 Let's Go R. Talmadge Howard Truart 6,000 Loyal Lives Snecial Cast W. Bennett ..Vitaeraph ...6.000 Mail Man All Star Johnson F. B. O. ..6,800 Man From Brodnevs ...Snerial Cast David Smith .Vitagraph ..7.100 Man Life Passed By. All Star Schertzinger .Metro 6208 Man Next Door Snecial Cast Masters of Men Siecial Cast Maytime Ford-Shanno Midnight Alarm Siecial Cast Modern Matrimony .... Moore-Lake David Smith .v^itagraph ...7,000 .David Smith .Vitagraph ...6.900 . Gasnier Preferred . . . 7500 ..David Smith .Vitagraph ..7,100 ..Heerman Select 4,960 Name the Man All Star jpastrom Goldwyn 7.100 Near Lady All Star Blache Universal ...4812 fJmetv and Nine Snecial Cast David Smith .Vitagraph ..6,900 Our Hospitality Keaton Keaton . .. Metro .. ..6,220 Pioneer Trails Snecial Cast David Smith .Vitagraoh ..7.000 Poniola Nilsson Crisp .First Nat. ..6,500 Pure Grit Roy Stewart Nat Ross Universal ..4,571 Qmncy Adams Sawyer . .AU Star Badger Metro 7,742 Red Warning Jack Hoxie Bradley Universal ..4,795 Red Warning J. Hoxie Bradley Universal ...4795 Rendezvous All Star M. Neilan ...Goldwyn ...7,800 Reno All Star R. Hughes ... Goldwyn ...6.600 Richard the Lion HeartedBeery Woods-Buch. Asso. Auth. 8,000 Second Hand Love Jones Wellman Fox 6,000 Second Youth All Star A. Parker Goldwyn ...6,500 Six Cylinder Love Truex Clifton Fox 7000 Temple of Venus All Star Otto ^Fox 8,000 The Near Lady ^ladvs Walton .. Hrrb. Blache. .Universal ...4.812 This Freedom All Star CUft Fox 7.000 Thundergate O. Moore De Grasse ... First Nat. ...6565 Twenty-One Barthelmess Robertson ...First Nat. ...6560 Under Red Robe All Star CrosJand Cosmooolitan 8,000 Unknown Purple All Star Robertson ...First Nat. ..6560 Virginian M! Star Forman Schulberg ..8,010 W,->v Men Love Dexter-Harris ...Neill Grand Asher 7,541 Whipping Boss All Star McGowan ...Monogram .5,800 White Tiger Dean Browning ...Universal ..7,177 Wife's Romance Young HefFeron Metro 5.169 Wild Bill Hlckok Hart C. Smith Fam. Players 6,983 JANUARY Feature After the Ball Boy of Mine Broadway Broke . . . Black Oxen Hook and Ladder . . Lady of Monsoreau . Love Pirate Marriage Market . . . Man from Wyoming. Mine to Keep Satin Girl Shepherd King Swamp Angel Song of Love Thrill Chaser To the Ladies When Odds are Even. Whispered Name . . . You Can't Get Away. Star Director Glass-Cooper .... Fitzgerald . . . Anderson Alexander Beaudine .... First Nat. Distributor Length .7000 All C. 6000 .6000 .6600 .6000 5500 .4750 6297 Star Dawley Selznick . . . Griffith F. Lloyd First Nat. . H. Gibson Sedgwick . . . Universal . . All Star Le Somptier .Vad. & Del. All Star Thomas F. B. O. . All Star Le Saint C. B. C. ... T. Hoxie Bradbury ...Universal ..5,000 "Washburn Ben Wilson . Grand-Asher 5317 All Star Rosson Grand-Asher 5591 All Star Edwards Fox 8000 C. Moore Badger First Nat. . . 6000 N. Talmadge Franklin ....First Nat. ..6000 Hoot Gibson ....Sedgwick ...Universal ...5196 AU Star Cruze Paramount . 6268 Russell Yost Fox 4284 All Star Baggot Universal . . . 5000 Marmont R. V. Lee .. Fox 6052 'Where North Begins' Excellent Drama Rin-Tin-Tin Is Marvelous in Warner Production '■p HE north woods — its glam-■• our, adventure and risks — "live unforgetably and beautifully in 'Where the North Begins'," we are told by the Paterson (N. J.) Call. Not an inch of the film, but is "packed with thrills" that are as different from the usual ones as night from day. It is the "genuine article" — a gripping "love romance of the far north," where men come to measure their own "brawn and cunning against other men," where "might is right," and nature "relentless against the v/eak." Rin-tin-tin — The clever police dog plays in the picture. His acting is uncanny in the nth degree. It is unbelievable the manner in which he registers throughout the story, a princ6 of dogs. All lovers of animals and good pictures will not miss this rare opportunity to see both a strong drama and unexcelled animal acting. It is a production "possessed of every element making the popular brand," and it "registered decidedly" at all performances, according to the Trenton (N. J.) Times. It is a story of the North woods, featuring the "marvelous" trained dog, who is so clever that one feels a "man's brain must be lodged in his skull." As to the atmosphere, this paper adds: The setting in the far north is a fitting background for the tense drama unfolded before the handful of mortals living and struggling in one of the outposts and fringes of civilization, a remote Hudson Bay trading post. A melodrama that keeps you on the very "edge of your seat," "thrilled through and through," in the opinion of the Huntington (W. Va.) Herald Dispatch. The story: Is set in the land where snow and cold, brawny men and courageous women, good and bad, Uve and love and battle for the right to exist. The work of Rin-tin-tin, the remarkable dog, places him in the same class with Strongheart. It is a picture which can be "praised without reservation," believes the Bloomington (111.) Bulletin. The reason lies in its "bigness, its sincerity," the rich drama that courses through it like "healthy blood through a strong man." It is a little difficult: To say what are the elements conducive to the thrill of pleasure which this picture produces. Sometimes one is tempted to ascribe it to the almost uncanny acting of the police dg, whose histrionic talent is nothing short of genius. Sometimes it seems as if the story itself has the stuff that produced the thrills, and then it looks again as if it might be the wonderful cast. "It is the sort of 'movie' worth going out of one's way, if necessary, to see, and for that reason it is strongly recommended," says the Winston Salem (N. C.) Sentinel. To overlook it is to "miss a picture with a fine plot, perfect acting, and a wonderful photoplay" — the three things necessary to the real movie fan's enjoyment, and in addition there is the scenery of the north, forming a background of unusual strength and beauty.