Exhibitor's Trade Review (Nov 1925 - Feb 1926)

Page 75 she has delivered a superb character portrayal, and then base all future prospects on the promise of this one. There is nothing else to show just what we may expect, except her next performance. But in Lois Moran, nineteen years old, and at the very infancy of her experience, one discerns very definite endowments, which, aside from any artistic talents, loom up as powerful potentialities. She has what one may describe as the mother's milk for the nourishment of talent. These may be more specifically described as a face, which fairly radiates spiritual, pensive beauty; grace of form and carriage which revives images of fauns, gazelles and slim-stemmed plants swaying in a gentle breeze ; and a personality that keeps you wanting to see her on the ers. But in "The Big Parade" she gets her really first big start, and the way she "breezed home under the wire" has had critics and public talking about it ever since. In the part of Melisande, caught in the crushing circumstances of a warracked country, Miss Adoree creates a character that fairly eclipses anything of its kind done before. In a role where the slightest departure in the most delicate shades of interpretation would result in just ordinary melodrama, this little French girl achieves the acme of perfection. She displays an individuality of treatment which promises well for her future development. As a result of her fine work in Tom O'Brien and Karl Dane (Left to right) were two of the many reasons for |y| the success of "The Big Parade." They leaven the frightful grimness of ghastly details with a rollicking brand of doughboy humor Belle Bennett She more than justified Henry King's selection from 72 applicants for the title role of "Stella Dallas" remember. My laudation of their performances reflects not merely critical opinion, but the opinions of many audiences who have since gone on record with word-of-mouth advertising. So much for the drawing power of the next film that features these two artists singly or together. Of course, there is always the prospect of a single notable performance being but a flash in the pan. With this thought in mind it might be pertinent to catalog the qualities which may or may not qualify the players for the pedestal of stardom. For Belle Bennett, who has a long dramatic career on the legitimate stage behind her, one can say that WILLIAM BOYD One of the newer faces on the screen which will be recalled for the memorable impression it created in P.D.C.'s "The Road to Yesterday" picture every single moment of its showing. It is my opinion that in Lois Moran the screen has possibly its future supreme darling of the fans. It stands to reason that the Pickfords, the Swansons, the Talmadges, the Gishs, and others in the kindred circle, cannot continue forever. It is encouraging that a girl of the type of Lois Moran is the logical candidate for wide public favor. Great performances bring to mind great films. With the mention of "great," the memory of "The Big Parade" immediately projects itself on the background of my imagination. But this isn't the place to launch forth with rhetorical bouquets on the various merits of the film. Of pertinent interest is the fact that this fine screen achievement is notable for the impressive performance of three players, whose faces are hardly known to the majority of American audiences. The first to mind is Renee Adoree, whose acting contributes measurably to the magic of the film. Miss Adoree's face is not entirely new to screen-go "The Big Parade," Metro-GoldwynMayer has evidenced an intention to give Miss Adoree ample scope to display her powers in their next year's program. What has afforded most frequent (Continued on page 76) Louise Dresser She attracted the attention of critics and public with her remarkable interpretation of the title role in Universal 's "The Goose Woman"