The Film Daily (1922)

THE Sunday, October 1, 1922 ■c&Hk DAILV IS Walthall Does Fine Work In Peter B. Kyne Story "THE LONG CHANCE" Universal DIRECTOR Jack Conway AUTHOR Peter B. Kyne SCENARIO BY Raymond Schrock CAMERAMAN Benjamin Reynolds AS A WHOLE Fast moving dramatic offering that should please a good many STORY Makes an interesting screen piece and is particularly well acted DIRECTION Satisfactory; gets in considerable force in dramatic bits that are well handled PHOTOGRAPHY All right LIGHTINGS St-ndard PLAYERS Henry B. Walthall gives excellent performance ; Marjorie Daw pleasing and Ralph Graves a suitable hero EXTERIORS A few good desert shots INTERIORS Adequate DETAIL Ample CHARACTER OF STORY Woman's dying request is for old sweetheart to look out for her daughter's happiness for which he eventually gives his life LENGTH OF PRODUCTION 4,836 feet For those who like dramatic stories, Peter B. Kyne's "The Long Chance," picturized by Universal with Marjorie Daw, Henry B. Walthall and Ralph G aves in the principal roles, offers a good entertainment. It contains some strong situations and good drrmiatic moments that will interest them and Jack Ct nway supplies a suitable production. The director tells the story in a smooth, st .'iqhtforward fashion and it moves rapidly toward the climax. He has succeeded in getting tlie dramatic bits over with some force and conviction e\en when coincidence or slight improbabilities are associated with them. It is easy to follow and quite explicit except in one instance when they do not e.xplain how the Indian came to follow hero Ralph Graves nito the desert. It is a fairly important bit inasmuch as the Indian's presence saves the hero's life after lie is attacked b} the villain's emissary. A title is needed here to clear w\> the point. There is one especially strong scene in tlu climax where Walthall goes out to "get" the man he believes has killed the hero, with whom his ward is in love. It has a good deal of punch and Walthall's acting is very fine. In fact it is Walthall's work throughout that i.-^ cons])icuous. His performance is well worth seeing, all e.xcept the actual death scene. There are too many of them in pictures anyway. The last shot showing the graves should come out altogether. The story deals with some fairly conventional situations such as the lost mine and the villain who tries to stake a claim for it and cheat the pretty heroine out of it. However, good acting and rather careful direction keep it from becoming" commonplace and give it an entertainment value. The cast is a good one and the i)erformances of the three ])rincipals, capabk'. Marjorie Daw is quite pleasing as the girl and Ral])h Gra\es a suitable hero. Jack Curtis is always a convincing villain and others are Boyd Irwin, William Bertram. Story : John Corbaly had died without staking his mine. His wife, Kate, dies twenty years later leaving her daughter, Donna, in the care of Hennage, a gambler who had always loved Kate. McGraw, a stranger, comes to town to buy Donna's mine for his em])loyer, Carey. Hennage learns that a bully, O'Rourke, is also employed by Carey. McGraw falls, in love with Donna but Hennage doubts his sincerity. McGraw is lost in the desert and O'Rourke files a claim on the mine. How it develops that Carey had \ears before double-crossed Donna's father and had sent McGraw on as a "blind," completes the story. I -1 Satisfying Dramatic Entertainment and Good Acting j Box Office Analysis for the Exhibitors The many old admirers of Henry Walthall will be It should be an easy matter to arrange a tie-up with glad to see this one. Play up his name prominently 'i local book shop by having them display copies of the and you can safely tell them he does some fine work ^^^^^ ^ Kyne novel, "The Long Chance" and the „T,, T ^1 .. Tr .-If announcement that it can be seen picturized at your u] 1 he Long Chance. If you can secure a trailer ot nr • • t^ . , , , , ■, theater. Marjorie Daw s name can be used and while the gun fight between Walthall and Jack Curtis you ^^^^^ ^^^^^^ j^ ^^^ ^^ ^^^j, ^^^^^,^ ^^ ^^^ ^^^^^ ^^^^^ can be quite sure they'll come back to see tlu whole stars he may be remembered for his role in Gri-ffith's picture. "Dream Street." ' ■