The Film Daily (1922)

Sunday, NovemBer 26, 1922 A Mighty Fine Picture and a Very Powerful Dramatic Entertainment. Charles Brabin presents "DRIVEN" * Dependable Sales Corp. DIRECTOR Charles Brabin AUTHOR Jay Gelzer SCENARIO BY Alfred Rabock CAMERAMAN George W. Lane AS A WHOLE A very fine picture from every angle; a really worthwhile achievement STORY Simple mountain story that is made intensely interesting by excellent treatment DIRECTION Of a high grade; tells a very human story in very human fashion ; unusually fine production values PHOTOGRAPHY Superb LIGHTINGS Very good PLAYERS A remarkably well suited cast of players; all sacrifice personal appearance for realism and expression ; includes Emily Fitzroy, Burr Mcintosh, Geo. Bancroft, Charles Mack and Eleanor Fair EXTERIORS Pretty mountain shots INTERIORS All right DETAIL Good CHARACTER OF STORY Wife of outlaw mountaineer betrays husband to save her youngest son, a weakling LENGTH OF PRODUCTION 5,540 feet Charles Brabin's first independent production should find a place among the year's best pictures because he has really accomplished something. He has taken a thoroughly simple and unpretentious story and made a mighty interesting dramatic entertainment, one whose dramatic moments carry a very definite punch and never miss. It is essentially Brabin's intelligent treatment that makes "Driven" a highly absorbing feature, although the splendid cooperation he has been given by the cast and those associated with him in its production is evident. Jay Gelzer's theme is slight in plot and not involved in its' situations. It blends romance, drama and tragedy consistently and the scenario dovetails the sequences in plausible and comprehensive fashion. It has heart interest and what a wallop there is in it. Take, for instance, the big scene of the picture, where the wife betrays her brutal husband and sons by telling the revenue officer where their still is located in return for money which will send her youngest son and his little sweetheart out of the reach of the older son, who threatens to kill the boy and marry the girl himself. This is the real thing and it's going to draw tears without any effort.. Director Brabin tells the story smoothly and with such ease. Nothing is forced and the development is very good. And best of all is the fact that he hasn't wasted reels and reels to tell it. It is a genuine pleasure to find a picture that is short, interesting and to the point. There is a corking fine fight between Charles Mack and George Bancroft. It is a real thrill. The shots of Bancroft punching Mack when he is unconscious should come out, however. It's a bit too brutal. Too much cannot be said for the splendid performances of a uniformly fine cast. There is Emily Fitzroy, who is an ideal mountaineer mother, and Charlie Mack, the Griffith find, does delightful work as the weakling son. Mack is a real actor and an ideal type in this. George Bancroft is excellent as one of the brutal Tollivers with Burr Mcintosh a convincing bully, as Paw Tolliver. Eleanor Fair is pleasing as the little girl. The photography throughout is splendid and the locations very pretty. The titles are fine. Story : Maw Tolliver is a slave to her husband and sons, lawless -moonshiners. Lem Tolliver kills old Hardin when he objects to Lem's attack on his little girl, Essie. When Essie goes to live with the Tollivers, Lem discovers that Tommy, the youngest and weakest of the Tollivers, loves Essie. Lem announces he will marry Essie. How Maw Tolliver betrays the moonshiners to save her boy and his sweetheart brings it to a forceful dramatic conclusion. Should Find a Very Definite Place Among the Best Pictures Box Office Analysis for the Exhibitor One thing about this is certain. It is a fine picture, and if you cater to a clientele that wants good pictures, don't miss "Driven." You can make promises for a mighty fine dramatic offering that will make a very definite impression. They'll remember the picture. It is that kind. And they'll remember the performances of very capable players, probably not bo> office names, but deserving of it. Do your best to vince them of their good work. X con They may remember Charles Mack from Griffith's "Dream Street." Let them know it is a story of Kentucky moonshiners and play up the angle of the mother who braved the wrath of a brutal husband to save her youngest son. You can also promise action. Don't miss telling them about the fight. A few feet of this, as a trailer, will surely bring them back. Use Charles Brabin's name and tell them he has a fine entertainment to offer them in "Driven."