The Film Daily (1925)

THE ■SK^. DAILY Tuesday, December 1, 19 "Below The Line"— Warners Scollay, Boston GLOBE — * * * It is a picture of thrills, romance and comedy, but especially of thrills. "The Calgary Stampede"— Universal Cameo, San Francisco NEWS — * * * is the most pretentious film drama ever attempted by Gibson and that he makes good is proved at every performance by the hearty applause he gets. • • ♦ "The Eagle"— United Artists State, Los Angeles EXAMINER— ♦ * . The film shows "Rudy just the vi-ay his public likes him. He is handsome, a bit languorous, and always confident that he'll get the girl. • ♦ * HERALD—* * ♦ Rudolph Valentino has outsheiked the "Sheik," outloved "Monsieur Eeaucaire," and "Four Horsemen," in dramatic ability, in "The Eagle." * • * RECORD— ♦ • • Clarence Brown, director, and Hans Kraly, scenarist, have invented many new ingredients for screen entertainment and have mixed them deftly into a rare and spicy picture pudding. It leaves a never-tobe-forgotten taste in your mouth. * • ♦ TIMES—* * * The liveliness _ of Vilma Banky in the role of the heroine is probably the most attractive high light of "The Eagle." She seems to gain an even greater radiance than in "The Dark Angel." * ♦ * "Go West"— M.-G.-M. State, St. Louis POST-DISPATCH— The tenderfoot on a ranch is the none too fresh theme which Buster Keaton selected for his latest picture. * • • However, he manages to introduce several new gags and, with the help of a Jersey cow, puts across a fairly amusing comedy. * * • STAR — A pensive-eyed cow of impressive histrionic promise is Buster Keaton's leading lady in "Go West." » • ♦ Buster's forlorn expression matches "Brown Eyes' " pensiveness with ftmny exactness. • * ♦ TIMES—* * * The chief picture. Buster Keaton in "Go West" is one of his best. Through pathos he creates a feeling of sympathy, at the same time originating so many funny situations that his audience is kept in an uproar of laughter. * 4f « "The Golden Princess" — Paramount Delmonte, St. Louis GLOBE DEMOCRAT— * * * The picture is a thriller, another melodramatic version of the California gold rush days, with all of its colorful costumes, odd settings and violent action. * ♦ • STAR — • * * Betty Bronson shines as heroine of a romance of the vintage of '49, "The Golden Princess." * * ♦ The role enables the winsome Betty to show off her charms in hoop skirts, pantalets and boy garb. ♦ ♦ » TIMES— After "Peter Pan" and "Are Parents People," it seems to me that Betty Bronson deserves to be featured in a better picture than "The Golden Princess. • * • "Irish Luck" — Paramount Fenway, Boston TRAVELER—* * * "Irish Luck" is right. This is by far the best picture Tom Meighan has had in years. » ♦ • -"The Keeper of the Bees"— F. B. O. Pantages, Los Angeles ■EXPRESS—* ♦ * Because of a well-molded •plot, heart interest and good characterizations the screen version will undoubtedly attract interest. ♦ * » RECORD — • * * the picture tells an old•fashioned, heart interest story, which is certain to he enjoyed by the thousands who have read and loved Mrs. Porter's books. • » • "The King on Main Street"— Para. Metro, Los Angeles EXAMINER — * * * Preserving the fabric by a gay and spontaneous humor, the director has carefully avoided the pitfalls of burlesque. RECORD — Adolphe Menjou wears a happygo-lucky crown of fallaciously subtle laughs as "The King on Main Street." In this he proves hiinself to be the arch sophist of the screen i * * * TIMES — * * * A most admirable point about Bell's direction is his power to avoid the slightest touch of burlesque where, at times, in a story like this, it must have been a tremendous temptation to get a cheap laugh or two. The result is an immense gain in sympathy and realism. • • ♦ "Lord Jim" — Paramount Metro, Boston GLOBE — * * * the photoplay is taken from the Joseph Conrad novel, and follows the subject matter closely, even to the final unhappy ending. * * * POST — * * * The novel is followed rather closely, as to action, especially in the death of Lord Jim, and for this we should be grateful. Any other ending is unthinkable. * * ♦ TRANSCRIPT—* * * To take the book and leave out most of Conrad, as Victor Fleming has done is to give a motion picture which, while above the average, is decidedly not "Lord Jim." In the first place the actors are not wisely chosen. * * * TRAVELER— * * * It is a sincere and honest attempt to reproduce the story. But it is wholly uninspired. It must be that the magic of Conrad lies in his style, the use of the English language by a Pole. Or it may be, as some one has suggested, that it would take some one as great as Conrad to make a great picture of a great yarn. * * * "The Mystic"— M.-G.-M. Criterion, Los Angeles EXAMINER—* * * The inevitable regeneration is accomplished with a minimum of strain and the characterizations, of wider variance, sustain interest to the fade-out. * * * HERALD — * * * Aileen Pringle scores a new success as the fiery and intriguing Zara, daughter of the Bohemian nomads and inheritor of their weird prophetic powers. • ♦ • RECORD — * * * is a drama of masquerading crooks and fake mediums, and the illusion of reality in both is cleverly maintained until well into the picture. * * * TIMES—* * * but as the story unfolds it grows melodramtaic and improbable, and, in the final analysis, it is just another picture with a triangle and a happy ending. * * * "New Brooms" — Paramount Olympia, Boston TRANSCRIPT— • * * The film, in the rough and ready judgment of the average movie-goer, is stamped in approval, a "good show." * * ♦ "Siegfried"— Ufa Capitol, San Francisco BULLETIN—* * * It contains no end of dramatic action which is given a background of idylistic magnificence in which the artistic is paramount. * * * CALL AND POST—* * * The forest scenes; the Valhallian castles dimned against the aurora borealis ; the slaying of the dragon ; Siegfried's journey through the Mistlands, and the court and cathedral scenes at King Gunther's castle — all of these evoked ovations • • * —-undoubtedly the most notable motion picture ever flashed on a local screen. * * * It is a breath-taking epic, not to be missed. CHRONICLE—* * * is a magnificent example of screen art; colossal in theme; splendid in execution; absorbing in its grip on the imagination and the emotions. * * * EXAMINER — * * * is an example of genuine ,Trt. It is the Sagas visualized, and infinitely superior as a performance to many an operatic recital of Wagner's immortal libretto. HERALD—* * * Only a Teutonic mind could have created such magnificent settings as Lang has given the production. The cave of Mime, the sword maker, the mighty trees of Wodin's wood, the towering castles which gloom in the mists blend in a perfect whole. NEWS — * * * It is a masterpiece and to those steeped in European legend and to familiars of Wagnerian music "Siegfried" should be an enthralling film. * * * "The People vs. Nancy Preston" Prod. Dist. Corp. Forum, Los Angeles EXAMINER—* * * There is suspense galore, incidents and coincidents — but, best of all, exceptional camera work. * * « HERALD—* * * Taking his rather depressing theme, Tom Forman is to be highly congratulated in turning out a picture that has real entertainment value. It is replete with thrills which keep one in suspense in spite of oneself, * * * TIMES— * * * is neither a thrilling melodrama, nor a good detective film. It savors of both, but unfortunately isn't consistent in its plot development. * • * "The Road to Yesterday"— Prod. Dist. Corp. Figueroa, Los Angeles HERALD—* * * With the master touch that has placed him on the topmost rung of cinema fame. De Mille has evolved a screen offering that will live long in the annals of art. ♦ • ♦ "Satan In Sables"— Warners California, San Francisco BULLETIN — * * * is splendid entertainment. It does not really need the name of a prominent screen player to put it over, but is enhanced in its attractiveness by the fact that (Lowell) Sherman heads the cast. * * CALL AND POST—* * * There is nothing that suggests sables and not much of the Satan. Also one wonders a little at the subtitles, with their placement of American slang in the mouth of a little Parisienne. » • » NEWS — Intrigues the interests throughout its entire telling. It contains the varying elements of drama, pathos and bits of delic ious humor all carried out in elaborate and beautiful backgrounds. * • * "That Royle Girl"— Paramount Chicago, Chicago AMERICAN—* • * an hour of excit'ment. As such, it is first rate, even though you know, from the beginning, what the outcome will be. • * * "Stage Struck" — Paramount Missouri, St. Louis GLOBE-DEMOCRAT _ * ♦ ♦ They're dressing up Gloria Swanson again. The result is a gorgeous riot of color (about the prettiest we have seen, in photography), but with about as much taste and good judgment as the waitress the glorious Gloria is supposed to portray. • * * POST-DISPATCH _ • ♦ • Not that "Stage Struck" at the Missouri is such a bad picture. Indeed, it manages to be rather amusing throughout. But the role of a stage-struck waitress who loves a batter-cake man is too short an order for Miss Swanson. # * « ', STAR — * * * It is an entertaining comedy drama, with a running fire of funny situations and settings that surprise. Color scenes enrich the photography. ♦ • • TIMES — * * * Gloria Swanson as a wail ress in a little Ohio manufacturing town is much more pleasant than the famed marchese in some overdressed drama with a supposedly historical interest. ♦ ♦ * "Son of His Father" — Paramount La Salle, Detroit FREE PRESS—* * * It is packed with scenes that thrill, and into it has been in corporated a romance that will touch the heart at times. * » • "The Storm Breaker"Universal Family, Cincinnati TIMES-STAR—* * * Some excellent examples of marine photography are seen in this picture. • * • TRIBUNE—* * * The picture is a triumph of the cinema art in many respects The sea is displayed in a manner new to the film world and one catches many glimpses ol the intimate life of the people of Nova Scotia "The Tower of Lies"— Metro-Gold. New Grand, Minneapolis TRIBUNE— • • • As Jan, a zealous plodding farmer, whose life is centered upor his baby girl, Lon Chaney adds another graphii portrayal to his long list of achieve ments. * • * "We Moderns"— First Nat'l. Capitol, St. Louis GLOBE-DEMOCRAT—* * * the rather weak mora! it points is hardly enough to offset the pervading spirit of youth triumphant, in all its vainglorious foolishness. * » * STAR — * * * Flapper psychology is perkily interpreted by Colleen Moore in her new picture, "We Moderns." * » * TIMES—* * * The theme is timely ano contains a wealth of comedy and sufficient drama to keep the interest keyed at high tension throughout. • • ♦ Advertisements Of Importance About Comedies For Laugh Month Appear In The Next Short Subject Quarterly Of The FILM DAILY OUT DECEMBER 5th Don't Miss This Issue All About Laugh Month In Addition To An Abundance Of Valuable Information k If About SHORT SUBJECTJ j ti I