The Film Daily (1926)

Page 8 Exhibitors Daily ffV BOX OFFICE REVIEWS Key to the Rating System A B C D E Road Show Calibre 1 First Run Product 2 Suitable for Second and Subsequent Runs 3 Action Pictures, Westerns and Melodramas 4 Shooting Gallery Staff * Excellent Good Fair Not Recommended Unusual Exploitation Possibilities Conducted by Michael L. Simmons RED DICE Producers Distributing Corp. Pro. duction. Adapted from Octavtts Roy Cohen's novel, "The Iron Chance." Directed by William K Howard. CAST AND SYNOPSIS Alan Beckwith Rod La Rocque Beverly Vane .... Marguerite De La Motte Johnny Vane Ray Hallor Andrew North .... Gustave Von Seyffertitz Squint Scoggins George Cooper Nick Webb Walter Lone Mrs. Garrison Edythe York Butler Clarence Burton Securing needed funds from Andrew North, bootleg chief, Alan Beckwith agrees to heavily insure himself, making North beneficiary. He promises to commit suicide within a year. North forces Alan to marry Beverly Vane who consents because it means the sparing of her brother Johnny's life by North. Alan and Beverly fall in love. To save himself from his doom, Alan, together with Johnny, plans to hijack one of North's rum loads. Their plans are frustrated when North appears on the scene. Beverly arrives with revenue officers who round up gang leaving Beverly and Alan free to enjoy their new-found happiness. Rating: D2 Production Values: A new plot — a revelation of the activities of the new underworld clique — the bootleggers. The many thrilling scenes are linked together effectively and in such compelling fashion as to never permit the interest to wane. The underworld atmosphere is peculiarly realistic, great care having been administered in working out the details, resulting in properly creating the illusion. The hero's unusual bargain, motivated altogether by his altruism, furnishes human interest appeal, and the romance which is born after the marriage of the hero and heroine is another interesting angle. Acting: Rod LaRocque works with an earnestness that is conducive to a part which carries conviction. He plays the lover with tenderness and the battler with virility. Marguerite de la Motte is very pleasing as the heroine. Not only does she furnish eye lure, but she makes her highly dramatic role forceful. George Cooper holds up the comedy end to good effect. Audience Appeal: The somewhat different plot, the elements of melodrama, romance, comedy, and human interest indicate that it will be a draw with the masses. How To Sell It: Tie up on the novel, "The Iron Chance." Use the "red dice" idea in working out effective street ballyhoo as well as attractive lobby effect. BRIDE OF THE STORM ll'arncr Bros. Production. From Story, "Maryland, My Maryland," by James Francis Div.yer. Directed by A. J. Stuart Black ton. CAST AND SYNOPSIS Faith Fitzhugh Dolores Costdio Dick Wayne John Harron Hans Kroon Otto Mattieson Piet Kroon Sheldon Lewis Jacob Kroon Tryone Power Commander U. S. Baltimore .. Larry Steers The only survivor of a shipwreck ofif the China Coast, Faith Fitzhugh, an 8-yeaTold heiress, is brought up by three Dutch lighthouse-keepers who hope ultimately to marry her to the youngest Kroon, an idiot lad, and then derive the benefits of her wealth. She is spared the torture of such a union by the opportune appearance of Dick Wayne, an American naval officer, who after a hard battle with the three Kroons, takes Faith back to America with him. Rating: B3 Production Values: Fine character portrayals in this gripping melodrama starring the beautiful Dolores Costello. Shipwreck, battles, surging of waters and human passions — these are powerfully presented. The sordidness of the life of these animallike beings is vividly portrayed ; as a matter of fact, it is too vivid. There is not enough relief from the brutality, the baseness of these repugnant Kroons. There's no variety in the story which is hackneyed. It is too heavy — too melodramatic. Acting: Lovely Dolores is given ample opportunity to "emote" She works hard to make up for the shortcomings in the role. And her histrionic efforts are rewarded for she succeeds in arousing the sympathy, notwithstanding the fact that the part is a rather impossible one. Mattieson, Lewis, and Power do fine work in portraying the three Kroons. Each character fits the part and carries conviction. John Harron is pleasing as the hero. Audience Appeal: Better suited to the more gullible audiences as far as entertainment is concerned. The characterizations will prove a source of great interest to a great many. There are also the hard battles, the disastrous wrecking of the lighthouse, etc., that have their definite appeal among the thrillhunters. How to Sell It : Dolores Costello's name is in the fore right now. Capitalize that fact. Title suggests opportunity to tie up on bridal window display. CROWN OF LIES Paramount Production. From the Screen Original by Ernest Vajda. Directed by Dimitri Buchowetsky. Length, six reels. CAST AND SYNOPSIS Olga Kriga Pola Negri Count Mirko Noah Beery John Knight Robert Ames Karl Charles Post Fritz Arthur Hoyt Vorski Mikhail Vavitch Leading Lady Cissy Fitzgerald Olga Kriga, a boarding house slavey, bears an extraordinary resemblance to the missing Queen of Sylvania. She is taken there by a group sf scheming Sylvanians, where she is posed as the lost queen. In a short exciting reign, happiness is restored to the people. Then she returns to her American lover and a tiny cottage in the "States," there to be his queen, and his alone. Rating: B3 Production Values : The sets, the backgrounds, and the groupings of people that make up the substance of the story are the saving grace of this peculiar story, that always edges on the brink of a stirring picture, only to recede again into an implausible narrative, with no great spark anywhere. The director has done his work smoothly enough though minus several shades of the gifted finesse for which he is noted; pictorial effects are invested with much expense and pains ; there is the thrilling episode of a man escaping his plotters by rolling himself into a snow-ball, rolling down a mountain-side, over stones and trees ; but somehow it all doesn't "click" with the snap of reality. The early stages of the plot are badly sketched, but things get better as they go along. The story becomes more compact with incident, the atmosphere tenser with intrigue. Acting : Pola Negri is a personage, and a fine actress always. And although not to the best of her advantage in the story given her, she nevertheless looms up with the same magnetic personality that has always arrested audiences. Audience Appeal: The less critical will find plenty to divert them. Suited to young, old and middle-aged palates, with nothing inoffensive at any point. Horv to Sell It : Spread your printers' ink over the name of the star. Her drawing power will repay ample investment in electrics and news ad. THE DEVIL'S CIl Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pn\ Written and Directed by l\ Christians on. Length 6750| CAST AND SYNOPSI Mary Nori Carlstop Charles Ems Yonna Cart Lieberkind Jo Mrs. Peterson Claire i Little Anita Ji Mary's dog ii I :;it'J ■(1 m 3tn' Mary, arriving in strange cit friended by Carl, an ex-convict. is again charged with burglary tenced to prison. Mary promises by him. She secures position in is betrayed by Hugo, lion-tamer of the attentions Hugo showers Yonna cuts trapeze from which swinging and Mary is permanentl; There is a reunion between Carl : Carl's forgiveness so overwhelms loses consciousness of her arfflic walks once more. Rating: B2 Production Values : S circus life is absorbing, U| edy of it being more i against the backgroui glamorous tinsel and unni ed laughter of the clown: natural circus scenes, wor with an eye for detail, credit to the Danish d Benjamin Christiansen.] represents his first effortSi side of the ocean, and cates unquestionably unu! rectorial ability. With thi est economy of subtitle: human touches are intn Very impressive. The; showing the two girls cl "A daring trapeze act with lions directly underneath _~ and the ultimate dropping! is girl amidst the raging br one that will make any ai gasp. The story is soi ponderous and suffers senility, but its treatm fresh. Acting: Norma Sheare a sympathetic characteriza the innocent victim of fa ultimately realizes haj Charles Emmett Mack is able hero and Carmel M exceedingly convincing jealous circus queen. Audience Appeal: Th« scenes offer a definite att to the youngsiers — for th. ter, to the masses, to wh life is fascinating. How To Sell It: Cz the circus idea by having van driven down your Use "devil" cut-outs. to i