The Film Daily (1926)

THE 22 -<St± DAILY Sunday, May 2 Gilda Gray in "Aloma of the South Seas" raramount OUTSTANDING PICTORIAL APPEAL, THE LURE OF THE SOUTH SEA ATMOSPHERE AND ROMANCE OF ISLAND GIRL AND WHITE MAN MAKE THIS INTERESTING. STORY THE CONVENTIONAL SOUTH SEA THEME, BUT IT LOOKS LIKE A SURE-FIRE BOX OFFICE HIT. Star... Gilda Gray makes an alluring South Sea maiden and finds several convenient opportunities to do her well-known Hawaiian dances. Cast Warner Baxter splendid as Aloma's native lover and Percy Marmont good in another of his habitual degenerate characterizations. Marmont does this type of role so well he seldom gets very much of anything else. William Powell is also of this order but, unlike Marmont, is of villainous intent. Julanne Johnston not especially good as Marmont's pre-war sweetheart. Others not important. Type of Story. . .South Sea romance. Gilda Gray, who shimrnied her way to fame, and later won new laurels with her South Sea island dances, is quite the most suitable one to portray the role of the seductive Aloma, the native girl who falls in love with a white man. The rest of the cast is good and Maurice Tourneur has supplied a host of colorful atmosphere in the picturesque backgrounds. Harry Fischbeck's photography is superb and some of the sepia tinted sjiots are mighty beautiful. The story is of a fairly conventional pattern but with the quantity of compensating features to offset any triteness it should prove no drawback to the picture's popularity. It concerns the island girjj Aloma, and her love for "Meester" Bob, a w'hite man trying to "find" himself lafter his best friend had tricked him out of the love of Sylvia. Bob is just about to submit to Aloma's wiles when Sylvia appears on the island with her husband. Nuitane, Aloma's native lover, evens the score by losing the superfluous husband in a storm. Bob is saved and is reunited with Sylvia while Aloma returns to Nuitane. Box Office Angle. . .Due to the popularity of Gilda Gray and her fame as a dancer, the picture will go well at the box office. The lure of the South Sea atmosphere gets a lot of them, too. Cutting would help considerably. Exploitation ... Staged in conjunction with a personal appearance of Gilda Gray, and the Royal Samoans, as done at the Rialto, there isn't a doubt but there will be a rush for seats for "Aloma of the South Seas." It should make plenty of money. Direction Maurice Tourneur ; fine production. Authors John B. Hymer and Le Roy Clemens. Scenario James A. Creelman Cameraman Harry Fischbeck Photography Superb Locale South Sea island Length 8,514 feet Richard Barthelmess in "Ranson's Folly" First National BARTHELMESS AGAIN THE UNIFORMED HERO. RICHARD HARDING DAVIS STORY OF AN OLD PATTERN BUT MAKES SUITABLE MATERIAL FOR STAR. Star As an adventurous young Army officer, Barthelmess lends plenty of dash and romance to his playing. Quite . certain to please his audiences. Cast. . . .Dorothy Mackaill, pretty and pleasing in a blond wig. A good supporting cast, particularly Anders Randolf. Type of Story. .. .Dramatic romance. Richard Barthelmess must have a "hankering" for uniforms. This time he is an adventurous young lieutenant, the hero of Richard Harding Davis' story, which deals with the Indian wars, the action centered in and about a frontier outpost. The theme, while following a fairly familiar formula, contains plenty of good action, a charming romantic strain and all the other ingredients that make this type of story entertaining for a good majority. Director Sidney Olcott has injected a quantity of fine atmosphere and his management of the story IS wholly effective. There is a complete mystery regarding the hold-up of the stage and the expose of the guilty one is carefully reserved for the denouement. The material gives Barthelmess the full quota of heroics and with the possible exception of '"laying it on a little too thick" by having him risking his life in a blazing magazine storage shack it is entirely within bounds. Dick, as Lieut. Ranson, is the champion dare-devil of his unit. For a lark he decides to hold up the stage. The post trader, father of Ranson's sweetheart, hits upon the same idea. A man is killed and Ranson held. When the trader learns Ranson loves his daughter, he confesses. Later the stage driver confesses he faked the hold-up himself in order to rob the mail. The trader assumed the blame hoping to make way for his daughter's happiness with the young Lieutenant. The guilty one confessing, both the trader and Ranson are acquitted. Box Office Angle. . .Some degree better than Barthelmess' more recent offerings and decidedly better than "Just Suppose." Will prove quite interesting and entertaining. Exploitation. . .Talk about the story and its locale. Play up the action centermg in a frontier out-post and you can promise good acting and action. Use the author's name and you can make the usual bid for return patronage by running a trailer showing any of the more exciting sequences such as the fire at the post, the hold-up and others Direction Sidney Olcott ; verv good Author Richard Harding Davis Scenario Lillie Hayward Cameraman David W. Gobbett Photography Good J'Ocale Frontier Post Length 7 222 feet "The Volga Boatman" Producer: Cecil B. DeMille Distributor: Producers Dist. Corp. SPLENDID DRAMATIC ACTION AND APPEALING ROMANCE TOLD AGAINST INTERESTING BACKGROUND OF THE RUSSIAN REVOLUTION. EXCELLENT PRODUCTION AND SOME FINE ACTING. Cast. .. .William Boyd gets his first real opportunity. As Feodor he gives a performance that bids fair to send him further on the road to success. Elinor Fair also gives a first rate portrayal of the Princess Vera. Julia Faye good as a scapegrace Tartar girl and Theodore Kosloff suitable as the dumb blacksmith. Victor Varconi, Robert Edeson and Arthur Rankin others in a big cast. Type of Story. .. .Dramatic romance; based on Konrad's Bercovici's story and adapted by Lenore J. Coffee. "The Volga Boatman" retains much of the DeMille lavishness and yet it is not the spectacle, the continual display, that is usually the rule in his productions. More attention has been concentrated upon the story, detail and atmosphere. The plot, though anti-climactic, is smoothly developed and contains many notably fine dramatic moments which DeMille has handled superbly. Particularly worthy is that in which the Red hero, Feodor, tries to fake the shooting of Princess Vera. He has fallen in love with her and, in spite of turning traitor to his ow-n people, he spares her and flees with her. The constant conflict of love and duty is contrasted again and again and the courage of their convictions is displayed throughout by both Feodor, the Red, and Vera, the White girl he loves. Eventually the two are reunited. There are innumerable wonderful shots but those of the boatmen trudging their weary load along the banks of the Volga singing the haunting refrain, are probably the most attractive. One night view is especially fine. The photography is superb. Box Office Angle While it remains neutral in its presentation of the situation "The Volga Boatman" offers some stirring and graphic scenes of both sides of the Russian conflict, so much so that it stirs the audience to spontaneous applause in many of its climaxes. The box office possibilities should prove numerous. Exploitation. .. .You can promise a splendid production, an unusual story, a graphic presentation of a great nation's problems, some mighty fine performances and an altogether interesting entertainment. Do 5'our best to get them interested and capitalize upon DeMille's name. Direction Cecil B. DeMille Author Konrad Bercovici Scenario Lenore Coffee Cameramen Frank Urson. Arthur Miller, Peverell Marley, Fred W^esterberg Photography Superb Locale Russia Length 10,660 feet I "Red Hot Papa' Pierre Arnaud — State Ri FRENCH PRODUCTION SENTS DELIGHTFUL ( DY BASED ON NIGHT IN PARIS. SOME UNI CAMERA TECHNIQUE. Cast The entire cast are performers unknown to A audiences. They are well for the types they portray a I fine performances througho Type of Story Comedy, ba; i story by Guy De Maupass titled, "That Pig of a Moriri picture is a fine example of ' ical French comedy schoci though the entire atmospl French, it is based on an id' which American audiences a i oughly familiar — the felloM out-of-town who visits the [ a good time and then tries ; ceal the escapade when back home to his wife, lives in a town some distan Paris. He tells his wife th going to the poultry shoi rived in Paris, he spends t entertaining an actress over supper. The director shov. new tricks for depicting : gradually going under the i of liquor. It is all done wi. era shots and manipulatior lens. Some screamingly ft^ fects are produced, as the shows you what Morin se< keeps getting drunker. T day Morin returns on the his home town. He is sea compartment with a pre! By some very clever phot( it is shown how his "hai from the previous night's makes him imagine the gi site is his former dinner cor He embraces her. The res is brought before the m; and temporarily released. „ home, he learns that his fr 1, editor knows the girl who arrested. The editor arr, visit to her home in hopes, suading her to drop her suii poor Morin. From here or nations are full of lauehtpr lot of complications arisif have a delightful Frenci ' The pantomime througho well done that any audie follow the developments trouble and appreciate all tl b"-play which the directc injecting. Benjamin De |s wrote the titles which are t)S funny and clever. Box Office Angle Frencl it phere gives this picture stl peal and its comedy will f where they enjoy a laughj Exploitation .... Play this upJ all-French production tellinji* of Parisian night life. I i Direction Albert SM good. Author Guy De Ma Adaption Albert! Cameraman Not Photography \'e Locale '" Length -« W I