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Friday, November 15, 1918
DAILY
Speedy "Poipers,'' "Goil In Trouble" Meller With Well Known
Trimmings
Herbert Rawlinson and Priscilla Dean in
"KISS OR KILL"
Universal
DIRECTOR Elmer Clifton
AUTHOR Max Brand
SCENARIO BY Elmer Clifton
CAMERAMAN Jack Miller
AS A WHOLE Fast=moving meller with well=
known plot. May appeal to certain audiences.
STORY Quite mechanical action meller that never
convinces.
DIRECTION Kept things moving, but got more
speed than emotion.
PHOTOGRAPHY. . : Clear, but generally too hard
LIGHTINGS Some attempts for effects, but gen=
erally too harsh.
CAMERA WORK Used many angles, but lacked
artistry. STARS Satisfactory mechanical meller hero and
shero; never convinced.
SUPPORT Typical types
EXTERIORS Ordinary
INTERIORS Fair, but had "setty" curse
DETAIL Did not worry them much
CHARACTER OF STORY Had customary wicked
wiilun and girl scenes, but nothing particularly
offensive. LENGTH OF PRODUCTION About 4,700 ft.
PROBABLY7 in certain sections where speed counts for more than human characterization, this may get by as entertainment. It has the touch of the serial curse upon it, and moves rapidly from one incident to another without at any time registering as anything except "movie" meller that had to keep moving.
The director used a lot of camera angles and mixed up big closeups with his long shots, but throughout the lighting was hard. There was little thai could be called n an approach of artistry and. consequently, the general impression as to atmosphere is quite ordinary indeed.
The plot is our well-known situation of hero who is in tough luck and ra.u'*. forced to try theft, with the result that lie came in contact with a wicked old wiilun who wanted some "poipers" stolen. Quite against his of course, friend hero started out to get the "poipers" and discovered the beautiful shero being persecuted by a. wily, wicked, oily wiilun who wanted to marry her.
We were not surprised to learn that wicked wiilun who wanted to marry shero had the "poipers" securely put away, and that shero was an heiress. But, of course, friend hero managed to get the "poipers" and before they had "linished five reels he did a clutch and an, elopement with the goil. We finished with both willuns. who were related, to make it more "intrikut" doing a "curse him" scene together, which took us' back to the good old davs w •'■ ,i cheered, whistled and hissed
from the peanut-bedecked gallery.
Herb Rawlinson. as the hero, looks right well in a cap. He should wear one all the time because when the light hits his face without a cap, he somehow registers not nearly so well. Possibly this is due to the fact that he is badly lighted when playing the nonchalant bareheaded hero. Fortunately, he wears a cap through most of this.
Priscilla Dean can be made to look like a million dollars mi the screen. Lois Weber has done it for her. In this, the lighting is so hard that she really doesn't appeal at any time, and while her features are seen to be perfectly regular and all that, she doesn't strike you as a raving beauty. This is without question the fault of the lighting. Other characters were the ordinary routine meller types with Harry Carter doing his wellknown specialty of "curse you. Jack Dalton !" Alfred Allen was the old crook who put hero up against the search for the "poipers" and Alfred looked like the sort of hard gink that would start such a riot.
This kept moving and all that, but I can't believe that the more intelligent film fans really consider this sort of thing as entertainment.
Title May Get Them In. Speed Will Please Serial Lovers
The Box Office Analysis for the Exhibitor
You've got to hand it to Bob Cochrane for picking out good names. Maybe Bob don't think of them all, but I am quite sure that he has a hand in the picking when the final matter of selection from the list is reached. No one would hardly have the nerve to insist that this is a really worth while production, but it does move and things happen, hero wins the girl and all that, thereby registering as a typical "movie" and since the Universal folks have undoubtedly figured that it will probably play more at the ten-cent circuit than it will in the fifty-cent top houses, it is possible that the title. which is sensational to say the least, will pull enough business to justify this having been made.
As you can naturally suppose, the title has little to do with the story, but you should worry.
If you have a theatre where you are trying to be very
particular about making good with your fans all the time, it would undoubtedly be a mistake to try to kid them into the belief that this is a good film, but if you have a house where they seem to enjoy serials and like speed when the drammer is on. then the chances are very good that you can shoot this and get away with it. Very frequently, about the only angle to approach, however, in considering advertising points, is to raise merry Ned with the title, and center the rest of your attention on Rawlinson and Miss Dean. You can use head cuts of the two stars with the title in big type between them, and a catchline: "Which would you do?" underneath, and I have an idea that you can arouse some interest at least. Surely, I would play as safe as possible about making any definite promises as to the merits of this. It has practically none, if you are trying to appeal to a distinctive, intelligent audience that knows characterization when it sees it.