The Film Daily (1918)

Sunday, November 10, 1918 -JsilJA DAILY Star Handicapped By Painfully Obvious Spy-Meller. Lacks Interest Edna Goodrich with Stuart Holmes in "TREASON" Mutual DIRECTOR Burton King AUTHOR Harry Durant SCENARIO BY J. Clarkson Miller CAMERAMAN Sol Polito AS A WHOLE SIow=moving routine spy=meller; utterly lacks action and situations to make it interesting. STORY. . . .Very frail material that is woefully obvious and fails to provide any suspense. DIRECTION Failed to lift this noticeably. Provided a few good bits but generally let action drag and didn't work up any suspense. PHOTOGRAPHY Generally ordinary; frequently muddy and off focus. LIGHTINGS Either too uniform or too contrasty; failed to hit a soft, even medium and made no attempt for effects. CAMERA WORK Satisfactory STAR Had a few good moments but was handicapped by story and poor lightings. SUPPORT Satisfactory although Heritage rather theatrical. EXTERIORS Some good; generally satisfactory INTERIORS Just acceptable DETAIL Hand holding insert photographed black CHARACTER OF STORY Inoffensive LENGTH OF PRODUCTION 4,750 feet YOTT knew what was going to happen all through this before the first reel was over, hence there was no interest or suspense developed and you just sat back waiting for them to get it over with so yon could see the rest of the program or go out for a smoke. It was painfully slow, there was no little touches to relieve it, the plot was entirely obvious, it just failed to command your attention at any stage. This started out with the time-honored situation of the wife who was neglected because her hubby was too busy working on chemical experiments to devote any time to her. This caused her to accept the attentions of Stuart Holmes, the well-known he-vamp, so that later, when we saw hubby getting the "formula," and learned that "Stu" was a German spy who had been sent out to get it we knew darn well thai he was going to; utilize his friendship with Miss Goodrich for the purpose of obtaining it. This he did by making Edna believe that the government detective who was sticking around the house was a German spy, and that she could aid her government by getting the "poipers" and delivering them to him, which she obligingly does. Upon returning to the house after giving the "poipers" to "Stu." wifey learns that she has pulled a boner and goes to "Stu's" apartments to get them back. Then we have the w. k. struggle when "Stu" gets ruff and hubby and the Secret Service feller come to the rescue. "Stu" is pinched, the wife realizes she "done wrong" and just to make this a regulation spy meller they faded into hubby in a uniform and Edna in a red cross outfit for the clutch. Honest, that's all this amounts to. They could have put the whole story in one reel and then it would have dragged. They brought in an incidental love affair between the butler and the maid in Edna's home in an attempt for comedy relief but this fell flat because the characters weren't funny or weren't given anything funny to do. The idea of hubby's laboratory, in which such important experiments vital to the government were being made, being established adjoining the main hallway of the home with glass doors separating, was certainly all wrong. Even if important government tests weren't being made, the penetrating fumes from various chemical experiments would certainly make this a very undesirable and disagreeable location for a laboratory in a private home. The photography was noticeably bad all through the offering. This may have been partly the fault of the print although even a good print couldn't have offset some of the contrasty lightings and off-focus bits we got in this. It had a ninthly, hazy appearance all the way and since the other subjects on the Stanley program came up sharp, I know the projection wasn't at fault. Stuart Holmes convinced as the spy and did a rather good fall in the struggle sequence; Howard Hall was a satisfactory husband and Clarence Heritage was acceptable as the government agent, although he was rather theatrical. Miss Goodrich made the most of her role, but because of the poor lightings and the slow-moving story, she had little opportunity to regisler anything unusual. Unless You're Scheduled To Play This It Would Be Niftick To Duck It The Box Office Analysis for the Exhibitor I can't figure any reason why you should worry about this if you are not scheduled to play it. The story, players and action don't jar on you at any time but none of these important elements are sufficiently developed to make this register as worth while or a recompense for the time spent in seeing the offering. It just fails to get anywhere and you don't care, it fails to hold your interest or provide any twists that you didn't predict long before you get to them. I can't figure a single new twist that you've got to offer in advertising this because every situation in the offering has been used, either in whole or in part, in countless similiar spy-mellers we have had very recently. If you are running a daily change house and have gol this coming you can probably get by with it because it isn't terrible. It just fails to stir anything; the main regrets caused will be the time spent in sitting through it. In advertising this I would concentrate entirely upon the name of Miss Goodrich because I don't think the title will pull any business and I'm sure any mention of the story won't draw patrons in. I'd just slide this over quietly without making any promises as to its merits or entertaining qualities and let it go at that.