The Film Daily (1918)

Wednesday, November 27, 1918 DAIL.Y mm Personalities and Interesting Well-developed Story Make This Quite Worth While Mary McLaren and Star Cast in "VANITY POOL" Universal Special DIRECTOR Ida May Park AUTHOR Nalbro Bartley SCENARIO BY Ida May Park CAMERAMAN King Gray AS A WHOLE Personalities of players make in= teresting story register effectively despite oc= casional overplaying. STORY Nicely developed, dramatic situations be= come somewhat meller towards end, but will please. DIRECTION Registered many nice little touches and kept characterizations ringing true with good dramatic effect. PHOTOGRAPHY Varied from fine to fair; occa= sionally uniform lighting being chief fault. LIGHTINGS Generally splendid on players, but not so good on sets. CAMERA WORK Excellent in closeups; varied in long shots. STAR Gave appealing characterization SUPPORT Unusuallv effective cast. Masses Nill= son and Sais, and Farnum and Holding all rressed star for honors. EXTERIORS Satisfactory INTERIORS Some good, but generally too orna= mental; not well lighted and lacking in artis= tic distinction. DETAIL Bad back drops at important moment at end, but generally satisfactory. CHARACTER OF STOPY Nothing to offend LENGTH OF PRODUCTION About 5,500 ft. IP anyone needs further evidence of the recent recognition of the advisability of presenting :i strong cast in preference to a story centered about one personality, the star, this production presented by Universal should start something, because Universal, being one of onr early feature-makers, has been up and down the hill trying most everything, and when they come to presenting such well-known people as Franklyn Farnum, Anna Xillson. Marin Sais and Thomas Holding in support of Mary McLaren, it should be proof conclusive that they realize that it is the production value which counts in making good with an audience. It is certainly better to have s< veral personalities to fit into the characterizations* of a good story, instead of one personality with everything else, including the story values and support ing cast kept in the background to give that star the e<nter of the stage at all times. Mary McLaren holds her own in this because Marxis a distinctive personality, pretty and appealing, and perfectly fitted for the sort of part which she portrays here. It was no easy struggle, however, because Thomas Holding did one of the lust bits of work he has ever registered on the screen — the character being a formal. would-be-Governor-type who thought he was human, but wasn't at all : Franklyn Farnum played the serious hero without his wild smile, and made a very favorable impression ; Marin Sais as the lobbying vamp really wa'ked away with quite a bit of the film because she was decidedly attractive and quite convincing in her portrayal, and Anna Nillson registered her many scenes with a dramatic sincerity that held the attention and gave strength to the situations. The weakest spot in the cast was Frank Brownlee as the newspaper politician. Brownlee was a good type, but he was at a less to know just what to do with his hands and arms at various times, and because of this awkwardness, his presence jarred occasionally. The story of this told how Holding expected to be Governor and was being assisted by his wife. Miss Xillson. who was appealing to Miss Sais, the vamp, to gain the influence of P>rownlee. the politician. The vamp was in love with Franklyn Farnum. a friend of Holding's and his M-if(>. which made it a bit "intrikut." Asked by his wife to do an errand for her in the slums. Holding met Miss McLaren, daughter of drunken, slovenly parents, took pity on her. befriended her to the extent of providing new furniture and new surroundings. generally and finally ended by apparently falling in love with her. The vamp, sore because Farnum turned her down, trailed Holding, learned of his visits to Miss McLaren and tipped off the politician. With a scandal imminent, Holding, on Farnum's advice, brought M;ss McLaren to his home and she was introduced by his wife as his adopted daughter-to-be. This foiled the politician who pulled a scandal interview from Miss McLaren's parents, but when the politician tried to trick the vamp into a bed-room party, she fell onf of the window in the struggle, and was killed, which s< nt the politician to jail and made it possible for Holding to become Governor, while Franklyn married Miss McLaren. Unfortunately, a number of the interiors have the. curse of "set"' appearance, they being too ginger-bready end lacking in artiste distinction. Others in the cast ,•-, ... Winter Hall. Virginia Chester. Willis Marks and Mary Talbot. Play Up Exceptional Cast and Trick Lines. This Should Go Very Well The Box Office Anal While the name of this seems rather a blank. I believe that this production is good enough to justify your reaching for it and making considerable fuss over the fact that if presents Mary McLaren and an all-star cast. I would say that most any audience anywhere will consider this a very good film. They will not rave about it for weeks ami weeks, but they will certainly like it while it runs and Leave the house with a satisfied feeling. I would dress my ads. full of photographs of Miss McLaren, Miss Nillson. and Miss Sais. and Holding and Farnum. You have here three very pretty women and two rather well-known men, and if you can't stir up interest in a production in which all five appear, then I would say that tin re's something wrong with your methods. In going after this in your ad. campaign. I would concentrate upon the line: "Do you know what is really worth while?" because that is in a way the central thought of the story, despite the fact that it is really ysis for the Exhibitor just an action romance with scandal and politics for i omplical tons. 1 believe that Mary McLaren is a decided favorite, and if she isn't, if is probably your fault, because she has dome enough good work, but I would be careful to make it clear just who is playing with her. because the line "supported by an all-star cast" has lost its meaning through constant misuse by various film producers who are willing to promise anything at any time without regard for the future consequences. There is one situation where Farnum runs away from Miss Sais and you can undoubtedly start something if you could get the right soi't of photograph of this attractive girl, by planting it in a lot of white space with 'he s;i\<dc line above: "Could you refuse her outstretched arms?" You might plant Miss McLaren's photograph in white space with a line above: "If you thought your husband loved her. would von dare bring her info your home?"