The Film Daily (1919)

DAILY In the Courts ! £. Warren has filed suit in ipreme Court against the Peerfeatures Production Co. and L McCloskey. This fact is sed through a demand by the ant that the address of the iff be disclosed. Globe Indemnity Co. which ued for $3,ooo by the Educa Films Corp. under an agreeby which it became surety c Lincoln & Parker Film Co., I alleged to be liable for the claimed by the Educational from the Lincoln & Parker as filed an answer denying its y differences between Marie and sband, James H. Dalton, ownhalf the stock of the Dressier t, as the result of which the ■tion Corp. and the other stockI of the other half of the stock ;d her as president and Dalton :ral manager, and formed a rival \y of their own, have now led JBling of a suit by Miss Dressier ilton for the dissolution of the Jsr Production Corp., and the tment of a receiver. They al[at receivership is necessary to I waste of the assets. [he application of the Crystal o. of 430 Claremont Parkway, 1 Amiel Alperstein, as treasfd general manager, Supreme [justice Finch has signed an fient against the property of Ineral Film Contracting Co., e corporation, for $2,073. The alleaes that under agreement May 23, 27 and 31 last the i|.nt got the right to exploit t tribute films produced by the ie for which the Crystal was £5 per cent of the gross reThe complaint alleges that Bunting rendered by the dell on January 18 last shows fe net sum of $2,073 is now I plaintiff but the General ontractin? Co. has failed to Jalcolm Strauss Features. Um Strauss, the artist, has M (1 the Malcolm Strauss FeatHs and opened offices at 456 Kve. He will produce a series fttions featuring Lelia Hope, M "find." !annix New Manager. H. Jacobs who recently reStudio Manager of the ilmadge Corp. has been suc' Edward J. Mannix, who, 1st nine years has been mantreasurer of The Palisades it Park. :e Upon A Time IED WARREN regular publisher. Thursday, February 6, 1919 Star Gives Beautifully Impressive Performance in Superior Production Nazimova in "OUT OF THE FOG" Nazimova Prod. — Metro DIRECTOR Albert Capellani PERSONAL SUPERVISION OF Maxwell Karger AUTHOR H. Austin Adams SCENARIO BY. June Mathis and Albert Capellani CAMERA MAN Eugene Gaudio AS A WHOLE Impressive picture finely produced and superbly acted. STORY Adaptation of stage play; makes excellent material for the star. DIRECTION. ... .Always successful in giving a tone of reality to the film. PHOTOGRAPHY Clear and at times artistic LIGHTINGS. ■-. .Excellent in bringing out Nazimova's .eloquent facial expressions; some attractive effects CAMERA WORK Very good STAR One of the best screen performances she has ever given in a role of strong sympathetic and dramatic quality. SUPPORT Henry Harmon supplies telling characterization as the father, Charles Bryant and others contribute to a uniformly well acted production. EXTERIORS Most, of them on rocky lighthouse island. INTERIORS Nothing wrong, except when a backdrop is used t orepresent an exterior as seen through a window. DETAIL Preserves atmosphere of the story CHARACTER OF STORY Won't offend LENGTH OF PRODUCTION About 7,000 feet Under the title "Ception Shoals," this drama was presented on the stage with Nazimova as the star. Despite the excellence of her acting, the play was not numbered among her pronounced successes, which makes it all the more noteworthy that in picture form it should come through as one of the finest of the Russian actress' productions. It happens that the story is particularly suited to screen needs and provides the star with the type of character that she can draw with perfect conviction, irrespective of dialogue. There are moments in this picture revealing Nazimova's art at its most inspired heights. As the griefstricken woman driven mad by the death of her lover and the cruelty of her fanatical brother, her indication of a tortured soul is moving to the last degree. Also, as the daughter brought up in ignorance of life and people, Nazimova portrays the wildness of the lonely child with a contagious spirit that makes the appeal of her misery all the more impressive, when she thinks she has lost the man who opened her eyes to romance and reality. Unlike the play, the close of the picture is not tragic, although the dramatic scenes showing the girl on the verge of madness are retained. The conclusion follows the last act of the play faithfully, except that instead of killing herself, the girl is saved by the man for whom she has longed so pitifully. This character, Philip Blake, is sincerely interpreted by Charles Bryant, whereas the screen has had few more thoroughly artistic portrayals than that of Henry Harmon as the old lighthouse keeper, who believes it is his religious duty to stamp all happiness out of the lives of his sister, who made one false step and the daughter who survives her. The first two reels are somewhat in the nature of a prologue, opening in a New England fishing village on the night of a storm which wrecks the boat in which Nazimova's lover has set to sea. The body is washed to shore the following morning and when the girl's secret is revealed to her brother, he declares that the rest of her life must be spent in sacrificial penitence. In order to carry through his purpose he takes her to the lonely 'Ception Shoals lighthouse where the child is born. The mother kills herself, after which there is a lapse of twenty years. Nazimova appears as the grown daughter totally ignorant of life and not even permitted to wear feminine attire. Fate brings Philip Blake to the lonely island where he is forced to remain because a woman on his yacht becomes a mother and must be cared for at the lighthouse. Passages bearing upon the awakening of the girl's mind and the first flush of emotion aroused by the man, are beautifully handled. Then comes the separation, the months of waiting during which the lighthouse keeper, intercepts letters from Blake and impresses upon the girl's mind that she is going mad, as had her mother. When Blake does return, he is met by the old fanatic with the assertion that Faith is dead, whereas in reality she has been secreted in the lighthouse tower. The picture is worked up to a powerful climax before the conclusion, which is far more satisfactory to the average audience than that reached in the play. Tom Blake, figuring prominently in the final reel, is. among those deserving of mention in an altogether excellent cast. Something Worth While for the Most Critical Element in Your y-%r&*i Community Box Office Analysis for the Exhibitor. By all means get this, feeling certain that it is exceptionally suited to audiences of the better class. In some roles there is no finer screen actress than Nazimova, and with each picture her hold is becoming stronger with regular fans, also with theatergoers who are interested in truly artistic screen impersonations. This picture is so far out of the ordinary in its possession of artistic qualities that I would make a special appeal to the most critical element in your community. Probably most of them did not see " 'Ception Shoals" on the stage, but that need not make any material difference in exciting interest, because the reputation of Nazimova is enough in itself and in this she has a role peculiarly well suited to her personality. "Out of the Fog" is a better advertising title than " 'Ception Shoals," but I would be careful to mention that the film is an adaptation of the stage play in which Nazimova also starred. With high class offerings such as this, it seems wise to keep the exploitation on dignified lines. Your lobby display may be made simple and yet impressive by the use of some really fine portrait of the star and the placing of stills in effective positions. Go after increased newspaper space on the strength of Nazimova's prestige and it wouldn't do any harm to invite your dramatic editors to compare the screen interpretation with the stage characterization. THE BATTLE of CHATEAU-THIERRY E. RATISBONNE 729 7th. Ave. New York City