The Film Daily (1919)

tM^ DAILY Tuesday, April 29, 1919 II n-ticneral Managers of l'ni-z re In hold a convention in; ily. Kllurts are bi-inu made to; core (he l'olo Grounds. ; DeMille Puts Over A Winner in Offering New Angle on War I heme and Heroes Cecil B. DeMille presents MhcnU'C WDi "for better, for worse" , overflow will be biK. New Theatres ■man Mont. — Ground broken for here to seat 800. •Jsburg. Pa.— Famous players si building at 1018 Forbes St. |ong term. $50,000 to be spent on piling. idolph, Ct. — New house to be jjfor Mrs. Kate Brock. iadelphia, Pa.— Abraham Wax to tat 1524-1534 South St. kosh, W. Va.— Hugo Lerchman [arrv Hellman to build on South St." Estimated cost $60,000, ingfield. Mass.— New Fox thea aring completion. To accommo3,500. Lake City, Utah— Edward \y to build new Rialto. ton. -Mass.— Snyder and Druker d for license to build on the Sge Corner District. jwaukee, Wis.— Jos. J. Schwartz ^endle Rice to build at Fifth Lincoln Aves. eeling. W. Va.— Jas. Velos to at Martin's Ferry; seating capac soo. iton, Ohio.— E. E. Bender and Abrams have purchased property tte for a new theater. Reeling, W. Va.— James Velos to ($75,000 house. House Changes 7 City Texas — Askar Korn sold > house to Lawrence and Albert r. Incie, Ind. — Arthur Bennet bought pP. Davis interest in Strand. liniments to be made. Jgefield Park, N. J.— Wm. O. hke to remodel Strand, Park and Sts. mden, Tenn. — Naoh L. Rushing Princess from W. P. Davidson. 1 Francisco, Cal. — Arthur Mait to build on Stockton St. ringfield, Mass. — Fox Co. buys an on Hampden St. To rebuild renovate and enlarge. ashington, Pa. — John Connors •s Strand, formerly managed by •y P. Clarke. Artcraft DIRECTOR Cecil B. DeMille AUTHOR Edgar Selwvn SCENARIO BY Jeanie Macpherson CAMERAMAN Alvin Wykoff AS A WHOLE Remarkably fine production; forcefully acted and unusual in treatment of war theme. STORY Decidedly human in drawing of character and presenting their reactions when America entered the world conflict. DIRECTION Marked all through by fine touches which drive home the story. PHOTOGRAPHY Excellent LIGHTINGS Many artistic effects on the sets and in showing up the players to ad= vantage. CAMERA WORK Scenes shot from a va= riety of angles; on a par with the photog= raphy and lightings. PLAYERS Gloria Swanson reveals more convincingly than ever before that she is an actress of exceptional appeal and talent; El= liott Dexter gives sympathetic interpretation of young physician; Tom Forman suits role of soldier. EXTERIORS Satisfactory INTERIORS Elaborately furnished and always in accord with the atmosphere of the story. DETAIL Figures largely in reaching the hearts of an audience; close»ups used with fine effect; titles kept in the mood of the char= acters; assist in bringing out the author's theme. CHARACTER OF STORY Aims to show that all the heroes did not go to war. LENGTH OF PRODUCTION 6,767 Feet DURING the height of the world conflict when every influence was being brought to bear to develop .1 fighting spirit among American men Cecil B. DeMille's "For Better. For Worse" might have been a questionable production for general consumption, for it boldly asserts that every hero was not in uniform. But now times have changed, people have had a chance to see events in a perspective not distorted by inflamed emotions, and truths which might not have been welcomed a year ago, may be received now in the proper spirit. This applies to all forms of arl aiming i" express human feelings, and the photoplay is no oxcepl Ion. In many respects, Director DeMille lias supplied one of the mosi significienl productions of recent months. Technically, 11 is very nearly flawless in the treatment of the p'lol so thai points appealing to the sympathy of an audience in making clear the nature of the principal characters are driven home with Irresistible force, supplementing the directorial skill revealed all through, arc screen Impersonations thai stand out by reason of their excellence. Every player in the cast appears natural and seems to actually feel the mood of the character presented. There are no "efforts to arouse undue Sympathy for any of the figures in the story which is without a villain. The case of each is presented in its true light from the time thai the question of going to war, or remaining at home to perforin a necessary service, is faced. Gloria Swanson is a patriotic young woman with two equally worthy admirers. Elliott Dexter, a specialist in children's diseases, and Tom Forman, an architect who is among the first to enter the army. Personally, Elliott is anxious to accept a commission in the medical corps himself, but despite the criticism which he realizes he must suffer, he becomes convinced that his higher duty lies in remaining at his post in the hospital when there is no one else to fill his place. Scenes in the hospital, showing how the physician arrives at this conviction, are beautifully handled, as are those between the patriotically inspired Gloria and Tom. whom she marries immediately before he sails. because she is moved by his appeal, rather than on account of a deep love for him. The story is so tilled with human interest details that in the course of a brief review it is not possible to do credit to all the fine points. Gloria comes to realize the heroism of the misjudged doctor who saves a little girl, whom she has run down in her automobile, from being a cripple for life. Tom, so seriously wounded that he wants to die rather than return with one side of his face practically torn away, sends word of his death by a returning soldier, and Elliott and Gloria are about to marry when the crippled man. made presentable by a remarkable surgical operation, reappears. Final sequences of the picture are adroitly arranged to make plausible a readjustment of relationships whereby Gloria may become the wife of the man she really loves and Tom may find recompense in the affections of Wanda Hawloy. who has loved him in secret all along. The excellent cast includes: Theodore Roberts, Sylvia Ashton, Raymond Hatton and others. Worth Using for a Special. Give Gloria Swanson a Chance to Make Friends The Box Office Analys This certainly is good enough to run as a special, backed by all the boosting that you can give it. In a number of ways it is a remarkably strong woman's picture, because it brings out so forcefully the finer human sensibilities as they are most likely to And a reflection in the feminine nature. Few directors have used hospital scenes and children to better purpose than has Mr. DeMille in "For Better, For Worse," and all through there are life-like touches that can't fail to reach the emotions. Probably this is the first time that the hero of an important production has been made "the man who stayed at home," so you do not need to fear that the picture, either in plot substance or in treatment, is merely another conventional war film. It is so distinctly different from anything that has been presented that you may justly promise your folks a genuine is for the Exhibitor novelty and one that is going to cause comparisons with some of the best pictures they have seen, irrespective of length. Here, as in the case of Griffith and one or two other directors, the name of Cecil B. DeMille is the first one to play up. Make a lot of the fact that this is a Cecil B. DeMille production going on to mention some others that he has made, such as "Old Wives for New," "We Can't Have Everything" and "Don't Change Your Husband." Whether the Artcraft people are ready to call Gloria Swanson a star or not. doesn't really matter a great deal, for by sheer merit she certainly is working her way to the top of the ladder, and after folks have seen her in this they will be more than ever interested in knowing who she is and all about her. Next to Miss Swanson, Elliott Dexter and Tom Forman are players that you should not fail to mention. Exhibitors Want Good Stories Back from a trans-continental tour John Emerson declares that the public and the exhibitor want more good stories. He also believes that next year will see longer runs which will mean additional tans. Five Fox features will be shown to wounded men who will return to this country on the hospital ship "Mercy." The screen will be stretched across the ceiling so that the bed patients will not be compelled to move. The American Amusement Co. of Noblesville, recently purchased a large lot at the corner of Clinton and Ninth Sts., and will erect a large motion picture theater on the site. It will have a seating capacity of about 2,500.