The Film Daily (1919)

Sunday, August 10, 1919 bM^ lAlLV 7.?, Excellent Detail and Pleasing Artistry in Good Production of Old Indian Formula Robert Warwick in "Told in the Hills" Paramount=Artcraft DIRECTOR George H. Melford AUTHOR Marah Ellis Ryan SCENARIO BY Will M. Ritchey CAMERAMEN Paul Perry and Henry Kotani AS A WHOLE Old=time Indian meller artistic cally done with enough big scenes to take off the curse. , STORY Rather obvious throughout with no gen= uinely tense dramatic values; decidedly of Indian stuff formula. DIRECTION Apparently did his darndest with good atmosphere, artistic photography, et cetera, to lift this into worthwhile class. PHOTOGRAPHY Generally very pleasing with many decidedly artistic bits. LIGHTINGS Some very fine; some too uniform CAMERA WORK Varied from excellent to just fair. STAR Heroic figure looking rather odd in cos= tume at first, but rather the right type for such a production. SUPPORT Ann Little very pleasing; all others quite satisfactory. EXTERIORS Many very artistic shots, but some could have been better. INTERIORS Generally excellent as to construe^ tion, but some times too uniformly lighted. DETAIL Splendid, which is one of film's best assets. CHARACTER OF STORY Unadulterated Indian meller that may please because of reminis= cences. LENGTH OF PRODUCTION About 5,500 feet CONSIDERED from the viewpoint tliat tiiis i.s 11 pioturization of a well-known old-timer, the production will undoubtedly entertain and be passed as satisfactory, but I am afraid that a large percentage of otu' film fans wlio are not familiar with the old-time story will check this over and consider it only a lavish attempt to do tlie Indian formula which they have urown very accustomed to through observation on the screen. As regular releases run. I would say that this will a'o over the hill all right. l)ecause the director has slipped in quite a lot of artistry, and has been particularly careful with his detail. He has presented ratlier a realistic conception of life in the days when Indians went on the war-path, and from that viewpoint the film in many ways is particularly interesting. The chief objection that will be brought to this subject is that the story is painfully ol>vious, particularly to the regular fans, and it is quite lacking in r(\illy big dramatic siMicxtions. Tliis is partly due to the formula which forbids our considering the soldiers in any great peril of the Indians wlion wo liavo already been shown thar, fiiend hero has dlscovereil a tunnel through the mountain on the other side of whicli they have been trapped. We jest know that air hero is gonna get through in time. Mr. Warwick, as the heroic matinee idol tyjie. marches through the production in a manner that should delight an.v lover of the idealistic western scout of the old days. Ann Little, as the girl wo know the hero is going to get, and Monte Blue, as the .voung Indian cliieftain who is dramatically killed to cause comi)lications between the Indians and soldiers, were pleasing, and the rest of the cast blended nicely, witli Tom Forman. Wanda Hawley and Eileen Percy liaving rather small parts. Quite a lot of Indians are used in some scenes, and we also have a troop of cavalry on the job in old time costumes. Some of the incidents in which these hundreds of people participated helped rather materially in giving body and size to the offering. While in m.y judgment your fans will not rave over this, it is quite possible that they will be entirel.v satisfied if you are careful in the handling of your advertising campaign. Be Careful in Your Advertising, Because Many Will Think Old-Time Story Weak Box Office Analysis for the Exhibitor There is one thing about this film that should certainly be done in a manner that will leave no misaken impression in the minds of any who are going o see the production. You should come out clearly md forcefully in your advertising campaign, explainng that this is a picturization of a famous story, jresenting a vividly realistic conception of the old ays in the western hills when American pioneers s^ere blazing the trails through the territory that had "or a long time been the home of the Indians. You might go about this from the attitude of "You lave seen Indian pictures and Wild West stories on he screen that have been hurriedlj' thrown together n the rush of the old days of film production, but lere is one of the American classics given a producion of proper dignity with every detail of the time nd atmosphere carefully checked up." You must also, of course, expect to place considerble emphasis on the star, Robert Warwick, because your attendance at this will depend to a great extent upon the magnitude of his following in your community. Ann Little, Monte Blue, Wanda Hawley, Tom J^orman and Eileen Percy have many friends, and it would be advisable to give this cast some prominence in your advertising. I would advise you to make no wild claims about this being the most superior western ever produced, or anything of that sort, because extravagant adjectives at the wrong time have a real kickback, and it is always much safer to talk about the merits that you are sure of in a production instead of shooting indiscriminate meaningless phrases, because the usual extravagant string of adjectives has become meaningless to the great percentage of regular film fans. Y"ou are very safe in saying that the production values of this are excellent, and you should alibi your story on the strength of its past popularity ; but you will note that there is a difference between working that way and making a general claim of excellence.