The Film Spectator (Mar-Dec 1928)

Page Sixteen THE FILM SPECTATOR June 23, 1928 the business to play the part, so he is naturally splendid. His work deserves only the highest praise. IMonte, however, is established as a fine performer. The big acting discovery of the picture is Eacquel Torres, a girl who in addition to striking beauty has a capacity for clever acting which should make her a tremendous success. She has the same wistful appeal as Janet Gaynor, and as I have said, she has a lot of ability along the acting line. She is going to be a sensation if she is handled correctly. HALF a Bride, in spite of its title, is a pretty good picture. Gregory La Cava directed it, and Esther Ralston was starred in it. They both did good work, and the story was well done; so they naturally made a good job of it. La Cava's direction gave evidence of a sense of humor at all times, although Half a Bride was not just a comedy. It had its more dramatic moments, and they were well done, except for the fact that La Cava persists in breaking up his scenes into close-ups. Miss Ralston and Gary Cooper, who played opposite her, did some very good work. Cooper is becoming a better actor all the time. The thing about Half a Bride which made it so good was the fact that it was sensibly done. The girl spent three months on a desert island, living in the most primitive circumstances. The average director would have had her beautifully marcelled and made-up, but La Cava made her look as though she were roughing it. There were little things all the way through it which were well done. All in all, Half a Bride (what an awful name!) is very good entertainment. SOME people may like Westerns, and I suppose The Vanishing Pioneer was a pretty good one. It bored me stiff, because it was all about water rights, and I wouldn't know a water right if I met it in the street. Jack Holt was the hero, and he owned a lot of water rights which Bill Powell and Fred Kohler were trying to steal from him. It seems that a big town suddenly ran out of water and was expecting an epidemic or something or other. Don't ask me why a big city suddenly runs out of water. I don't know, although I suppose it was due to sickness or something among the water rights. Bill Powell was commissioned to go buy some more from Holt and his friends. Bill couldn't be nice about it and drive down the main drag shouting, "Rags, bottles, water rights." No, he sneered himself a faceful of sneers and took Fred Kohler into partnership and started out to fleece the ranchers. Most of them could have stood a little fleecing, because they had beards which would have driven an honest beaver addict into hysteria. Well, Bill and Kohler managed to gyp quite a few of the ranchers out of their water rights. They didn't get away with it, though. In between periods of chasing his dog and making love to Sally Blane (which must be a very pleasant occupation), Jack Holt contributed the information that he would cut the heart out of any man who stole his land. You'd be surprised how angry this made Powell and Kohler. They charged him with murder and let him escape, so they could drill a few holes in his manly figure. It was sure lucky for him that he was the hero; because if he hadn't been, he would have been shot dead several times in the subsequent chases. Finally Powell's hirelings went and seized the dam, and the ranchers gave them a very interesting little battle. In the meantime, Holt called on Bill for the pleasant purpose of cutting his heart out unless Bill gave him the incriminating deed, which was a tribute more to Powell's genius as a forger than to his honesty. Holt very neatly cut off Bill's shirt and coat; and pressing his knife into his enemy's stomach, demanded the deed. Powell, who had some further use for his entrails, gave it to him. Everything turned out all right, of course. Bill tried to escape and not being the hero, got shot. Holt very nobly agreed to sacrifice everything and sell his land for only three times the market value. John Waters directed this, and Zane Grey wrote it. P. S. — What's a water right? CARL Laemmle Junior and Paul Fejos deserve credit for having courage enough to make a motion picture out of a story like Lonesome. It is a simple little thing with only two people in the cast and probably will be a financial failure, as it is not the tjT)e of picture HARRY of TiffanyStahl titled THE TOILERS A Reginald Barker Special Production "THE Wright idea" A First National Picture now in production by JOHNNY HINES is an original story by Jack townley MIRIAM WILLS, REPRESENTATR^E 1220 TAFT BLDG. GRANITE 4677