The Film Spectator (Mar-Dec 1928)

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December 1, 1928 THE FILM SPECTATOR Page Eleven don't happen in real life and shouldn't on the screen, but it will take one of the bolts from Heaven which were so profusely distributed in Noah's Ark to keep people from doing it. Perhaps the reason that I liked Sins of the Fathers so well was because the story was logically worked out. Logic in screen stories is far too rare, and when it is found, the picture is bound to be good. There isn't the slightest doubt that Emil Jannings is the greatest male actor we have. Whatever his character, he lives it and thinks it. He has the gift of being able to show his thought processes in his eyes and expression, and the brilliance to lose himself completely in his part, so that he won't think anything but what is pertinent to his role. Ruth Chatterton plays opposite Jannings, and gives what would have been a brilliant performance on the stage, but which is a bit too violent for the screen. This is just her first picture, though; so she probably will tone down considerably after a while. She also has the gift of losing herself in a characterization, and ought to become as outstanding on the screen as she is on the stage. Incidentally she was handicapped by being unable to use her voice. Barry Norton plays the son who goes blind from drinking his father's whiskey; and does very good work, particularly in the scene where he loses his sight. If he had a more likeable screen personality, he would go a long way. Matthew Betz, as usual, was a heavy, and a good one; and Jack Luden and Jean Arthur made the love interest attractive. * * * THE Night Watch is the finest picture which Alexander Korda has done, because he has been given a story and opportunities to demonstrate how well he can handle his camera. Added to that he has fine performances from his entire cast, which is headed by Bilhe Dove and Paul Lukas. He told his story logically and mtelligently, and didn't mess it up with a lot of closeups, a sm he has committed with great regularity until this picture. Just why he dressed all his characters in modern clothes when the story is laid at the opening of the World War is unexplained. That's a common fault of directors, and Michael Curtiz deserves credit for not committing it in Noah's Ark. Whoever did the continuity performed a miracle when he made the girl get caught on the battleship without making her an absolute idiot, as nine out of ten would have. Most writers would have had her kittenishly concealing herself in one of the boilers, meaning to pop out later and surprise everybody into a state of collapse. The scenes wherein she is caught on the departing warship are powerful and logical. Korda has a great stunt of superimposing the figure of one of his characters upon whatever he happens to be thinking of or seeing. Thereby we are enabled to see the action and the reaction at one and the same time. It is one of the cleverest camera artifices yet employed. , . , ., All through The Night Watch the camera work is brilliant. The smoothness with which it tells its story is greatly aided by Korda's habit of pan shots rather than cuts, a thing which gives a very valuable sense of continuity and doesn't distract the attention with a lot of spasmodic jumps. The story of the picture is concerned with a woman who saves her husband from conviction on a murder charge by testimony which, to say the least, doesn't do her reputation any good, although she really is innocent of any wrong-doing. After the trial was over, I expected that, in accordance with motion picture traditions, her husband would have none of her; and she would take to drink or something for a reel or two, until he saw the error of his ways. Much to my surprise, nothing like that happened, which shows that Korda has sense enough not to try to start another story in a picture where he already has completed the telling of one. Ine husband took her back into his heart (I ought to write romances, like Jim Tully) in what was a splendid ending. It was highly satisfactory and another evidence that Korda is a wizard with the camera. As I said, the acting in The Night Watch was above reproach. Billie Dove gave the finest performance she has yet to her credit, to my knowledge, at least. She was given a chance to do more than stand around ornamentally, so she used it by giving a performance which was outstanding for its artistry and power. Paul Lukas has a screen personality which would have made an impression even if he couldn't do the wonderful work he did. Nicholas Soussanin, as usual, was the suave, polished menace; and Donald Reed did very well as the slightly indiscreet young lieutenant. The man who played Reed's orderly was very fine, but I couldn't get his name. * * * TAY Garnett in The Spieler takes one of the oldest plots yet known to man and with the aid of four fine troupers, makes a very good picture. This is the first picture of Garnett's I have seen since he was elevated to director, and I must say that he learns rapidly. There is nothing fancy about his work; he tells his story without any frills or wasted motion, something which is slowly becoming a lost art. Taking it all in all, The Spieler is a very good workman-like job; and since they are rather rare, Garnett deserves a great deal of credit. He and I never did agree about Skyscraper, which he thought was great, and which left me cold; but I think we'll agree about this one. The story is that good old standby about the girl who is trying to run her deceased father's business and is being persecuted by a lot of thieves. The hero comes to see what he can gather from the ruins; but after eating one of her waffles, remorse or indigestion makes him reform; and he cleans out the crooks. It's pretty hard to do much of anything with a theme as old as that, particularly when it is laid in a carnival, a setting which is being nearly as overworked as the underworld. However, good direction and good acting will go a long way; and they made this quite good. Oh yes, before I forget, the story was so old that it even had the two roughnecks who were pals through everything. One was killed, of course. Garnett's direction revealed that he has gained by his association with Howard Higgin on a picture or two. There is no one directing who can touch Higgin when it comes to drawing roughnecks as such, and not as made up actors. When one of his characters makes love, he does it about as delicately as a kick from a mule, not as would the Russian prince he played in the preceding picture. Garnett has absorbed a lot of that, so his romance in The Spieler is exceedingly good and true to type. It is enacted by two of the finest troupers we have, Alan Hale and Renee Adoree. Never once do they go into the clinch prescribed by motion picture conventions, yet their love is just as powerful and far more wholesome than that purveyed by our two leading wrestlers, Gilbert and Garbo. They weren't the type for such stuff, and Garnett had sense enough to see it. I've only one quarrel with the direction. The heavy and his gang got away with stuff that was far too raw. He shot a man in plain view and hearing of hundreds of people, but wasn't caught. I wish I knew the secret of immunity, because there are lots of people I would like to shoot publicly. , . mu In addition to Hale and Miss Adoree, the cast of Ihe Spieler contained Fred Kohler and Clyde Cook, so the roster of brilliant actors was kept intact. Hale can put over more subtle acting and still be a he-man than anybody in the business, and Miss Adoree always captures the sympathy of the audience, in addition to leading them to admire her splendid work. Kohler has an elemental power and vigor which put him at the forefront of roughneck heavies. Cook's work was a clever blending of comedy and pathos, with not so much humor as usual. John Krafft, as usual, wrote a set of titles which were in keeping with the picture to a degree which seems to make his future as a writer of dialogue safe. 'i Paramount 100% AUTalking Picture Interference Carthay Circle Theatre Evelyn Brent, CHve Brook, Doris Keuyon and Williara Powell I Daily 2:15 — 8:30