Harrison's Reports (1928-1928)

September 1, 1928 HARRISON’S REPORTS 139 always conies out right, may make it satisfy fairly well in small towns. The story revolves around a wealthy Englishman who, on the eve of his marriage, is convicted of murder. After serving a prison term, he seeks to revenge for the wrongdone to him. He is befriended by an old musician who takes him to the cabaret, where the hero’s former sweetheart is a singer. At first, the spectator’s interest is held, knowing that the heroine is married to the real murderer who had become a paralytic and she was supporting him. But because the action is not verysmooth that interest soon wanes until the last few reels when the heroine is shown at first deciding to leave the cabaret because she could not stand the presence of her former sweetheart, and then changing her mind and bringing the hero home where he meets the villain. The villain confesses that he had committed the murder and conveniently dies so that heroine and hero might be united. H. B. Warner gives a good performance and his name, too, will help somewhat to carry the picture. Anita Stewart, as the wife of the murderer, who never lost her love for the hero, is fair. John Christopher is the sentimental musician who helps the hero keep track of the heroine, and Chas. Gerrard is the villain. The picture was directed by King Baggot from a story by Ruby M. Ayres. “The Patriot” — with Emil Jannings (Paramount, Sept, i; 9,819 ft.; 1 13 to 140 min.) There can be no other opinion than that “The Patriot” is a masterpiece from the point of view of direction and acting; it has been produced by that master director, Ernst Lubitsch, and its chief part has been acted by that artist, Emil Jannings. As Paul the First, Czar of Russia, a madman, Mr. Jannings is superb. It is doubtful, in fact, if he can show better work in any other picture. But it is unlikely that “The Patriot” will appeal to the picture-goers of the rank and file. The theme is unpleasant and the characters, with the exception of Mr. Stone, are not shown doing anything that would arouse one’s sympathy. Mr. Jannings, as the mad Czar, is presented as a cruel monarch. And Mr. Stone brings about his death for the sake of Russia and the Russian people, who suffered much under his reign. That is about the substance of the story. The one thing that Mr. Stone does as the Chamberlain of the Czar is to induce the man that killed the Czar at his orders to kill him, too; he had promised the Czar to protect his life with his own life; and since he had, for the sake of his country, to cause the Czar’s death, there was no other course for him, as a real patriot, than to commit suicide. Mr. Stone, too, does wonderful work, at times he steals the picture away from Mr. Jannings. Miss Vidor is pretty fair as the mistress of Count Pahlen (Lewis Stone). Neil Hamilton is the Czarevitch, but he dose not appear in many scenes. Harry Cording and Vera Veronina appear in the cast. The plot has been founded on the German stage play by Alfred Neuman ; it was adapted to the screen by Hans Kraly. The action is “raw” in places. Note: The synchronization of this picture is “atrocious.’ “The Sawdust Paradise” — with Esther Ralston ( Paramount , Sept. 1 ; 5,928 ft.; 69 to 84 min.) Nothing extraordinary, but it is not bad. It is a picture that deals with the reformation of the heroine, a carnival sharp ; she had been paroled in the custody of a travelling evangelist by the judge who had sentenced her to ninety days in jail when she was brought before him on a charge of crookedness, trumped up by the narrowminded country town folk. Her reformation is effected when she takes a liking to the minister, because of his sincerity, and helps him put over the “show” by adopting show methods. The work gets into her blood and she becomes regenerated. There are some situations that affect the emotions of sympathy pretty well. But the subject, as put into a scenario form, does not seem to lend itself to the making of a great picture. It is hard to sympathize with crooks ; and that is its chief drawback. The hero, whom the heroine loves, does not reform until the end. The heroine, too, does not arouse much sympathy ; although she is not actually shown as doing anything wrong, her characterization being done by subtitles, yet one cannot feel sympathy for a person who pretends to be religious to religious people when in reality she lacks religion. The plot has been founded on an original story by John Manker Watters. Esther Ralston does well in a least sympathetic part. Mr. Reed Howes is the traveling evangelist. Tom McGuire, does well as the hero. Hobart Bosworth is good. George French and Alan Roscoe are in the cast. “The Night Watch” — with Billie Dove ( First National, Sept. 9; 6,612 ft.; 76 to 94 min.) The story of “The Night Watch” is pretty good, but it has been handled by Mr. Korda, the director, well, with the result that it arouses and retains the interest of the spectator all the way through, and holds him in pretty good suspense. The action unfolds chiefly on board a French cruiser during the World war, and the meat of the story is the separation of hero and heroine (husband and wife) as a result of misunderstanding. Like almost every woman, the heroine wanted attention; but because her husband could not give it to her on account of the fact that he was preoccupied by the threat of a world war, which threat had kept him at his post day after day and night after night, she allowed a former sweetheart of hers to make her believe that her husband did not give her the attention she deserved. Upon the return of the cruiser, from an engagement with a German cruiser, during which he had sunk the German man of war, the body of one of the petty officers is found. Circumstantial evidence points to the hero as the murderer. The hero is court martialed and would have been convicted and sentenced to be shot had not the heroine given to the judges information as to the circumstances under which the murder had been committed. The hero is declared innocent. Because he admired the heroine for her willingness to sacrifice her good name to save him, he takes her in his arms and forgives everything. The picture has been produced under the able supervision of Mr. Ned Marin.