Motion Picture Classic (1923, 1924, 1926)

Laurence Reid Reviews the Latest Photoplays accompanying Mae Busch thru her maze of marital trouble. It is fairly true to life without tugging at the emotions. It sketches a cross section of humdrum lift it pertains to a poverty stricken family determined to keep up appearances, rhe central figures are a proud mothei and her equally proud daughters. The latter arc con•id. One marries a hard-working man and finds solace with a brood of chilli r i n : t h e other plunges into business and eventually marries a young boaster — a character not well interpreted by Robert Frazer who it miscast as an Irishman. The best work i contributed by Miss Busch, Pat I >'Malley and Eugenie Besserer. The book hasn't been tampered with to any extent, tho the Irish husband undergoes a too sudden change of character as depicted here. As we said above, it touches life fairly accurately, contains some firstrate comedy — and is appropriately staged. And it offers a pleasant hour and a half. BOTH as an example of flapper expression at its highest peak and as entertainment, "Wine of Youth" ( MetroGold wyn) leaves but little to ask for in the way of entertainment. It is similar to others of its cloth in that its theme brings forth that Youth of today is no different than when grandma was a girl. But where it surpasses the others is in its prodigality of scenes. King Yidor, you are responsible for this effort. And you have brought out the jazz spirit here so that the picture eclipses anything heretofore presented along this line. The heroine has her fling — a good, big one — then she sees the error of her ways, and accepts matrimony as the best solution of a conventional existence. She has been goaded into wedlock thru her quarrelsome parents, each of whom has accused the other of being responsible for Man's streak of wildness. The picture is an adaptation oi Rachel * i ither'a play, "M the Third." \n<l it moves at lively pace, offering one rub after another, until its climax, when Victor allows it to become a pre.u hmcnt 'I lie concluding too much generalization on morals, Mad it maintained itpace and not flirted with preachy advice it would I been almost perfect, It i capitally played by a group of the younger troupers who ad i" the mod em soph: i a ted st y I e tailed for in the story. D ,1 ' Upper left: Tom Buster." Upper in "Behold This Ernest Torrence Mix in "The Heart right: Irene Rich Woman." Center: in "The Side-Show of Life." Upper left: Marie Prevost and Monte Blue in "How to Educate a Wife." Upper right: Baby Peggy in "Captain January" BBITT" (Warner Brothers) is a dull, routine affair — which is minus the necessary spark to give it life. Sinclair Lewis' manner of writing takes in every detail. His is a photographic mind — and translating one of his stories calls for laborious labor. It isn't that the sponsors here haven't expended considerable effort to humanize Babbitt. It remains that Babbitt simply refuses to respond to camera treatment because it is mostly a study of character. So the parties who made it did the next best thing — they fashioned it along picture lines. They have injected some drama, a faint dash of comedy, some character sketching — and a sprinkling of heart interest. And there is a note of the eternal triangle interlaced thru it. The story does not build much interest — and moves slowly without much flash of inspiration to its orthodox conclusion. A picture came some seasons ago entitled "A Old Dog" which was much closer the truth — in its portrayal of a middle-aged man searching for youth and romance. Babbitt here is married and he has grown tired of domesticity. But the note of the obvious mind that symbolized Babbitt in the novel is missing. Babbittry spells boobery as Lewis interpreted it. But Willard Louis in the title-role is not the symbol of the man in the street (Continued on page 94) out Gay (Forty-nine)