Motion Picture News (Jul-Oct 1914)

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THE MOTION PICTURE NEWS 46 "THE BANDIT OF PORT AVON" (Cosmofotofilm — Four Parts) REVIEWED BY WILLIAM RESSMAN ANDREWS THIS is a highly sensational melodrama. Such a statement should not be misunderstoood because the word "melodrama" is often applied to express utter opprobrium of badlj' acted drama making no pretensions to "mellow." The film is pure melodrama, and fairly sizzles with sensation pitched in a high key. Some audiences will not like it — those whose tastes do not run to plays depending upon swift action. But judged by its own standards and not by the criterion of dramas of a wholly different type, ''The Bandit of Port Avon" is an excellent production. TRAPPED! Perhaps you will not care for it, but you will book the picture if your patronage prefers a subject having assassinations, murderous set-tos, plot and counter-plot developed with irresistible swiftness by a capable cast. Nobody could doze in his seat, once the reel began to run, no matter how disappointed he might be in discovering the kind of film he had stumbled upon. The whiz of high pressure incidents would keep him awake, willy nilly. No one can complain of slow, inconsequential scenes put in for the sake of mere padding. The excitement of sitting on the safety valve of an old-time Mississippi steamboat during a race in Mark Twain's days cannot compare with "The Bandit of Port Avon" for thrills. But it must be remembered that there is a large public wanting just this kind of mental fare, and naturally it was for them that the picture was produced. It takes twenty years for the villain to reach the end of his rope, but poetic justice is meted out to him at last in accordance with the established rules of melodrama. The cast is Italian, and the majority of the scenes are laid in Italy. The emotional temperament of the Latin race is obvious in the acting of the players, and lends the necessary fire expected in the numerous tense situations. The son of a miser dissipates his inheritance, and turns bandit at the disappearance of the last penny. In one of his robberies he commits wilful murder by shooting the victim without giving him a chance for his life. In the course of time the assassin endeavors to marry a woman of title. In using the dead man's letters to bring pressure upon another woman opposing the match he overreaches himself, for they are identified as the stolen property of the bandit's victim, establishing the long hidden guilt of the unscrupulous suitor. COOL WEATHER BRINGS ALBANY THEATRES TO LIFE St'ccial to The Motion Picture News Albany, N. Y., Sept. 3. THE sorrowful days of the movie managers seem to be at an end in Albany, for last week a cold snap hit town, and as a result the picture houses were on the boom. The weather man was certainly merciful in sending the wave of coolness, or it is believed that some of the smaller houses would have closed the doors. "FACE VALUE" (Edison — Two Reels) REVIEWED Bff PETER MILNE ' I 'HIS is one of the many Edison pictures that is enjoyed by the readers of the "Popular ^lagazine," written by W. B. M. Fergusen. The picture will surely "get across," first because it is practically new and unconventional. It has a capable cast, which enacts the picture with remarkable comprehension. Ben Wilson and Sally Crute play opposite in the leading roles; these two are the only principals. Carleton King and Edward Earle appear in the less prominent parts. There is an atmosphere of mj-stery that pervades the entire picture and holds the interest well. Although the story makes an excellent picture, it is obvious that it was not made for the screen, as there are too many subtitles. This, perhaps, is the only fault. It is almost unnoticeable, as each one is absolutely necessary and explains the story perfectly. The photography and light is up to the usual high standard set by the Edison company. The story starts in the West, opening with a realistic gambling scene; after a few hundred feet of film, the scene shifts to the city and a neighboring suburb. WILDING PROTECTS HIS NEW ACftUAINTANCE Because of bearing the same name as his dead pal, Peter Wilding journeys to the city to claim the former's fortune. It develops that the other Wilding was a crook and his old associates attempt to scare Pete by threatening death unless he pays them, but he is immune to all their demands. His experiences with the crooks form a great part of the story, and his marriage to a woman whose past he is ignorant of constitutes something new and out of the ordinary, not the incident itself but the manner in which it is executed. The tale ends well for both husband and wife, the crooks are dispelled, and both learn that each other's past is untainted. BUFFALO HOUSE HAS GOOD SUMMER BUSINESS Special to The Motion Picture News. Buffalo, Sept. 3. Emerson Dickman, manager of the Central Park Theatre, at the corner of Main and Fillmore streets, reports excellent business for the summer months. The Central Park is in the high-class Central Park district, the best residential part of Buffalo, which demands the best in photoplays at all times. This demand. Manager Dickman is endeavoring to satisfy.