Motion Picture News (Sept-Oct 1916)

October 21, 1916 MOTION PICTURE NEWS 2553 SCREEN EXAMINATIONS ^ElllMMilBiim SHE LOVED A SAILOR " (Keystone-Triangle — Two Reels) REVIEWED BY PETER MILNE MACK SENNETT in " She Loved a Sailor " nicely explodes the theory that there is nothing new under the sun. We thought so too until we were permitted to see this one. His ingenious production department has devised a mechanical contrivance whereby his players walk and run on the ocean's surface. All done by double exposure you say. That's what we thought about it too, but in no scene where this delightful pastime was in practice did we catch the dividing line of the two exposures. Your audience will be fooled completely. The picture is a burlesque and hangs together very well. The other business pictured is of the usual hilarious Keystone sort. We only knew one of the cast by name and that was Harry McCoy and he's a scream. The others were all good too, particularly the inventor of the water walking shoes. " A PRINCE IN A PAWNSHOP " (Vitagraph — Five Reels) REVIEWED BY PETER MILNE ■nPHIS is Vitagraph's second picture starring Barney Bernard. A One would naturally expect a comedy to display the talents of this excellent comedian, but " A Prince in a Pawn shop " has little comedy in it, and little of that falls to Mr. Bernard. True, he creates a character in the person of David Solomon, a harsh banker and generous pawn broker, that wins the sympathies, but of his real element he has none. But this is not the big fault of the production. The picture is padded and grossly so. In Solomon Welcomes His Grandson to His Home other respects it passes muster with average success. The padding, however, looms up in such large proportions that some of tlie merit of the picture is quite eclipsed. Solomon leads a modern Robin Hood's existence. He extorts money from the rich whenever he can legally do so, and in his pawn shop allows more than the value of the pawned articles would warrant. Solomon's son marries a girl in secret, but deserts her owing to the false testimony of another. Six years roll away and Solomon in his wanderings on the east side meets the son of the woman, really his own grandchild. After he has learned all the truth, he effects a reunion between his son and the girl. The story which was written by Marie de Sarlabous and Andre de Segurola, aside from being inadequate for five-reel use is open to a few minor criticisms. It is not made clear that Solomon's son and the girl are married until old Solomon himself finds the woman. This oversight of the authors makes a scene, where the husband denounces his wife, because of her supposed past relations with the other man fall rather flat. Again in the first reel the progress of the story is interrupted several times by subtitles in which Solomon airs his deprecatory views on organized charity. We are not combating the sincerity of the statements— only the fact that they are out of place. Paul Scardon directed the picture from a scenario by Garfield Thompson. The camera work appears acceptable, save for the first reel, where there are innumerable spots in the film which give it the appearance of being old. In support of Mr. Bernard appear Edith Hunter, Garry McGarry, Charlotte Ives, Lester Bernard, Brinsley Shaw and little Bobby Connelly. "THE OLD FOLKS AT HOME" (Triangle-Fine Arts — Five Reels) REVIEWED BY PETER MILNE MORE important even than the presence of Sir Herbert Berbohm in the cast, and more important than the fact that " The Old Folks at Home " comes from the pen of Rupert Hughes is the fact that never for an instant can the observer hazard an ending for the picture until it arrives and lets the facts about itself be known. If you are unaware of a picture's ending you certainly are kept in suspense, particularly when the chances seem to you to be even that the windup will be unhappy. Perhaps, though, we were wrong in implying that the concealed ending was more important than Mr. Hughes, as he was responsible for it. Aside from this fact, which must assuredly be taken into consideration, the picture is unusually pleasing. The cast, frotn Sir Herbert down to various of the minor players and up to various of the more principal players, is exceptional. Sir Herbert has done what other Shakespearean and costume players have found it difficult to do when allotted a modern part in a motion picture. He has acted for the part. His scenes are not full of slow gesticulations, studied movements and impressive parades. In " The Old Folks at Home " Sir Herbert is a wealthy old farmer-senator, and he plays the part for what it is worth, no more, no less. The scenario and direction both come from Chester Withey, who, to our mind, of all Griffith's staff of directors comes nearest to absorbing his master's ideas. The touches that Mr. Withey has put in both ends of his work on this feature are praiseworthy, and many times do they compensate for a scarcity of material with which to fill out the five reels. The farm scenes that Mr. Withey has procured are typically realistic in every instance and do more toward making the atmosphere convincing than a million word pictures could do. The most of the plot is quite well known, telling, as it does, of the farmer boy who, after his father's election to the state senate, forgets all about his country sweetheart in his pursuit of pleasure in the city. His companions are anything but highly moral, and for one of them, a woman, he kills another, a man. His old father does the best he can to shield him, but the case goes to court, and until the last moment seems hopelessly against the boy. However, the mother turns the tide by her passionate appeal to the jury to save her son from prison. Altogether improbable and outrageous and legally wrong, says Mr. Hughes, or words to that effect, but his plea is that the old folks at home should receive some consideration. Elmer Qifton really has the star role as the son, and his acting is quite excellent. Josephine Crowell as the mother does some wonderful work in her big scene. Mildred Harris blossoms forth in her first altogether grownup role as the country girl. Lucille Younge is the adventuress, while others are W. E. Lawrence, Alfred Paget, William Higby and Spottiswoode Aitken.