Motography (Apr-Dec 1911)

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186 MOTOGRAPHY Vol. VI, No. 4. An Irish Classic m Three Reels By H. Kent Webster IRELAND is the home of romance. The very atmosphere is charged with it, while the people draw it in with the air they breathe. The mirrored surfaces of their blue lakes, nestled between rugged little mountains, with their scattered islands clad in softly massed arbutus, all seem made for romance. And the people themselves, with their warm and generous hearts, seem intended by nature to be the actors in the stories which so greatly delight the rest of the world. And of all the romances of Ireland perhaps the one which gets closest to the hearts of people is the simple story of the Colleen Bawn, a life story which was almost a tragedy. It takes the Kalem company three reels to tell the story of the Colleen Bawn, and the beauties of Ireland form such a charming background that the release might well be considered a scenic, were it not for the fact that the intensity of the action keeps our mind focused on the players. " October 16 is the release date, all three reels being put on the market at the same time. In this respect Kalem is following the lead of several other of the manufacturers. It is a good idea, this thing of releasing all of a several-reel subject on the same date instead of on successive dates. It enables the maker to get out better advertising matter and to place it more judiciously, while the exhibitor may run the different parts on succeeding nights, if he chooses, or he may show them as an entire program and feature it in his ' own advertising. No matter which way is preferable, the exhibitor is given a choice, which is always a good thing. The story of the Colleen Bawn is quite familiar to American theater goers, as it has been shown on the stage since 1860. It was written as a drama by Boucicault, and it so well portrays Irish life and character that it has long been looked upon as the typical Irish drama. The story is based upon happenings of a semi-legendary nature in the Killarney Lake region. The Kalem people have re-enacted the entire drama among the scenes which have been immortalized by the story, and they show, in all their genuineness, Colleen Bawn Rock and Cave, Danny Mann's cottage, and the ruins of the Colleen's home. Tore Cregan was the baronial estate of the Cregans. There was not a more beautiful or fertile estate in all Ireland, and yet it was so heavily mortgaged and loaded down with debt that it seemed impossible for the Cregans even to retain it unless young Hardress Cregan were to marry into a fortune. His mother realized this, and had maneuvered an engagement between him and his cousin, Anne Chute, whose fortune was of such proportions that it would relieve the family of their debts. But all her plans were as naught when Hardress set eyes upon Eily O'Connor, "The Colleen Bawn." Hardress at once began to woo her in his impetuous Irish way, and Eily, loving him shyly, could hardly believe her good fortune when he asked for her hand. They were secretly married. It was easy to persuade her to keep the marriage secret — she did not aspire to a place by his side in the world. Of course his mother did not suspect his marriage, for when she took Hardress to task for his frequent visits to Eily, he admitted his love, but said nothing of the marriage. He also expressed a wish that Anne would marry Kyrle Daly, who, he said, liked her better than he did. Both of these assertions were naturally a great shock to the mother's hopes. Little misshapen Danny Mann overheard this conversation and it set him brooding. He was a loyal follower of his young master and desired nothing so much as to serve him. He had been the only witness to the marriage with Eily, and now, in his clumsy way, he resolved to get his master out of the scrape so that he could marry Anne and retrieve the family fortune, which was now in a fair way to slip out of their hands, owing to the unyielding disposition of Squire Corrigan, who held the mortgages. Danny started his clumsy scheme by delivering to Anne a letter that Eily had given him for Hardress, telling her at the same time that he was going to row Kyrle Daly across the lake. Anne naturally suspected from this that Kyrle was involved with some peasant girl, and her confidence in him received a blow. That night, in her little cottage, the Colleen Bawn, awaited her husband. Father Zom, the priest, and Mylesna Coppaleen sat there, but hastily left as Hardress entered. It was plain that something was wrong, for his irritability and excitement was apparent. He explained to her the family difficulties he was facing and how, to retrieve the family fortune, it was his duty to marry Anne, but that he could not do so as long as she possessed her marriage certificate. In her love for his Myles Learns His Love is Hopeless. welfare, Eily drew out the certificate and offered it to him. He had accepted it and was ready to leave when the door burst open and Myles, striding into the room, forced him to return it, Myles loudly declaiming that no one could tear up an oath or a promise. Unheeding Eily's imploring cries, Hardress hurried from the cottage. The priest, stopping her at the door as she attempted to follow, compelled Eily to kneel and swear that her marriage certificate shall never leave her bosom. This is the final scene of the first reel.