Moving Picture Age (Jan-Dec 1920)

F£6 1 1 (920 - MOVING PICTURE AGE REEL AND SLI EDUCATIONAL MAGAZINE INDUSTRIAL VOL. Ill FEBRUARY, 1920 No. 2 Modern Allegory Takes Form and Shape on the Screen By the Use of Sustained Metaphor Blended With Twentieth Century ReaHsm "Everywoman" Conveys a Moral Lesson Sadly Needed in Most of Our Cities and Towns By the Editor of Moving Picture Age WHAT one sees in a motion picture is just about what one looks for, In the worst of them is good if one has eyes to see it; in the verv best ones are flaws of ethics, morals, oh, a hundred things to minimize the good and overshadow it, if one dwells upon and misinterprets them. Now, then, '"Everywoman" is one of the best pictures on the screen today. It is, as its producers call it, "The picture beautiful." Its photography is as perfect as the camera can produce. The setting of its scenes, the costumes of its characters are wonderfull) in keeping with the story's theme. Tableaux striking and effective follow each other in profusion to the final fadeout. The moral is too obvious for the most careless ones to miss and that moral is a timel\ and a good one. "Everywoman" is an allegory. The sustained impersonation of physical and moral attributes is carried through the story to a successful finish. From the time of their appearance Youth, Beaut\ and Modesty bear out their names. Conscience and Truth and Vice can never be mistaken for other than they are typified in their best — and worst — phases. But as in real life these attributes shine brightest when contrasted with their opposites, so here it was necessary to introduce scenes that of themselves and away from their relations to the scenes preceding and following them, could not be approved as of moral value or called anything but exhibitions of riotous and vicious squandering of wealth. It is the other predominating scenes in the play that save these pictures of waste and unmorality, make them necessary and use them as a foil to increase the brightness of Virtue and heighten the undesirability of Vice. If John Bunyan hadn't shown what Christian had to contend with, "Pilgrim's Progress" would never have lived to become an English classic. But within a day of two after the writer had seen this film at a private showing, through the courtesy of the producers, had admired it, approved it and warmed to it because of what he saw in it, the theater billboards "spilled the beans." Pardon the slang, but they did just that, and no other words will fit the case. Every scene that taken by itself would unfit it for mention in these columns was "played up" and made prominent to almost the entire exclusion of some of the finest features of the play. The advertising was unjust to the play and unjust to the public, for no one could see it and not receive a wrong impression. In the long run theater men will defeat their own purpose, which is presumably to attract and hold the public, by such work. The play is one that should be seen b\ our readers, both for its many beauties and to determine whether it is fitted to their own needs. The play is by Walter Browne, adapted from a stage play of a year or two ago. The scenario is by Will M. Ritchey and the filming was directed by George Melford. Cast of Characters: Everywoman, Violet Heming; Youth, Clara Horton ; Beauty, Wanda Hawley ; Modesty, Margaret Loomis ; When Youth and Beauty leave and take with than the joys that life has held. Conscience still ronains and silentlv admonishes. Conscience, Mildred Reardon ; Truth, Edythe Chapman ; Vice, Bebe Daniels ; Wealth, Theodore Roberts ; Love, Monte Blue ; Passion, Irving Cummings ; Nobody, James Neill ; Flattery, Raymond Hatton ; Lord Witless, Lucien Littlefield ; Bluff, Noah Beery; Stuff, Jay Dwiggins ; Puff, Tully Marshall ; Age, Robert Brower ; Time, Charles Ogle ; Dissipation, Fred Huntley ; Auctioneer, Clarence Geldart. The story scanned: A young and beautiful girl donates one kiss, to be sold at auction, at a charity bazaaf. Among the bidders are three rivals for her hand — a struggling young physician, a professional actor and a millionaire. Naturally, the latter outbids his rivals. But the kiss, an old-fashioned candy "kiss" in a paper bag, does not come up to his expectations. The young physician's distinguished looking mother sympathizes with him over the girl's indifference. Also two stage managers present offer the girl an opportunity to become an actress. She asks time to consider and three girl chums, who are visiting her, offer varied advice that night. With the dawn of a new day the story merges into symbolism. The girl is now called Everywoman ; her maid. Conscience, and her three best girl friends are Youth, Beauty and Modesty. Also the character of Nobody, the ever-present, is introduced. To Everywoman, in her mirror, appears Flattery, who bids her go out on the stage of Life and seek his master, King Love the First. Everywoman's interpretation of this command is a determination to accept the managers' offer to go on the stage. The young physician, whose symbolical name is left in doubt, proposes to Everywoman and is rejected. In spite of the objections of Modesty and the pleadings of the young physician's mother, who is now called Truth, Everywoman accepts the offer of the stage managers and so comes directly under the menace of the actor, now known as Passion, and the millionaire, now called Wealth. The stage managers become Bluff and Stuff and their press agent is known as Puff. Almost overnight, Everywoman is acclaimed a star. At first she resists the temptations that beset her. But she soon acquires temperament and openly accepts the attentions of Wealth and a new suitor called Lord Witless. Still faithful to her quest for King Love, Everywoman mistakes Passion for Love, allows him to kiss her and only discovers her error through Passion's description of the Gates of Pleasure. She rejects Passion, but Modesty has left her to become a wandering exile. Passion promptly consoles himself with the beautiful woman called Vice. In the course of a sumptuous banquet given by Wealth, the latter begs Everywoman to be his, declaring that he is King Love. However, Everywoman soon learns that he does not want her unless Youth and Beauty are ever present, and she refuses him. At this juncture. Passion, longing for revenge, has Dissipation steal away Beauty, to be held for a ransom. Everywoman flees from the house of Wealth in a panic, taking Youth and Conscience with her. With Beauty lost. Bluff and Stuff quickly dispense with Everywoman's services as a theatrical star. Still seeking Love and fol 11