Moving Picture News (Jan-Jun 1912)

THE MOVING PICTURE NEWS 35 James arrives on the field of honor at the appointed hour — so does the old man. James has not discovered his identity, for he keeps his face carefully turned away. Priscilla, who has learned of her husband's intention, hurries to the dueling ground, and begs James to reconsider — then, seeing the other man is her father, she flings herself into his arms. James becomes wild — she stands aside, and he sees who it is. Explanations are in order, and a reconciliation effected. James flings away the miniature which Priscilla hands him — and gathers his wife into his arms. SAVED FKOM THE TITANTIC Eclair Release, May 16 The startling story of the world's greatest sea disaster is the sensation of the country. Miss Dorothy Gibson, a heroine of the shipwreck, and one of the most talked of survivors, tells in this motion masterpiece of the enthralling tragedy among icebergs. Wonderful mechanical and lighting effects, realistic scenes, perfect reproduction of the true history of the fateful trip, magnificently acted. A heart-stirring tale of the sea's greatest tragedy depicted by an eye-witness. The wireless, the lifeboats, the wreck, the return. BOSES AND THORNS Eclair Release, May 16 Here is a mirth-provoking farce of mistaken identities, of the sorrows which overtake a romantic young gentleman in search of a romantic young lady who is to prove her identity by wearing a white rose. It happens that on this particular day, white roses are popular! And thereby hangs the trouble! CHAMBER OF FORGETF"DXNESS Eclair Release, May 21 The powerful story of a wife's innocent mistake and its bitter punishment, the -rancor of a jealous, misguided husband, and the ultimate righting of a great wrong to his son. It will bring tears and teach a beautiful lesson to every beholder. THE CONVICT'S SISTER Ltix Release, May 17 A merry party of guests are gathered at the home of Malcolm Fairweather. All are enjoying themselves thoroughly when suddenly an air of gloom is mysteriously cast over the party. Mrs. Fairweather becomes very silent and none can explain the reason of this mysterious gloom. Crouching outs'de the Mansion Gates stands Percival Reven, her degenerate brother, the knowledge of whose existence she has so far been successful in hiding from her husband. Knowing this full well, the villain has come to levy blackma 1 upon his sister. During the evening the conversation turns to precious stones and Mr. Fairweather shows his guests a splendid diamond which he has recently purchased. The diamond goes from hand to hand and suddenly the lights go out and the room is plunged in total darkness. The servants enter, explaining that this was caused by a defect in the wiring and the light is soon switched on again. It is then discovered that the diamond has disappeared. A hurried search is made but no diamond can be found. The gentlemen present insist on being searched by their host. One by one they are searched until it comes to the turn of Robert Wadbrook, who refuses to be searched and leaves the house. Naturally the suspicion falls upon him. Later Mrs. Fairweather calls to see him and demands to know why he refused to be searched. He shows her the reason of his refusal by drawing her picture from his pocket. This he had in his pocket at the time the diamond was stolen and not wanting her husband to see his wife's picture in his pocket he refused to be searched, and risked the danger of being called a th'ef. _At this moment Mrs. Fairweather takes the diamond out of her muff and explains that she had taken it, showing Wadbrook a letter which she received from her brother saying that he would wreck her life unless she provided him with money. Therefore she was forced to take the diamond in order to get money for him. That night she goes to her husband's study and there is confronted by her brother, who has gained entrance to the house and a iuel ensued. He leveled a revolver at her and a struggle takes place in which the weapon was accidentally discharged. Thus Mrs. Fairweather silences her brother forever — true she had not wilfully caused his death — but he was killed and nobody regretted it. A public apology is tendered to Wadbrook by Mrs. Fairweather and all goes merrily again. Wadbrook alone knows the truth THE SMUGGLER'S DOGS Lux Release, May 2i This is an exciting drama into which is introduced a realistic example of the use of dogs by smugglers on the Franco-German frontier. These sagacious animals are laden with little bags of tobacco and let loose. Having been carefully trained they easily find their way home and stand a better chance of evading the vigilance of the customs officers than their masters. To catch these dogs the customs officers train other dogs who track them down. The film depicts the adventures of a young smuggler who is in love with and beloved by the daughter of a sergeant in the frontier police. One evening he induces the foolish girl to leave her home and accompany him to the mountains. Night comes on and the shadows flit silently from tree to tree as the lovers journey through the forest — these are the dogs carrying their little bags of tobacco over the frontier. Following in their wake are the police dogs. AU night long this grim pantomime goes on. The lovers hurry onward and the dogs seek to evade their relentless pursuers. Finally the lovers reach the smuggler's haunt and settle down to rest. Suddenly the harried dogs come rushing breathlessly in followed by the police dogs. The smugglers, realizing that they are discovered, rush out to meet the police and a fearful fight follows. In the struggle the police sergeant accidentally shoots his daughter, who thus pays for her folly with her life. On the same reel: ARABELLA'S FLIGHT A really amusing short comic of the knock about order has been founded upon the adventures of the LUX funniosit^, Arabella. She goes out for a walk with her dog and is suddenly wafted unto the skies in an alarming manner. The history of her flight has been faithfully recorded by our camera man and is well worth seeing. WHAT AVAILS THE CROWN? Rex Release, May 19 *'A crown. Golden in show, is but a wreath of thorns, Brings dangers, troubles, cares and sleepless nights. To him who wears the regal diadem." The bitter truth of Milton's lines has often been written on the wrecked, wracked hearts of regal sufferers; it has been carved like a melancholy monument on the souls of royal slaves, the prisoners of their own power. As often as not. the throne has been a morgue of hope and faith, a mausoleum of the dreams and desires of those who sat upon it; for under the ermine beat human hearts, with the hungers and yearnings of humanity. The sceptre has often been the spectre of all this little life means. She was the princess, and a human girl. Sincere, simple, with an earnest love for all things everywhere, she hated royal pomp with a hatred that was a passion. In her light, bright eyes was the uncopyrighted story of human struggle, of contending human emotions. You were impressed at first glance that she was composed of the purifying and preservative forces that have made civilization. For a princess, she was refreshingly real. This, then, was the girl to be sacrificed for a political alliance. The prince selected was a jellyfish personage witii enough blue blood to give a girl with as much red blood as the princess the blues. With all her stubborn individuality, she rebelled against the selfish decree of the Court, but when her aged father, the king, sternly commanded her, as her father and sovereign, to fulfill his mandate, the girl choked down the rising lump, acceded and accepted the ring as a pledge of the betrothal. Then she flew to her room, and the girl conquered the princess. In a wild abandon of grief, she sobbed her pitiful apology to herself— and felt better. And the thought was born. She would go to the home of her old nurse, and live among the people. She would live free from the iron fetters of regal birth, free from the slavery of royal lineage. She went out and met life, merged and mingled with its rushing tides and varied sides. And among the people, with hearts that beat with the heat of life, she found love and lost her heart. The blow was too great for the weak heart in the old frame of the king, and he died, as he had lived, a martyr to royalty. And the girl was proclaimed queen. For the moment the realization and appreciation that she was queen and could do as she willed and wished, surged through her, her being filled with fervent ecstasy. Then she remembered the cost of her birth, remembered the state and the people and her duty to them, saw and realized that she had contemplated turning traitoress to the goverpment of which she was queen; and in sadness and resignation she dismissed the man she loved, to marry the thing her nation needed. For she was queen, to live in garish grief and wear a golden sorrow, until death emancipated her from the slavery of the throne. HIS MOTHER'S SON Reliance Release, June 1 This picture is an answer to Rudyard Kipling's poem "The Female of the Species." It tells how a boy is cared for all his life by his mother, when he is well and when he is ill. She comforts all the aches and pains of the boyhood and never becomes weary. The boy in this story returns from college a vastly superior young man who rather disappoints his parents with his newly acquired ways. He becomes engaged to a sweet young girl. Having written some poems he becomes quite a lion at all the social affairs he attends. He meets a great beauty. He resolves to win her and to this end he neglects his little fiancee shamefully. The beauty notices this and decided to teach him a lesson. He visits the beauty one day and shows his infatuation for her. The little sweetheart is in another room and the beauty calls her out and exposes the boy to the girl who loves him. He sees the ■ girl and pleads with her to forgive him. She will not, and he is ordered from the house. He returns home and his mother, seeing that he is worried, tries to comfort him, but he pushes her away. Later he tells her the trouble and she goes to the home of the little sweetheart and pleads with her to forgive the boy. And the girl does so. FOR THE GOOD OF ALL Powers Release, May 21 Essie is secretly engaged to Harry, meeting him on the sly. Her parents finally discover the love affair and in order to cure her of her infatuation send her to her aunt's home in the country. Arrived on the farm, Essie soon plays havoc with the hearts of all the men folks, who sadly neglect their various duties, in order to dance attendance upon her. Things come to such a pass that Essie's aunt, who discovers Harry prowling about the farm, manages to corral him and then begs him to elope with Essie. She even furnishes him with a ladder and points out Essie's window. After the young couple have disappeared, the aunt writes Essie's parents that she did all she could to prevent the elopement, but that after all, it is probably the best thing that could have happened for the good of all concerned. THE HOUSEKEEPER Powers Release, May 25 A miserly widower has a young and pretty daughter whom he neglects, urged on to do so by a scheming housekeeper who has designs upon his wealth. The housekeeper has a lover in the person of the widower's clerk, who also has designs upon the old man's money through hia influence with the housekeeper. The housekeeper cajoles the widower into a promise of marriage and, thus winning his confidence, learns the combination to his safe. The clerk then persuades the housekeeper to take the widow-er's money and elope, arranging that she is to place the money in the daughter's traveling bag and throw it out of the winjiow to him. The plan works all right excepting that the clerk hears the daughter coming around the house just as the housekeeper throws out the money and he dodges around the corner out of sight. It thus follows that the daughter is almost struck by the bag which falls at her feet. Led by natural curiosity, the daughter stoops and opens the bag and finding therein her father's money, she quickly de