Moving Picture World (Jul-Sep 1913)

320 THE MOVING PICTURE WORLD "AT THE LARIAT'S END" (Essanay), July s-— A Western, four-cornncd love story in which the village idiot and the village tell-tale (Alkali Ike) help each other make trouble. It didn't seem to move the audience g;eady, perhaps because the photography is so poor in places that the faces of the actors can hardly be distinguished and this makes the story temporarily obscure. Its best scenes show an innocent fugitive chased by cowboys who want to hang him. These are followed by the sheriff, who has been told how the shooting came about, and he saves the man "at the end uf the lariat" as be was about to swing. "LOVE'S QUARANTINE" (Vitagraph), July 5.— Wally Van and Lillian Walker lead in this romantic farce, by Russel E. Smith. John Bunny and Flora Finch also have roles as the girl's parents, who dislike Wally as prospective son-in-law. The cook, Kate Price, is coerced into playing sick and Wally, dressed as a doctor, says it's smallpox. Two fake cops help out, but talk too much. It is a light offering, to make fun. "THE MINER'S DESTINY" fPatheplay), July 5.— A special two-part picture in which there is much that will deeply interest; yet, as a whole, it is rather slow. It is a fair offering, but nothing wonderful. The story, except at the end, at the climax, is well built. It deals with life around a mine. Its hero, who has been discharged for carelessness with dynamite, is, through a train of convincing circumstantial evidence, sent to prison for life for "killing the mine foreman." We are now shown the man in prison and the fate of his wife and small son until former dies the later is a grown man. The prisoner is freed in time to save his son's wife from the vile wishes of the man who had been the real murderer. The way this is done is effective enough up to the last few moments. There are two roles that are very well acted — those of both prisoner and villain. The photography is very good and the background interesting. "THE SORROWFUL SHORE" (Biograph), July 5.— A rather heavyhearted tragedy dealing with fisher folk. It has three chief roles, a father, his son and a girl who is washed up from a wreck, a sole survivor. The working out of the triangle in this case brings all three to their deaths by drowning. The acting is competent, although the cameraman seemed to be a bit off the best speed in laking the scene in which the older man accuses the girl whom he has now married, of loving the son. The letter she writes is convincing, but the son's tearing of it to deceive the father, and the ease with which this is accomplished, are not strongly so. In drama, the deaths of all concerned is not the strongest way of making the situation powerful, as it really denies emotion. We sre not left very deeply interested in these three people. "THE SIGNAL" (Edison). July 5. — The French Revolution furnishes the background for this entertaining romance in costume. Most people will have seen something like it before; but the situation is full of suspense. There are characters in it that do not add anything really to the suspense and therefore hamper the story, since they are conventional, These come in the early scenes. Th author. Bannister Mcrwin, might have treated the theme a bit more originally. It was produce."! by George Lessey in very good sets with some beautiful backgrounds, seen by moonlight. The players seemed a bit too melodramatic at times, especially the leading woman; but all are competent. "OVER THE GREAT DIVIDE IN COLORADO" (Edison), July 7.— Snowy peaks, covered with pine trees and shrubbery, clouds hanging below the path of the railroad, views of a small town perched above timberline — these are a few features of this interesting scenic half reel. In this film the Colorado Rockies make the observer wish he could take his vacation out that way. "WINSOME WINNIE'S WAY" (Edison), July 7.— A light comedy offering by Carolyn Wells, on same reel with above. Winnie quarrels with her lover on a picnic, but later when they are driven by rain into the cabin of the recluse, she regrets her ill feeling and they make up. The idea in this is slight, and the photography is a shade too dark, but it has an attractive society atmosphere. _ "THE GLOVE" (Vitagraph), July 7. — A familiar plot, without any particularly new situations in it, is here so strongly presented that it holds the attention. William Humplirey, Dorothy Kelly and S. Rankin Drew form the inevitable triangle. The neglected wife receives much attention from the count and decide.'? to give herself up to him. She goes to his apartments, but later repents and climbs out of the window. Her husband enters, finds her glove and becomes enraged. The reconciliation follows. "A SEA DOG'S LOVE" (Biograph), July 7. — A farce comedy, in which Slivers forsakes his ship on leave of absence. He employs a man to rob the tavern of Widow McManus, so he can come to the rescue and become a hero. The scene in which the widow pretends to shoot the intruder and tells Slivers she has committed murder, is the best in the picture, but it is not uproariously funny. A fairly entertaining half reel. "THE NOISY SUITORS" (Biograph), July 7.— This, on same reel with above, gets numerous laughs. Bella Donna has many lovers and is serenaded by three troubadours. The American lover intervenes and soon gets a duel on his hands. The fight at dawn is with boxing gloves and pleases the audience immensely. A good comedy number. "PATHE'S WEEKLY," July 7.— A number full of good things. Raymond Hitchcock becoming a Polatch "Bug" in Seattle was especially amusing, and the exhibit of 12,000 letters in praise of Tacoma was an instance of Western enterprise. "A STOLEN IDENTITY" (Kalem), July 7— In spite of its conventional beginning and several inconsistencies, this picture gets a hold on the observer, and has an especially clever situation toward the close, where the doctor discovers that Steve is in disguise as the girl's father-in-law. We could not understand Steve's apparent bankrupt condition, and later the fact that he was able to offer the girl money, which she refused. The characterizations in this offering are very good and it tells an appealing story. "THE MYSTERIOUS HAND" (Lubin), July 7.— This Western film tells a story that has been handled in many different ways, but which is entertaining none the less. Elsie's father saves the boy from a beating by the greaser. The latter, knowing the father's objection to Bob, in love with Elsie, takes the latter's knife and stabs the old man, throwing the suspicion upon Bob. The girl saves her lover at the last moment, when the noose is already about his neck. This situation has been done so often that it now has a tendency to provoke smiles, but escaped that fate in this instance. "THE TRAIL OF CARDS" (Selig). July 7.— One of the best smuggling dramas we have seen in a long time. The parts of Constance, her revenue officer lover, and Wolf, leader of the smugglers, are all well taken. Particularly good is the atmosphere of the production, which gets up a nice tension and maintains it through various exciting episodes. Constance and the druggist fall into the tunnel, during the earthquake, and are carried to Smuggler's Island. The druggist had been playing solitaire and leaves a trail of cards as he is carried through the tunnel. Good adventure story. "THE FORBIDDEN WAY" (Essanay), July 7.— An unusually strong and well acted two-part drama, featuring a gentleman thief in the leading role. The pictures of the gang's headquarters are convincing, and as the observer sees the man and girl go out and take positions in the business world, his interest increases. The gentleman thief falls in love with his employer's daughter and threatens to give up his manner of living, but is crushed by a falling wall at the last. A strong offering of its type, which gives us a more attractive view of the underworld than usual. "SCENES FROM OTHER DAYS" (Edison). July 8.— The pfimary intention of this film is to give some views of the city of Atlanta, Ga. ; but Charles M. Seay who made it, has produced something far more artistic than the usual travel scenic. He tells a slight story to make us journey to the place he wants to picture. He should have inserted a subtitle stating that the traveler, an old man, would have to wait for the next train all morning and so could see the city. The photographs are clear and interesting, and the story has three fine scenes (a), a very pretty window in Ohio, (b), a charming Southern dining room, and (c), the parting of the old soldier friends, Herbert Prior, whose acting is particularly fine at this point, and WSlliam West. We thoroughly enjoyed this offering and commend it highly. "THE DAUGHTER OF THE SHERIFF" (Essanay), July 8.— A gocd picture by Arthur Mackley's company; it tells an interesting story clearly and, for the most part, artistically. The offering's quality comes from the acting which makes it seem natural and human. The photography is very fair. "THE PROFITS OF THE BUSINESS" (Lubin), July 8.— With a commendable purpose of picturing how the "prophits of the business" may really be profits of the sale of humanity, this offering tells an interesting story with a good measure of dramatic suspence at the climax, and will be liked as an offering by most people. A hard man is head of a low-wage department store. This man has lost track of his nearest relative, a granddaughter, who, it happens, is employed in his store and this situation is used to show the old man up to himself. Would it not be more effective, as a lesson and as a drama, too, if it were made into a tragedy in which the heroine falls like her mates, just before her grandfather finds her? "COUNT BARBER" (Vitagraph), July 8.— This is No. 5 in the Belinda series. Now that Ophelia Sweet and Belinda have procured beauty for themselves, the former is looking for a "match." Belinda falls in love with a barber, whom she sees at work. Ophelia falls in love with the same man whom she thinks is a count. It makes a picture full of pretty scenes with a thread of fun which is largely due to the skillfull] burlesquing of the players: Norma Talmadge, Florence Radinoff and Charles Eldridge. It was produced by Bert Angeles from Mrs. Brenil's script. "THE AIRMAN'S BRIDE" (Patheplay). July 8.— A picture made by the I'rench company. It's feature is a very sensational climax, the spectacular rescue of the heroine from a burning lighthouse by her lover in an aeroplane. As he sails past, over head, he lets down a rope to which she clings and so is carried to safety. This is surely a startling climax and many will count it a feature incident. The story is fair and sets off the rescue scene well. It is a cleverly produced picture and the camera work is clear. "AN UNWRITTEN CHAPTER" (Vitagraph), July 4.— A pretty story and a strong play, made so by the work of the four principals — Dorothy Kelly, S. Rankin Drew, William Humphrey and Mary Maurice. There are some stirring moments, especially toward the end of the picture. "WHAT'S THE MATTER WITH FATHER?" (Essanay), July 4-— Comedy that for a little over the first half makes a steady hit There is for this time a continuous ripple of laughter. Then, instead of holding the comedy down to the straight stuff, depending alone on the story tt> carry it, there was introduced some stop stuff, on the accelerated motion Older, and the humor, thus stimulated and forced, fell. Thomas Commerford, as the old rheumatic grouch, did excellent work, and so also did Clara Smith as the sister-in-law. "SALLIE'S SURE SHOT" (Selig), July 4.— A melodrama of the Western sort. The sure shot indicated in the title consisted of shooting in two a burning fuse which, had it been permitted to extend to its attached can of powder, would have destroyed SalHe. The shot was almost too sure to be convincing. There is a bit of comedy at the end when Fred, discovering the same powder can again hooked up with a fuse, picks up the can and pursues the desperadoes, finally hurling the can at them and stunning them with the explosion. The picture gels over. Independent "THE GRIT OF A GRINGO" (Nestor), July 14.— There is abundant material here for a first class film, but the hurried action spoils the suspense. There is plenty of action and the Mexican setting is good. There is a short, spirited revolution, from which the hero emerges wounded, but in spite of this later defends his flag from insult and wins the girl. "OLD MAMMY'S SECRET CODE" (Broncho), July 16.— A threereel war number, centering about the battle of Petersburg. The hero is engaged to Marion, but his rival, Jim, attempts to compromise him with an actress, and is at first successful. A number of letters are thrown on the screen in the course of the story, all of which were rather long and too finely written. The characterizations of Grant and Lee were hardly up