Moving Picture World (Jan-Mar 1914)

30 THE MOVING PICTURE WORLD The Third Degree. Secrets of the Modern Torture Chamber Shown in This FiveReel Lubin Picture of Charles Klein's Play. Reviewed by Hanford C. Judson. FOLLOWING its new program of regularly releasing big, multiple reel stories, the General Film Company is now readjr to present Charles Klein's popular melodrama "The Third Degree." This play attracted a great deal of attention and had a gratifying run as a Broadway success; it was one of the hits of its season. The picture was produced by the Lubin Company under the direction of Barry O'Neil. It is in five reels and has been carried over to the screen with a reasonable measure of success. At least it can be said that the story is there. Not evenly effective and perhaps not wholly justifying all the film used in putting it over, it is, once its situation has been stated — at the beginning of the third reel — cumulatively interesting until, at the beginning of the fifth reel, the sharp-eyed spectator can foresee the end or thinks he can. There is more interest in the fifth reel than he can foresee; but the plot at that point has grown, by comparison with what went before, a bit thin and its interest is of a lesser degree. Scene from "The Third Degree" (Lubin). The quality of the story must be taken into account as a valuable asset. On that alone it stands as a worth while production. The staging is as natural as life. With the picture's perfect photography, the sets and backgrounds seem just what was actually there, supposing the story as taken from life. Of the acting, we can not say much either to condemn or praise: it certainly was not what we can call brilliant. Bernard Seigel's picture of Dr. Bernstein is a bit of relief that we can notice with pleasure. In the work of Gaston Bell, as Howard, there were some fine moments; but he was uneven. George Seule Spen';er, as Lawyer Brewster, like Robert Durbar, as Jefferies Sr., gave an intelligent, even picture of his part without really striking fire. The police captain, by Bartly McCullum, seemed lacking in the rough fibre of face and in the real dominating gestures needed. Carlotta Doti, as Annie, the waitress wife of Howard, was unfortunate in the moments when she turned up her nose which she was called upon to do quite often. Eloquence was needed and it seemed not adequate. Her Annie was, except in the early scenes, a rather cold-blooded person who failed to take the spectator wholly into her confidence or share her trouble with him. Lily Leslie, as the new wife of JefJeries Sr., was correct except where emotion was needed; she seemed to have none. Robert Whittier plays Underwood, the weakling suicide, acceptably; it is not a big part. There is much naturalness in the first two reels which are used solely to state a rather complicated situation. The five important characters are made to stand out clearly without confusion. We find the two boys, Howard and Underwood, at college where Annie is waitress. Annie shines in these restaurant scenes where Howard, in a drunken spleen, insults her and then comes back and makes his apologies, which incident is the beginning of love. Underwood borrows some money from Howard after a football game, a fine scene showing an immense crowd, and then he leaves college. Howard's father is introduced with his new wife and at a party Howard introduces her to his chum Underwood, and we are shown that Mrs. Jefiferies and he have been sweethearts. In the second reel, L'nderwood has opened a studio where he sells curios that we soon learn are spurious and, depending on his friendship with Mrs. Jefferies, is using her name to help him make her friends his patrons. In the meantime, Howard is expelled from college and has come home with Annie as his wife. For this, his father casts him off and he is unable to get work. Underwood gets into trouble with creditors and writes a letter to Mrs. Jefferies Sr. threatening to commit suicide unless she will continue to help him in the business which she has learned is not honest. This letter is to play an important part in the plot. Howard calls to ask Underwood to repay the college loan, is drunk and falls asleep on Underwood's sofa just as Mrs. Jefferies Sr. comes, not very convincingly, to tell Underwood that his threat is nothing to her. That she may not see Howard, Underwood has placed a screen around the sofa and. when she has gone he really does shoot himself. The police find Howard, and Captain Clinton tries to make him confess himself a murderer. Dr. Bernstein is called to examine the body and notices the boy already more or less under the hypnotic sway of Clinton. ^ tl aM' * 1^ • , <^ ^ ' X/ > «' ■ :a^^ _ • f :j-^ 9 ,'^ ■ ■iflMMBAfV^Bl^AdlKa%U' >^' .•t^.aie.1 1 Q%>\' WSmmWSma ^m ' ^^^Co.,I^Y Scene from "The Third Degree" (Lubin). The situation is now completely stated and the real story of the police method of torturing a confession out of a victim is begun. The helpless captive is in the claws of the unscrupulous captain who wants a victim. His father, when he is shown the confession wrung from Howard by lengthened torture, takes side against him and admonishes Brewster, his lawyer, to have nothing to do with the case. Mrs. Jefiferies also hears of the confession and decides to keep the note secret. Annie alone is pitted against the redoubtable captain. The doctor has told her that the boy has been hypnotized and that his confession is meaningless, but lawyer Brewster refuses to see her. This state of affairs is effective in producing an emotion of concern in the spectator's heart. The poor boy's condition as Mr. Bell shows it is, with his playing in the opening scenes, his best work. Annie's persistance at length gets her an interview with Brewster whom she succeeds in interesting. Weak Mrs. Jefiferies is also cleverly brought again into the plot at this point in order that she may be frightened into thinking that she herself may be suspected of the crime if found out as the woman who visited Underwood. This, of course, is to hold off the denouement. But it is not long before she is recognized and becomes a part of the forces for the defense and the suspense is practically ended at the beginning of the fifth reel. Of course, the captain will not give in without a fight; but what chance has he if the picture is going to end in one reel? Then we have the trial, acquittal and the happy ending with everybody forgiven. It criticises the plot a bit, thus to see it thrown up so barely against a screen; but there is enough to it to hold and it deals with very interesting things. CHANGE OF THANHOUSER "JOSEPH" TITLE. "Joseph, Son of Jacob," the Thanhouser biblical feature, has been renamed. "Joseph in the Land of Egj-pt" is the final title. Eugene Moore staged the biblical play for Thanhouser, using James Cruze as Joseph and Marguerite Snow as the wife of Potiphar. "Joseph in the Land of Egypt" goes out as a four-reel Thanhouser "Big Production" on February first.. Special music is again offered gratis by the Thanhouser Company, as on "Legend of Provence," "Frou Frou" and other releases in the "big productions" list.