Moving Picture World (April-June 1915)

242 THE MOVING PICTURE WORLD April 10, 1915 and having his hero killed upon the field of battle, Col. Brady has again let "even-handed justice" decide the issue. The woman who so lightly threw aside her youthful sweetheart and learns to regret her act, is made to pay the penalty in solitude and in tears. What the French call tlie scene a faire — in this case, the one between the wife and the former sweetheart— is omitted. The two women never meet, but tlie child of the one becomes the charge of the other. Cant and rant have no place in this play, and the people of it do not move and have Scene from "Lifting the Ban of Coventry" (Vitagraph). their being by right of dramatic license and the demands of stage technique. In making of this splendid melodrama high praise must be accorded Director Wilfrid North for his sympathetic and intelligent treatment of the theme; to Darwin Karr for his manly and convincing impersonation of the young officer; to Julia Swayne Gordon as the wife; to Lillian Walker as the cadet's sweetheart; and to Rose Tapley, Harry Northrup, Ned Finley, Helen Costello, and the rest of the cast for their effective acting. The scenes at West Point, those showing army life in the Southwest, and the battle scenes in the Philippines are noteworthy for their accuracy and the interest they incite. This silent drama not only fulfills its mission, in being uncommonly good entertainment, but sends a ringing message to the rising generation — a triumph call to duty, that will not be denied. "The Ladder of Fortune" An Interesting Two-Reel Rex Production, Featuring Ben Wilson. Reviewed by Margaret I. MacDonald. IN this production Ben Wilson is seen in a role that is in many ways well suited to his talents. The character is less passive than some in which this talented actor has appeared and gives more opportunity for lusty work. The story of the production has been written by John B. Clymer, and has been staged by Clem Easton. Dorothy Phil Scene from "The Ladder of Fortune" (Rex). lips playing opposite Wilson is particularly pleasing in the role of the beautiful Italian woman who loved the violinist, who for the possession of his' lady love fights a duel with the insolent Navarro, the suitor favored by the young woman's father, and supposing that he has killed bim, rushes off to America. The picture is attractive principally because of the excellent cast that has been chosen to portray the various characters. The story is somewhat unusual, but shows a remarkable tendency toward always having things come out straight. Once or twice there is noticeable an inconsistent jump between scenes that have too slight a connection; but also there are moments in the production where one is inclined to pay tribute to the director. The first portion of the picture is supposedly in Italy, while the latter half is set in America. Here the violinist, who through a turn of circumstances becomes foreign manager of a large business concern, has the good fortune to inherit the sum of $300,000, which has been left him by a Bowery recluse wliom he has aided while he himself was a member of the bread line. The young woman follows to America, and all goes happily, the picture closing with the honeymoon. "The Man Who Found Himself" The World Film Corporation Makes a Strong Picture from a Play by George Broadhurst — Robert Warwick the Star. Reviewed by Lj-nde Denig. SOME time ago George Broadhurst wrote a drama which he called "The Mills of the Gods," a title tha.t would never do for a picture nowadays. It has been used too often. The story, as produced in five reels by Frank H. Crane for the World Film Corporation, was rechristened "The Man Who Found Himself" and under this name will be released on April 5. The production is a worthy successor to "Alias Jimmy Valentine," in that it possesses a story of sustained dramatic quality and presents Robert Warwick in a strong role. Sing Sing, a resort that motion picture men seem determined to advertise, has its place in the scheme of things, and oddly enough, a novel method of contriving a convict's escape ia introduced. James Clarke (Mr. Warwick) is an unselfish thief, for the money he takes from the cash box is used to send his con Scene from "The Man Who Found Himself (World Film). sumptive sister to the health-restoring West. That, of course, gives him the sympathy of the audience, which has no use for the villainous Payton, whose theft is not explained by kind motives. Both are living in Sing Sing when a motion picture director takes a company of players to the prison to stage a scene. The actors In the garb of convicts, and the temporary abandonment of the customary watchfulness, give Clarke an opportunity to escape, and later, clinging to the rear of the automobile carrying the troupe, he is carried to the World Film Corporation's Fort Lee studio, where he changes his clothes and walks away without exciting suspicion. All this is made plausible and becomes appreciably more effective than the wall-scaling accomplishments of the customary escaped convict. Under another name. Clarke re-establishes himself, is blackmailed by Payton and finally, after he has given his tormentor the severest sort of a beating, voluntarily returns to Jail to serve out his time, thereby finding himself — meaning his moral conscience. In the handling of the story, rather than its theme, the spectator will find a welcome freshness and convincing acting in which Mr. Warwick is ably seconded by Paul McAllister. The fight between these two in the concluding reel is genuine to the point of being thrilling. Arline Pretty, a recent addition to the World Film acting forces, is a pleasing heroine. Instead of using "The Next Day," "A Few Days Later." or "Three Months Later" in sub-titles, the passage of time is conveyed by the falling leaves of a calendar, and every now and then the figure of old Father Time himself passes significantly across the screen. Among substitutes for hackneyed phrases this one is very acceptable and speaks well for the ingenuity of the man who originated it.