Moving Picture World (Jul-Sep 1915)

July 10, 1915 THE MOVING PICTURE WORLD 317 & Reviews of Current Productions Two Biograph Features. "Reapers of the Whirlwind" and "A Daughter of Earth" Are Dramatic Subjects of Considerable Strength. Reviewed by Lynde Denig. JFARRELL MACDONALD is the producer of these twom reel dramas, introducing* the same players with a few exceptions. In "Reapers of the Whirlwind" the cast comprises Charles H. Mailes, Violet Reid, Jose Ruben, Gretchen Ha it nt a n and D. Raymond Nye; whereas in "A Daughter of Scene from "Reapers of the Whirlwind" (Biograph). Earth" the last three players named appear in company with Edward Cecil and Alan Hale. Mr. Ruben, who_ in "Reapers of the Whirlwind" makes his debut as a Biograph actor, is a recruit from the legitimate stage, certain to attract attention in this and coming productions. His personality qualifies him for juvenile roles and in combination with a youthful appearance is the sure art of a thoroughly seasoned actor trained under the best auspices. His acting is so sincere and filled with emotional feeling that one naturally hopes to see him featured more prominently than is possible in these two photoplays, although even here his characters are by no means negligible. "Reapers of the Whirlwind" is a relentlessly dramatic story Scene from "A Daughter of Earth" (Biograph). of marital infidelity in which a husband becomes infatuated with a beautiful actress, deserts his wife and son and is killed in a duel with the actress's manager. A few years later the son falls a victim to the woman's wiles, not knowing, of course, that she figured in the earlier affair with his father. The inevitable climax, strongly presented, shows how the horror of the situation is brought home to the youth and how the actress reaps the whirlwind of a trouble-making life. Miss Hartman presents a "woman of sensuous appeal in complete contrast to the country girl she portrays in "A Daughter of Earth." Here we have an expert handling of one of the favorite elementary plots, in which a farmer's daughter is spoiled for trie simplicity of life in the country and the love of a village doctor by the flattery of a wealthy man, who insists that her voice is worth a fortune. She runs away to the city and makes out surprisingly well at concerts, receptions and gay supper parties given in her honor; but when the backer of her career becomes ardently personal in his attitude, she is glad enough to return to the quiet of the little village and the genuineness of the doctor's love. There are many sympathetic touches in the presentation of this simple story. Mr. Cecil as the father of the singer and Mr. Ruben as the brother, are effective in their semblance of grief over the disruption of the family, and throughout the acting carries a tone of sincerity. Hamlet, With Forbes Robertson. The Knickerbocker Film Company Offers in Three Reels a Great Play With a Great Star and a Great Cast Supporting Him. Reviewed by Hanford C. Judson. IF ever a great play with a well known star had advertising possibilities, Forbes Robertson in "Hamlet" should draw from the start. The picture of the powerful player over the name "Hamlet" should and probably will draw many passers to enter and see the picture. It is only three reels long and is to be offered, not as a feature, but on the regular Knickerbocker program. It illustrates Robertson's acting very well and is surely a valuable contribution to stage history. The person wh cares nothing for Shakespeare, or Forbes Robertson, or for good acting, will be entertained not by a Scene from "Hamlet" (Knickerbocker). powerfully moving story clearly told, but solely by the inherent grace of the illustrations such as an artist might place in a I k. "Hamlet" is a play that should never be put into pictures for the gallery, but there is justification enough in Robertson's acting of Hamlet, in Gertrude Elliott's playing of Ophelia, and in the support that the Drury Lane players give to these two stars. There is no actor to-day whose playing of this character reaches so noble a height as Forbes Robertson. The things that he brought out of the spoken stage play absolutely astounded this reviewer when he first saw him in the part arid the play is so tremendous that, see it as often as you please, there is always something new in it to be discovered, because the mind is not able to grasp it all at once. The depth, of course, is not in the story, but in the poetry and in the humanity, which in this play reveal themselves first in the rhythmic lines themselves, then in the interpretation and finally in the stage sets and background illustration. The picture gives the backgrounds as no stage could; it also gives that part of the acting which is not dependent on the words of the poet, but solely on the actor's knowledge of their meaning. This is only a part of the whole. There are scenes in the picture of special excellence and two that are particularly beautiful and effective. The first of these, in which there is undeniable poetry, is the mad scene where Ophelia distributes flowers. In this scene, set in a church yard, the center that catches and holds the eye is the face of the actress, Gertrude Eliott, full of meaning and sub