Moving Picture World (Jul-Sep 1911)

yiG THE MOVING PICTURE WORLD and the fact that "Spike" entered the ring to get money to pay for an operation for his sick wife give it heart interest, but the mill is the thing. "Spike" wins and he leaves the ring never to enter it again. "Archibald, the Hero" (Lubin), August 26.— Archie, the tenderfoot, accidentally captures a bold, baa man. Later, however, the bad man escapes from jail, and Archie exhibits a brand of fear that is new in that part of the country. The conduct of the film is fresh. The story furnishes good entertainment. "A Boy of the Revolution" (Pathe), August 26.— In this film is shown something of the trials of Revolutionary time*. A Continental soldier is hidden in a hollow tree and a boy carries him food. A British soldier sees the boy and forces him to disclose the hiding place. The boy overcome with remorse succeeds in releasing him and dies in his stead. The uniforms of both the Hessian-British soldiers and of the Continentals are true to the times. "A Handsomer Man" (Vitagraph), August 26.— John was jealous. That was plain to be seen at the start and when he finds a note from his wife saying that she has gone with a handsomer man he takes his revolver and prepares to end the whole thing then and there. The telephone bell rings and his wife tells him she is out riding with her father. With his temper cooled he drops into a chair and patiently waits for her return. "Two White Roses" (Edison), August 26.— A bachelor wants to get married. After advertising, a meeting is arranged with white roses as sign and signal. They lose their roses. The complications through the loss of the roses are permeated with a delicious brand of humor quite satisfactory to the most exacting. "The Island of Ishia" (Gaumont), August 26.— An interesting travelog illustrating this volcanic island fifteen miles or so southwest of the Cape of Miseno on the Bay of Naples. It is not large, consequently about all its picturesque points have been put on the film. "A Sunday Hunting Party" (Gaumont), August 26.— A hunting party burlesque, well conceived and well carried out. The hunters are deceived into following a fox terrier instead of a fox. There are all sorts of horses and the hounds vary as widely as the horses and the chase they get is such as would tire the most vigorous, ending on the grounds of the piqued neighbor who substituted the dog for the fox .The comedy has rough and tumble passages. "Through the Window" (Pathe), August 23. — In a touching scene in this dramatic picture a child brings about a reconciliation between a father and his daughter whom he disowned because she had married against his will. It makes, taken as a whole, an effective human story, which is very well acted by Pearl White and Octavia Handworth. "The Venom of the Poppy" (Edison), August 22. — Here is a smuggling story which has some elements of novelty. There is an interesting love tale in the smuggling case in which a girl must condemn her brother or her lover, but the brother, a customs inspector, takes the matter into his own hands, and refuses to divulge the name of the leader of the smugglers, who is his sister's sweetheart. The brother resigns. But the guilty man shows great bravery in a shipwreck and is allowed to go without imprisonment. A wedding probably follows and he starts life anew where the poppy will not tempt him. "The Soul of the Violin" .(Gaumont), August 22. — In this film is told the story of a woman who inspired her husband with her violin as he painted pictures which made him famous. Then he left her and she falls into destitution, ultimately parting with her violin, her most cherished possession. She learns the location of her husband's home and borrowing a violin from a street musician plays under the window some of the music of former happier days. The memories awakened bring him in contrition to her feet and they probably live happily ever afterward. "How Betty Won the School" (Vitagraph), August 22. — A girl's boarding school is the well pictured background of this very breezy story. Betty is a Westerner, but she's afraid of worms. This girl ran away from the secret society meeting when frightened by wet marcaroni, thinking it worms. But later, when all the girls are having a spread to whcih she is not invited, she captures a burglar with her rope and immediately becomes the heroine of the school. "The Rose of Kentucky" (Biograph), August 24. — On this film we have a love story which gradually develops before the audience as a planter watches a girl he has adopted grown to womanhood under his care He loves her himself but thinks himself too old. He shows a fine character during the attack of night riders upon the planters barns. The chief point of interest is probably this attack. "Bess of the Forest" (Lubin), August 24.— A little lost American girl is found by a Mexican and taken home. Years later a young surveyor hears the story from the girls parents and later stumbles upon the Mexican s cabin and recognizes the girl from the picture of her mother in her locket The alarm is given, but the suspicious Mexican tries to get away before the cowboys arrive. However, they are overtaken and there is a fight with knives between the Mexican and the surveyor in which the surveyor is wounded and in return the Mexican is shot. After this there is a happy family reunion and the surveyor gets his reward. "The Cheyenne's Bride" (Pathe), August 24. -There is an exciting race in this picture which brought the audience in one theater out of their seats almost before it ended, lhere is enmity between the Sioux and the Cheyenne tribes. And when a Cheyenne woos a Sioux maiden he is promptly taken prisoner and condemned to death, but the girl saves him. Her incensed father binds the girl on a horse and provides a horse for a Sioux brave and the Cheyenne. The race to save the girl is exciting, but the Cheyenne wins. "A Spanish Love Song" (Melies), August 24— A double love story is carefully worked out on this him. With excellent acting and clear photography there is nothing lacking to make it an entertaining and interesting picture, lhere are dramatic situations and pretty love scenes, it is a very acceptable film. "The Spirit of the Gorge" (Edison), August II.— In this Indian picture there is a succession of thrills. There is also a good deal of Indian life shown. It is a love story. During some festivities the girl falls over a cliff into the gorge below. The chief appeals in vain for someone to rescue her. A figure is seen clambering down the rocks. It proves to be the brave who fell exhausted on a long run and lost her. He reaches the water, seizes a canoe, but it is dashed to pieces on the rocks. He swims to the drowning girl and keeps her above water until the tribe arrives and takes her out. "Fate's Funny Frolic" (Essanay), August 25.— The perversity of fate furnishes the situation pictured on this him. Two young people are invited to a house party and the hostess, as a matchmaker, purposes to see that something comes of it. But unkind fate decrees that they shall meet before she has the pleasure of introducing them and there are certain circumstances connected with each meeting which put the young man in a bad light and after the third mishap the young woman has him arrested. Fate was only playing, for things become straightened out and the wedding eventually takes place. This is a bright story acceptably told and has much in it to amuse as the picture runs. "The Little Cripple" (Kalem), August 25.— While the producers of this film do not say that they intended any particular propaganda when they released it, there is no question that it will serve as important a purpose in helping to overcome the unreasonable prejudice which exists in the minds of many toward hospitals. It represents parents objecting to sending their crippled child to a hospital for treatment, but being persuaded to do so are overjoyed at her recovery. The story is fairly well told and the happiness of the family after its re-union is almost contagious. It seems to affect the whole audience. Everyone wants to share in it. "Nick Winter Turns a Trick" (Pathe), August 25.— Nick Winter (photoplay goers will remember him) sees a burglar take a sum of money. He disguises himself and undertakes to steal it from the thief's pocket. He is arrested, but the police insist upon the victim accompanying them to the station house. There the detective discloses his identity and the burglar is placed where he will do no harm for a time. "Eastern Europe" (Pathe), August 25.— A series of views representing scenes in the east of Europe. Like all the Pathe travelogs they are well photographed and the pictures are acceptable. "Across the Mountain Passes of New Zealand" I Pathe), August 25.— In this scenic the artist has selected his views carefully and the pictures afford an acceptable reproduction of the picturesque passes of a range of mountains in New Zealand. Such pictures, when well photographed, are good additions to a program. Perhaps the most serious fault with this one is that it is too short.