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THE MOVING PICTURE WORLD
"Kings of the Forest" (Seiig)
Reviewed by Jas. S. McQuade
THE Selig -cries of films in which wild animals played their parts created great interest and equally as great surprise at the time of their releases, nearly two years ago. The novelty of such subjects still makes a strong appeal to picture-lovers, for the dangers surrounding lonely settlers in the African wilderness are pictured with such realism in these Selig films as to excite the imagination and place the spectator in the midst of the perils.
The latest Selig spellbinder of this type is "Kings of the Forest," a two-reel subject, written and produced by Colin Campbell, of the Western company. Although his name does not appear in the cast of characters, nor he himself in the pictures, "Big Otto," Selig's wild animal expert, may well be termed the mainspring of action, so far as the acting of the majestic lions and the big cat-like leopards are concerned. < )tto's wonderful handling of these savage animals, out in the open, is truly a marvel of skillful training and control.
< »ne will hardly believe that the African scenes in these films, through which lions roam and leopards prowl, are laid on the wild animal farm of the Selig Company, near Los Angeles. Dense hrakes, beautiful stretches of glade, forbidding expanses of veldt and charming rural spots crowned with haymows, are all faithfully reproduced. So also is the cave, which shows the lioness and her cubs, with the savage lord of the family on a ledge of rock
above them. This remarkable scene will doubtless cause much wonderment among nature-lov.ers, as it is well known that a lioness will not permit her mate to come near her lair when she is bringing up her young. "Big Otto" must be asked to explain this mystery.
The part of the heroine of the story, Sona, is most satisfying!}' sustained by that capable and winsome actress, Miss Betty Harte. I have watched very closely every movement and gesture and facial expression made by Miss Harte, and did not experience the slightest discord between what should have been, in my estimation, and what was, in her enacting of Sona. Standing out prominently in mind's eye, because of Miss Harte's happy impersonation, are the following scenes: Sona's greeting of her husband, Fritz, after the birth of her first child; Sona's greeting of her old friend, John Vogel ; Sona's forlorn and physical collapse when her husband violently thrusts her from him, jealous of John Vogel ; Sona's delight in finding her child unhurt, on her return from the well ; Sona's resolute stand against her husband's brutality, when she leaves her home and braves the perils of a journey to the home of her parents, and her brave fight against savage animals to protect her child. Sona's fearlessness of being wrongly accused, by reason of her innate goodness and virtue, and her righteous resentment of her husband's coarse-grained jealousy are very quietly and effectively developed.
Scene from Selig's Two-Part Wild Animal Masterpiece, "Kings of the Forest.