Moving Picture World (May 1916)

May 20, 1916 THE MOVING PICTURE WORLD 1353 " The Isle of Love " Five Reel Gaumont, Featuring Gertrude McCoy. Reviewed by Louis Reeves Harrison. jj>-|-*HE Isle of Love" might be classified as a comedy melodrama, though the author seems to have forgotten that he is not writing for the stage, where the possible improbable is tolerated along with paste jewels and canvas trees. The mathematical chances of a girl being rescued by a young skipper from a trying situation, that of losing her clothes while in swimming, at a fishing village, and of subsequently being rescued from the machinations of a vil Scene from "The Isle of Love" (Gaumont). lainous suitor aboard yacht, by the same skipper, now captain of the yacht, are hardly within the range of demonstrable possibility, but when the same girl is rescued a third time by the same man at sea, this time because she happens to travel on a ship where he happens to be the wireless operator, we are entering the sphere of the pipe-dreamer, casting both abstract and concrete probability to the winds. As a vehicle for Gertie McCoy, the story might have been reasonably plausible and yet shown us how she has developed. Sylph-like Gertrude has grown since she left the Edison Company, and we are not permitted to forget for this great length of time in "The Isle of Love." Introduced as an Aphrodite, rising out of a white foam of lingerie, she eventually becomes a "Goddess of Love" when cast away on a desert Island with the rescuing young skipper and compelled to wear leaves Instead of a dancing frock. Gertie is physically well-featured and her nice proportions constitute the entire attraction of the play. " Alien Souls " A Most Interesting Lasky Production in Which the Famous Japanese Actor Sessue Hayakawa Is Featured. Reviewed by W. Stephen Bush. THIS Lasky feature is conspicuous for many of the excellent Lasky characteristics, such as lighting effects, atmosphere, attention to detail and, above all things, beauty. The story is not only interesting and original, but it is exceedingly well told and altogether calculated to awaken both the interest and the sympathy of the audience. As in the other great production, "The Cheat," the settings of Japanese interiors and exteriors are of singular charm and beauty. The theme tells of the childish folly of a pretty Japanese maiden -who, though betrothed to one of her own race, longs for recognition from white society. She is altogether guileless and is easily deceived by the pretensions of an impecunious adventurer who makes love to her and offers to marry her. Her Japanese lover, splendidly impersonated by Sessue, vainly appeals to her loyalty. The little girl is infatuated and is about to fall into the snare prepared by the wily adventurer when at the last moment her poverty is revealed. Hei> white lover, who had hoped to recoup himself with the girl's supposed great fortune, loses all further Interest in her. She feels disgraced beyond all hope and, acting up to the traditions of her country, she seeks to destroy herself. If the playwright had permitted her to succeed there would, of course, have been no happy ending, but it would have been a logical one, full of real strength. As It stands now, It not only seems somewhat illogical, but to many it will seem unintelligible. If you believe In happy endings as an absolute necessity you will have no trouble in forgiving the strange finish of the play. " The Wheat and the Chaff " Three Reel Lubin Photoplay, Written by Josephine McLaughlin and Directed by Melvin Mayo. Reviewed by Edward Weitzel. ,(^pHE Wheat and the Chaff" was produced for the Lubin Company, under the personal supervision of Captain Wilbert Melville. It is a play of modern life, and the diversity of character employed In telling its story insures a number of dramatic situations. These situations do not always have the ring of truth, however, the character drawing of the author being after the manner of the old melodramas, Scene from "The Wheat and the Chaff" (Lubin). where the hero and heroine were spotless; also, the villainall black. This antiquated form of play construction still finds many admirers, and "The Wheat and the Chaff" is a good example of melodrama made after the recipe of the Popular Circuit dramatists of a decade ago. Two brothers are leading male characters of the photoplay. One, a prominent lawyer and politician; the other, half-witted but devoted to his brother. Peggy Woods, a cabaret dancer, Is in love with the politician and he with her, but he sacrifices his feelings to his ambition and marries the daughter of a political "Boss" who can serve his ambition to become Governor. Peggy resolves on suicide, but changes her mind, and is accidentally shot with the revolver belonging to Jerry. The boy is tried for the murder. Believing that his brother killed the girl, Jerry will not speak and, although Charles knows the truth, he also withholds his evidence. The night of his elections he has a vision of his brother on the scaffold and dies of heart disease. Jerry is acquitted. The production is commendable, the cast consisting of Cecil Van Aukor, Allan Forrest, Adelaide Bronti, Ruth Saville, Geo. Routh, Evelyn Page and Walter Spencer. Russell Choosing Company. "Bill" Russell having completed the screening of "Soul Mate," forthcoming Mutual Masterpictures, De Luxe Edition, in which he also stars, is selecting a company of players for his next feature production. It will be released in five reels and has been adapted from one of the recent popular novels. Charlotte Burton will be the chief support of Russell. Cochrane Hits BulPs-Eye. Director George Cochrane has started a one-reel comedydrama entitled "Pinkey's Bull's Eye," featuring Thomas Jefferson and little Zoe Bech. The story is by Calder Johnstone. " The End of the World " Two Highly Spectacular Reels Make Great Northern SixPart Production an Exceptional Offering. Reviewed by Lynde Denig. TO FORESEE the end of the world — as some pessimistic soul does every once in a while — is, no doubt, to imagine a cosmic catastrophe not unlike that depicted in this sixreel Great Northern drama. Humanity is literally swept from the face of the earth by an irresistible combination of devastating elements. With flames shooting from the sky to burn all the habitations of man, and earthquakes moving the ocean into unaccustomed places, one is offered a choice between death by fire or water — nothing more. The only known survivors of the day that a reckless comet collided with the world, are the hero, the heroine and the camera man, who preserved his negative. As a spectacle this production scores emphatically, and the impression left by the overwhelming calamity depicted in reels five and six is made stronger by reason of the preparation in earlier scenes. This is no sudden, unheralded visitation. An astronomer had discovered the comet some months before, also that it was due to visit the earth with dire consequences. A feeling of impending doom is created in harmony with the progress of the story, which, in the main, concerns a miner, his two daughters and a wealthy stock broker who inveigles one of the daughters from the parental home.