The Moving picture world (June 1921)

542 MOVING PICTURE WORLD June 4, 1921 Newest Reviews and .Comments "If Women Only Knew" Robertson-Cole Release, Produced by J. y. Naultv and Gardner Hunting, Avoids the Conventional Reviewed bv Kdward Weitzel. Based upon Balzac's "Meditations on Mar- riage" the Nautly-Hunting production, It Women Only Knew," raises an interesting question: Is the screen public ready lor the romance which avoids the convent- tional hero and heroine and draws men and women as they really are—a puzzhng mixture of good and evil impulses? Ihe great French novelist, whose voluminous works encompassed all phases of humanity, took his own time in dissecting his dif- ferent characters, but screen fiction is lim- ited as to length. It takes the hand of a master to draw unheroic and commonplace types and make them interesting. So far, there has been no creator of film fiction who has dealt onlv with the drab side of humanity with marked financial success. The producers of "If Women Only Knew have used the utmost freedom m adapt- ing the Balzac story to the demands of the American moving picture market. The complications fit in well enough to present every day life on this side of the Atlantic, but the young man whose love affairs are the subject of the story seems a trifle behind the times. For one thing, he seems greatly in need of a sense of humor; also of a little pep. The chap who had courage enough to drag his school chum out of a burning building at the risk of his life would put up a better fight with adverse circumstances. The hang-dog walk and beaten look given Maurice Travers by Rob- ert Gordon become tiresome and rob the character of sympathy. "If Women Only Knew" is intelligently produced, and contains a fire episode and a reproduction of a college strip-poker partv that will make distinct impressions. Well known locations in New York have been cleverly utilized. The acting of Blanche Davenport, Madeline Clare and Virginia Lee is capital. In certain scenes there is too great a contrast in age be- tween Robert Gordon and Miss Clare. The Cant Maurice Travers Robert Gordon Mrs. Travers Blanche Davenport Madeline Marshall Madeline, Clare Donna "Wayne Virginia Lee BiUie Thorne Leon Gendron Dr. John Strong Charles Lane Donnas father Frederick Burton Professor Storey Harold Vosburgh Story Adapted by Gardner Hunting. Directed by E. H. Griffith. Length, 5,.^-»9 Feet. The Story The mother of Maurice Travers scrapes and saves to send him through college, but he prefers athletics to .studies, and fails to graduate. He also prefers the lively daugh- ter of a wealthy trustee of the college to Madeline Marshall, an orphan girl who has been brought up by his mother and who loves Maurice in secret. Mrs. Travers is hurt by a fall, and Maurice does not want to tell her when he fails to graduate. He leaves a note, and goes to New York, taking Donna Wayne, the girl he loves, with him. They are married, and Donna has a fine time on money of her own, until she quar- rels with her husband and he leaves the hotel. Her father has visited them and told her that Maurice must support her. He tries to get work but falls. Madeline writes him that his mother has lost her eyesight, and he goes home. When he returns he finds that his wife is planning to run away with a wealthy admirer who had been Mau- rice's chum at college. Mrs. Travers dies. Maurice's wife gets a divorce from him and he i;oes back home to discover that Madeline is Lhe woman whose unselfish love will bring him happiness. "Snowblind" CoWti'V)! Production of High-Pressure Drama Has Beautiful Winter Scenes and Is Well Acted Reviewed by Edward Weitzel. "Snowblind" is a very serious story and is filled with high-pressure drama. During the greater part of the action the four leading characters are anything but happy. Hugh Garth, the cause of his own and his friends' sorrow, is one of those all wrong persons who have a positive genius for making trouble. With such a man domi- nating the story, it is hardly reasonable to expect many smiles from the faithful creatures who share his exile after he has murdered a man. The love interest is a strong one, however, and there is good c instruction in the piecing together of the incidents. An escaped murderer with a gift for making pretty speeches and a strong emotional bent would be quite likely to make existence anything but common- place for his companions, and the wilds of the Canadian Northwest is the natural set- ting for the display of primitive feeling and unreasoning selfishness which is the motive power of the plot. The locations show many beautiful winter scenes. "Snowblind" is well acted. Russell Simp- son as the murderer follows faithfully the lines of characterization laid down for him by the author. Naturally, the part is unsympathetic, a condition which is not helped by the large frame of the actor. Mary Alden and Cullen Landis are excellent as the devoted friend and the brother of Garth. Pauline Starke is earnest and ap- pealing as Sylvia. The character is ideal- ized considerably for a dance hall perform- er, but Miss Starke makes her possible. The Cast Hugh Garth Russell Simpson Bella Mary Alden Pete Cullen Landis Sylvia Pauline Starke Story by Katherine Newlin Burt, Scenario by J. G. Hawks. Directed by Reginald Barker. Length, Five Reels. The Story Hugh Garth, a man of learning and social position, warped in mind as well as in body on account of his ugliness of form and fea- ture, kills the brother of the woman he loves when he Is laughed at for asking for the sister's hand. Garth flees to the Cana- dian Northwest, taking his small brother with him and a nurse for the boy. Although in constant fear of arrest. Garth is unmo- lested until Pete, his brother, has grown to manhood. Pete then finds that a circular containing his brother's picture is hanging in the trading post where he goes to dis- pose of their furs. Garth is morose and treats his brother and Pete's foster mother with unkindness. One day he returns to ther cabin, bearing a young girl in his arms. She has run away from a traveling show troupe and has been stricken with snow blindness. Her name is Sylvia and she. clings closely to the man who has saved her life. Garth tells her that Pete is an overgrown boy of fourteen and that Bella, the young man's foster mother, is old and repulsive. The hunted man is over- come by Sylvia's gratitude and falls in love with her. He has a gift for making pretty speeches and wins the blind girl's heart. Pete is in love with her also, and she adds to his misery by treating him as a boy of fourteen and bestowing caresses upon him. When she regains her eyesight and sees her companions in their true colors, her heart turns to Pete. Garth turns to Bella, who has always loved him, and together they take a canoe and escape into the wilder- ness. Profirram and Exploitation Catchllnen: -Another Reginald Barker Production, ■Snowblind." Has Gorgeous Winter "Swat That Fly" "Swat that Fly," is a timely Kineto Re- view. And after seeing on the screen the reasons why the fly should be "swatted" you'll probably give the plan your fullest accord. For the pictures make it very plain that there's no reason at all for the fly to be on earth except to disseminate disease germs. And as no one is in favor of having disease germs disseminated, there seems to be no good reason for letting Mr. Fly exist. Showing some of the ways in which flies carry disease from place to place are some of the features of the film. They are seen crawling over decayed fish and other disease-breeding places, and then sailing blithely on to the nipple of a baby's milk bottle. And an illustration of the way they lay their larvae in the meat which the house-wife lays for a moment uncovered on the kitchen table is another view that should help to make human beings their implacable enemies. Pictures of the fly's head, largely mag- nified, are also shown, giving a good look at his repellant countenance. His multiple eyes are also portrayed on the screen, but in spite of his wariness a method is shown by which he can be trapped and disposed of by the thousands.—T. S. da P. "The Life History of Frogs and Toads" How frogs and toads grow from an embryonic state into maturity, including every stage of their development, is shown in Charles Urban's Kineto Review entitled, "The Life History of Frogs and Toads." The film is much more interesting than would be gathered from the title. First the spawn is shown and it would take a good deal of imagination to foresee that the mass would ultimately become living creatures. The spawn, a gelatine like sub- stance, is shown first as it sinks in water. When it is ready for development it rises to the surface. From this conglomerate mass the de- velopment of the frog is seen. He is first a tadpole with feathery gills. The gills disappear as the creature gains size. Then the hind legs begin to grow. As this growth proceeds the tail shortens, and the front legs "sprout." At full growth the frog or toad is exceedingly greedy as is illustrated on the film when a worm which makes his sides bulge out is swallowed, inch by inch.— T. S. da P. "Southern Exposure" Here is a lively two-reel Christie Comedy based on the financial difficulties of a young married couple, played by Neal Burns and Vera Steadman. Uncle writes he is com- ing to see his niece's husband for the first time, and that if he likes the chap, he will give them a home. Of course, the lesser half has to get in wrong with Uncle before either recognizes the other, and he dons the garb of a southern colonel to avoid detection. Then chorus girls add to his difficulties, but Uncle proves a good sport at the end and hands over a welcome check. Ogden Crane, Ray Gallagher, Dor- othy Orth, Eugenie Forde and Jack Hen- derson assist in the fun, which is up to the Christie standard. Educational is releas- ing the comedy. S. S. Scenes and a Strong Story of a Hunted Man.