Moving Picture World (Sep 1916)

1818 THE MOVING PICTURE WORLD ffliMiiiiiiiiiiiiiiumiim. ^jy" i.lll IHIIILIIIIIIIIIlllHIIIIHlll)l|ll|^flLM" --^11111117^11 '^<A^ A AAA AAA A A fJD^'\^^^kirKJ September 16, 1916 (dk. Reviews of Current Productions jm^ EXCLUSIVELY BY OUR OWN STAFF "The Fear of Poverty" Five-Part Thanhouser Production Featuring Florence La Badie Creditable Addition to Pathe Gold Rooster Program. Review by Margaret I. MacDonald. THE second of the Agnes C. Johnson stories to appear on the Gold Rooster program evidences the same carefully devised characterization, and the same remarkable insight into things human. There is the same tendency to pic Scene from "The Fear of Poverty" (Thanhouser). ture life in snatches rather than to arrange facts in conventional story form, and the effect is good because the central idea is made clear. Florence LaBadie is the featured member of the cast, playing a double role, that of mother and daughter. Miss LaBadie is to be especially commended for her portrayal of these two distinct chacters — the one that of the girl reared in poverty, who later realizes her desire for wealth, accompanied by a fear of poverty which saps the sweetness from every joy, and the other that of the daughter whose mother, in constant watchfulness that her daughter should want for none of the luxuries of life, aids in the development of a selfish nature. The tragic result of her marrying a supposedly wealthy social parasite rather than the poor but manly artist is a fitting climax to the story. In the supporting cast are George Mario, Edwin Stanley, Ethyl Cooke and other competent players. The production has had the advantage of careful staging, and, as would be expected from the nature of the subject, is of excellent moral tone. The scenes, taken on New York's east side, are well chosen and interesting. There is plenty of opportunity in the play for all concerned, the rusult being that the flow of action is continuous and easy. "Little Miss Happiness'' June Caprice and Harry Hilliard Have Leads in Love Story — It Is Artificial, but Has Suspense. Reviewed by Hanford C. Judson. WITH a situation in a picture that the author of the script the director :iud players could hardly believe in, one need not be surprised to flrid artificially drawn characters. In the recent Vox picture, "Little Miss Happiness," most of the characters are forced to picture the story first and be true to humanity afterward as much as they can. That quite a few of then) do man&ge to gel real human moments now mid then into their parts is to the credit of all concerned. 'Pl\e plot, written by Clarence Harris, evidences just enough grey matter to make it acceptable — many people will like it — but it. is not largely original nor mostly convincing, nor free l mm padding;. It is lust pretty fair. John Adolphi produced it and there are many good bits in it, especially in the latter half. The sets are apt to bo pretty and sometimes they ara appropriate to the story, sometimes not. There are scenes that don't help much; there are parts of the story that are skimped and parts that are dragged out. It is a commercial offering and is commendable as such it will serve. June Caprice and Harry Hilliard have the leads in the love story set in a village. The first has a conventional close-tonature part, the sweet, unspoiled flower kind. She lives with a grandmother, very pleasingly played by Sara Alexander. Hilliard plays the business-like, manly son of the village usurer, very conventional, whose wife is a motherly person, sensibly acted, who wins sympathy. Their other child, a daughter, played by Zena Keefe, has to carry the burden (the part of life's sorrow) as a kind of second heroine; she is but principally to furnish the baby which the heroine claims as "hers," for didn't her best friend give it to her to keep while she sought for her husband? The picture gets the situation all set out, then it hurries up the happy ending. "The Shielding Shadow'' First Four Episodes of the New Pathe Serial Give Promise of Exceptional Entertainment Values. Reviewed by Margaret I. MacDonald. FOLLOWING the example of other serial productions released by the Pathe Exchange, Inc., "The Shielding Shadow," which offers itself to the public gaze in fifteen parts, is fraught with those moments of thrilling suspense that the before said public expects and hopes for. This serial is being made by the Astra Film Corporation, with Louis J. Gasnier and Donald MacKenzie comprising the directing staff, while pretty Grace Darmond, Ralph Kellard and Leon Bary are the featured members of the cast. Its first four episodes are entitled respectively "Treasure Trove," "Into the Depths," "The Mystic Defender" and "The Earthquake." Its story, written by Randall Parrish, has been scenarioized by George Brackett Seitz, takes the form of extreme melodrama, boasts much of the artistic in its manner of staging and is thoroughly absorbing. Grace Darmond, in addition to being otherwise captivating in appearance, dresses the role of Leontine Walcott, in love with Jerry Carson, a young writer, and practically forced by her father into a loveless marriage with Sebastian Navarro, a Spaniard, exquisitely. The tragedy of the story thus far hinges about the death of one Diego, a tool of the Spaniard, during a fight between Scene from "The Shielding Shadow" (Pathe). he and Carson over a forged note in which Carson is purported to have said that he would settle a certain debt after bis marriage to Leontine. Carson, arrested on circumstantial evidence, is sent to serve a life term in prison, but effects a thrilling escape when lie takes the place of a dead body about to be buried at sea from aboard the prison ship, cuts the rope binding the lid of the coffin and rises miraculously from the bottom of the sea. On the report of his death Leontine is