Moving Picture World (Aug 1917)

1084 THE MOVING PICTURE WORLD August 18, 1917 "A Wife on Trial" Five-Reel Butterfly Offering Features Mignon Anderson and Leo Pierson in Pleasant Little Love Story. Reviewed by Robert C. McElravy. THIS five-reel number, adapted by Leo Pierson from a story by Margaret Widdemer, and produced by Ruth Ann Baldwin, is one of the cheerful, Pollyanna type of offerings. It is alive with sentiment of an appealing sort and has a Scene from "A Wife on Trial" (Butterfly). touch of what the sarcastic dramatic critics call "sugary sweetness." But it gets over extremely well and will please the average audience immensely. There is a strong feminine touch visible all through this feature. The plot itself has a strong romantic flavor. It tells of a hard-working girl librarian whose life dream has been to possess a rose garden. Nothing happens to justify her dreams in this regard until one day two of her elderly friends suggest that she marry a young man who has been paralyzed in an automobile accident. The young man has plenty of money and owns a rose garden. The girl thinks matters over and finally decides to marry him. From this point the story moves on to a quite obvious, but nevertheless, happy ending. The girl takes her injured husband to the country, where he learns to use his hands. Then along comes a burglar, who attacks the wife and shocks the husband into action again. He finds use of his limbs and saves his wife. Mignon Anderson is very charming as Phyllis, and Leo Pierson fulfills all the requirements demanded of the hero in this type of story. Ruth Ann Baldwin is to be greatly congratulated upon the artistic presentation of tnis story, as the settings have much to do with the general appeal. The photography is also good. Others in the cast are L. M. Wells, Julia Jackson, Marie van Tassel and George Pearce. "The Amazons" Marguerite Clark Featured in Morosco's Five-Part Screen Version of Pinero's Romantic Farce. Reviewed by Arthur W. Courtney. MARGUERITE CLARK'S acting saves the five-part Morosco screen version of Pinero's "The Amazons" from being rather a dull story when it is seen and not heard. The amazons are the three daughters of Lady Castlejordan, who raises her girls as boys. Marguerite Clark plays the part of Lord Tommy, one of the girls. Dressed as a boy, she attends the liveliest music hall in town. She gets in a row with a tough and knocks him over the box rail. Then she runs out into the street into the taxi of Lord Kitterly, her cousin. They do not know each other. They have never met before. He takes her to his rooms. When she revives and finds where she is, she jumps out of the window and runs home. Later he snatches her from the back of a runaway horse. The opening scene is in the girls' gymnasium with Marguerite Clark exercising on a trapeze. She has a boxing match with one of her sisters. Her travesty on the puffing and blowing of a prizefighter between rounds is one of the best bits of pantomime in the play. Another funny scene is where the three girls are dressing for dinner. The most feminine of the three, who is always late and in need of help, comes in partly dressed in camisole and evening trousers. In the Vipont home Miss Clark, 'who could not be vulgar, sits dressed as a girl with her legs crossed and exposed to the knee. Entirely too much footage is given to the ogling by old Mr. Vipont. The flirtation of the girl usher with Miss Clark dressed as a boy is a trifle low. It is not up to the Pinero scene which it represents. Lord Tweenways is the best acted part. It is the leading part in the play, but not on the screen. His "Don't do that," as a subtitle every time the Count de Grival kisses him, becomes tiresome. This is an unsuccessful attempt to use a verbal character tag on the screen. The end is much too long drawn out. The acting of the Lord Kitterly who plays opposite Marguerite Clark is poor. He is athletic, but not a heroic figure. The picture would be much more satisfying if it ended with Lady Castlejordan's recognition of her sons and daughters. This picture will interest those who know nothing of the play, and Miss Clark's part in the picture will entertain everyone. The release date is August 5. Five Christie Comedies Betty Cumpson, Margaret Gibson, Ethel Lynne and Harry Ham Leading Actors in New One-Reelers. Reviewed by Edward Weitzel. THE title of the latest Christie one-reel releases suggest that the fun in them 'will be along the lines of previous comedies of the same brand. "He Fell on the Beach," "The 14th Man," "Skirts," "Almost a Scandal" and "Down by the Sea" are the name given them, and Betty Cumpson, Margaret Gibson, Ethel Lynne and a number of other pretty girls are members of the different casts. Harry Ham is the principal male actor in several of the one-reelers, and all the pictures are played with spirit. "Almost a Scandal" is probably the most original in plot and was written by Epes W. Sargent, a pair of striped trousers being an important feature in the complications. "He Fell on the Beach" and "Down by the Sea" permit the use of a number of women's bathing suits, Pacific coast models, and "The 14th Man" contains a neat comedy motive. Taking them collectively, they are of almost even merit and are well photographed and entirely free of objectionable features. "Eye of Envy" Crane Wilbur, Featured in Five-Part Horsley Production for Art Dramas, Plays Role in Allegorical Drama. Reviewed by Margaret I. MacDonald. IN PRESENTING an allegorical drama to the public the producer is confronted with a difficult problem. In the first place, the play must be made interesting from a dramatic viewpoint, and in the second place, it must interpret faithfully that which it sets out to portray. In "Eye of Envy" the firstnamed requisite is not lacking, but the question as to the sincerity of the second is laid open. The story has to do with two male characters impersonating Ambition and Avarice, and one female character impersonating Innocence. Innocence, an unhappy young woman, now the wife of Avarice, in the course of the story tells Ambition, with whom she has fallen in love, of how when her father, a steward in the house of Avarice, took ill, in order to save his life she consented to marry his repulsive employer. In the beautiful home she has lived since her marriage a wife in name only, Ambition, on learning the story of Innocence, is consumed with the desire to possess not only the beautiful maiden, but the riches of Avarice also. He therefore calls on the spirit of the forest on the estate of Avarice to make his wish come true. At the same time Avarice has learned that his young wife loves Ambition, and also appeals to the spirit to put the youthful — -^ CMoeiNjl' Hi • f|8|Br Wjl^K m * If * i ^ m &W-1 it 1 ' ft 1 ^^^HD^IHHEHH^H^flHHHN^Hl Scene from "Eye of Envy" (Art Dramas). soul of Ambition into his body, so that his wife's affections may turn from the stranger to him. The exchange made. Avarice then employs Ambition as his secretary, wins the love of his wife and opens a conflict between himself and Ambition.