Paramount Press Books (1918)

Beautiful, Thrilling, Artistic Masterpiece. Many Stirring Scenes SSERTING that there are plenty of stirring scenes and dramatic climaxes in “The White Heather,” the New York Evening Telegram says : ‘ ‘ There are plenty of stirring scenes and dramatic climaxes at the Eialto Theatre this week, where Maurice Tourneur ’s production of ‘ 1 The White Heather” reveals what admirable material for movie thrillers is to be found in the famous Drury Lane melodramas. ‘ ‘ On the screen the story is told with greater freedom and in wider spaces than in the ordinary theatre. The beauty of the Scotch Highlands, the lure of the ocean and the mysteries of its depth are revealed on the screen as they never were in the theatre.” Almost the Whole Show According to the New York Evening Sun, “The White Heather” was not only the feature at the Rivoli Theatre, but it came near being the whole show. The writer says : ‘ ‘ ‘ The White Heather, ’ a photoplay adapted from the Drury Lane melodrama by Cecil Raleigh and Henry Hamilton, is not only the feature at the Rialto, but also comes pretty near being the whole show. ‘‘Scenically and photographically ‘ ‘ The White Heather ’ ’ as produced by Maurice Tourneur is all that could be desired. There are scenes that look like Scottish landscapes (at least to any one who, like the writer, has never been to Scotland) ; there are scenes in the London Stock Exchange; there are courtroom scenes; there are scenes in an underworld inn, and as a climax there is a lively fight to the death at the bottom of the sea between two divers. The picture indeed is perfectly made and has the same perfection that an AlmaTadema picture has.” Outdoes Jules Verne HAT “The White Heather” outdoes Jules Verne in many of its existing scenes is the verdict of the New York Sun, which said: ‘‘The White Heather” at the Rialto swept away any lingering doubts one might have had about the value of the army’s system of copying everything in triplicate. If the heroine in this version of the Drury Lane melodrama had only copied in triplicate the record of her clandestine marriage to Lord Angus Cameron of Throgmorton street and the Scotch heather, then the lives of three persons might have been saved. But that would have prevented several exciting scenes, including an undersea fight between two men in divers ’ costumes that Jules Yerne could not outdo.-’ ’ A Thrilling Story Harrietts underhill, a well known screen reviewer, writes the following, which was published in the New York T ribune : “ ‘The White Heather’ is a thrilling story and the photography is beautiful. Of such things as we saw yesterday at the Rialto in Maurice Tourneur’s production we never dreamed. Think of going to the bottom of the sea! These things are the real thing, because they were photographed with the Williamson submarine device. ’ ’ Effects Thrill and Amaze THE critic of the New York Evening Post, an ever conservative newspaper, declares that “The White Heather” contains scenes which thrill and amaze. He writes briefly : ‘ ‘ The film allows a greater field for spectacular scenes than the play, and the director has taken advantage of this fact and added effects which thrill and amaze. ’ ’ Realistic Achievement THAT Maurice Tourneur’s production is “one of the most startling and artistic achievements depicted in a long time, is the comment of the New York Pier aid, which says : ‘ ‘ Maurice Tourneur, who gave the screen ‘Sporting Life,” from the Drury Lane melodrama of the same name, presented the more celebrated ‘‘The White Heather” from the same theatre, at the Rialto yesterday. It was adapted from Cecil Raleigh and Henry Hamilton’s play, but where scenic devices were used on the stage, the camera has gone under the seas and over the mountains in an amazing way. ‘ ‘ Many fathoms under the sea men struggle through one reel. The wreckage at their feet, the fish all about them and the bubbles of escaping air from their helmets, make the scene one of the most startling and realistic achievements depicted in a long time.” An Absolute Masterpiece A PICTURE reviewer has this to say in Variety, a leading theatrical publication : ‘‘This is an absolute masterpiece of motion picture direction and photography and a triumph for Maurice Tourneur, who directed the production. While it is not a particularly strong story at any time, and it is rather of the real old type of Drury Lane melodrama from beginning to end, the picture will .stand out on the strength of the thrills that the camera has made possible and which could not be secured on the stage. ‘‘The big scene in the play was the underwater battle of the hero and the villian in diving suits. This Tourneur has secured through the use of the Williamson underwater photographing device. The scene is wonderfully well played, and the fight is one of the real thrills of the picture. ‘‘From a photographic standpoint there is nothing better that could be asked for than some of the shots in this picture; some of the scenes are truly exquisite, and in several places the tinting is delightful. ‘‘The cast is an adequate one, with Mabel Ballin playing the leading feminine character. She looks pretty and is a most capable actress. H. E. Her bert plays the heavy role and Ralph Graves is the hero. Jack Gilbert as Dick Beach did a corking fall, after a shooting in the slum scene, and Ben Alexander as the ‘ ‘ kiddie ’ ’ was a delight. “ ‘The White Heather’ is a picture that is big from a great many angles, and it is a feature that can be made with advertising. The undersea fight is the big punch and should be played up. The length is about six reels and the running time almost an hour and ten minutes.” 21