Paramount Press Books (1918)

(Continued from Page 1 1 ) It now develops that Ipanoff is seeking to revenge himself upon a mysterious woman who had caused the arrest of his brother as an accomplice in the murder of Count Vladimir and when that brother is accidentally drowned by a freshet, which inundates the dungeon in which he is confined, his rage renders him frantic. He learns to his horror that his own wife is the woman and he seeks to strangle her, but she eludes him, and, taking poison, dies at his feet. This is an unusually dramatic photoplay with many thrilling scenes, all of which tend to render the logical development of the story extremely interesting. MME. SARAH BERNHARDT IN SARDOU’S “FEDORA” CAPTURES ALL EUROPE Famous French Actress Triumphs in Role Which W31 Be Portrayed by Pauline Frederick in Her New Paramount Picture WHEN the divine Sarah Bernhardt, returning from a world tour, returned to Paris in 1882, she received the announcement that Victorien Sardou, the foremost French playwright, had written a play especially for her. The production of this masterpiece was made a gala event in Paris. This play, "Fedora,” which runs the gamut of the human emotions, was produced in New York by Fanny Davenport, in the following year, and it has, since that day, thirty-five years ago, been a famous stage attraction. It will be shown in picture form at the Theatre next In the picturization of this great play, Pauline Frederick, the famous Paramount star, has a role fully in keeping with her capacity as an actress of the first class. Miss Frederick portrays the character of Fedora, a Russian princess, whose sweetheart, Count Vladimir, is mysteriously shot and killed on the eve of their wedding. Believing him to have been the victim of anarchists, she vows to bring his murderer to justice, and when suspicion falls upon Loris Ipanoff, a friend of the Count’s, and who disappears soon after the shooting, she follows him to Paris, where she poses as a Russian exile. At the house of a friend she meets Ipanoff and determined to force a confession from him, she leads him to believe that she reciprocates his love. He then reveals the secret of the Count’s murder, which, it appears, was due to an intrigue between the Count and Madame Ipanoff. On learning the truth, Fedora’s sentiments undergo a complete transformation, and instead of hating Ipanoff, she now sincerely loves him. She screens him from the police, whom she had called to take Ipanoff into custody, and they later return to Russia, where Ipanoff is pardoned by the Czar, and they are married. It later develops that Ipanoff’s brother, who had been arrested at the instance of Fedora for complicity in Vladimir’s murder, is drowned when the Neva overflows into the dungeon in which he is confined. News of this catastrophe kills the mother of the brothers, and Ipanoff, on learning that his brother had been betrayed by a mysterious woman, vows vengeance upon her. In vain Fedora seeks to dissuade him, but when he sends for the police officer who is to reveal to him the name of the woman in the case, Fedora admits that she is guilty. Ignoring her protestations of love, Ipanoff attempts to destroy her, but she evades him, takes poison, and falls dead at his feet. This is one of the strongest photoplays of the Sardou series in which Miss Frederick has thus far appeared, and, as in "Tosca,” she is admirably supported. Jere Austin will be seen as Ipanoff, and W. L. Abingdon as the Chief of Police. GREAT DEATH SCENE IN “FEDORA” MADE FAMOUS BY STAGE CELEBRITIES Pauline Frederick, Paramount Picture Star, Appears to Excellent Advantage in Sardou’s World Famed Drama THE famous death scene in "Fedora,” when, to save her husband from the disgrace of murdering the woman he loves, Fedora, his wife, takes poison and dies a suicide, is perhaps one of the most dramatic scenes of the new Paramount photoplay starring Pauline Frederick, which will be displayed at the Theatre next This culminating scene of the great Sardou drama, which served as the starring vehicle of Sarah Bernhardt and Fanny Davenport for many years during the last four decades, offers Miss Frederick unusual opportunities for the display of her superb dramatic talents, and it is needless to say that she has availed herself of them to the utmost. All who saw her clever portrayal of the stellar roles in "La Tosca" and "Resurrection,” her two recent picture successes, may be assured of another dramatic portrayal of the highest artistic merit. Miss Frederick is admirably supported in this picture by such artists as Jere Austin, Alfred Hickman, W. L. Abingdon and Wilmuth Merkyll. The picture was directed by Edouard, and the scenarioist was Charles E. Whittaker. (Continued on Page 15) 13