Photoplay (Jul - Dec 1916)

160 Photoplay Magazine The Shadow Stage (Continued from page 142) masterpiece. As it is, its humdrum, conventional ending doesn't spoil the taste of a lot of superb characterization which goes before. Not the least virtue of this effort is that it isn't a star play for anyone. Mr. Beban as the grocer, Nigel de Brullier as the banker, Helen Eddy as Margarita and Myrtle Stedman as the banker's wife have equal roles. YY/TLLIAM A. BRADY, who has stood sponsor for a lot of perfectly dreadful photoplays in the past few months, certainly exalts himself in appreciative minds by his production of Murger's ever-living story, "La Vie de Boheme." This masterpiece of youth has been endeared to the whole world in the chocolate melody of Puccini's "La Boheme" — and. I understand, the trustlike owners of the Puccini copyrights, the great Italian Casa Ricordi, vigorously endeavored to prevent Mr. Brady's issuance of his photoplay. A ridiculous thing, for what did Puccini do except provide an audible frame for another man's word -picture? Albert Capellani produced the piece, and every scene is genuine Paris of another era. There is lacking the opulence — or is it. perhaps, the leisure? — shown in the Capellani "Camille," but the spirit of the story is in every situation. Alice Brady is a delectable Mimi. and Paul Capellani as Rudolf is perfect as though drawn in Trilby's day by a Montmarte painter. [ ASKY'S rather uncertain impression this month is bettered by such a simple, logical and well-played piece as "Alien Souls." the best note in whose motif is the underlying humanity of all peoples, whatever the pigment under their skins. 'We are interested to learn, here, that the Japanese are not the peculiarly monstrous Mongolians of the arts in general, but. after all. just — people, although a bit strange of habit and custom. Sakata. a young Japanese merchant, does well in an American city. lie loves his ward. Yuri Chan, but Yuri Chan loves ("allot models, and she thinks she loves Tack Lindsay, a scamp whose motto is 'Live easy and the world is with you." The fact that Lindsay has partaken of the bounty of a Mr>. Conway, and has betrayed her heart and her confidence, is not a]. parent to the madly infatuated little Japanese girl, and the story revolves about Sakata's resolute untangling of her strand of falsely placed affection. There is nothing untrue to life in this little drama. Things go on in it, and keep going on. just as you know they go on around all of us, loved, loving or loveless, every day. And the Japanese girl and the Japanese boy. and the Caucasian woman and the Caucasian youth are just interwoven human beings. Because they're human beings and not the usual puppets, they thrill. Sessue Hayakawa. and his smart and talented wife, Tsuru Aoki, are the Oriental pair. CRE "Whispering Smith." If you don't like it, get your doctor to prescribe beef, wine and iron. Your blood's thin. Here we have our lovely lady Pullman. Helen Holmes, in the role of a prettv woman without wheels — referring not to intellectual gearing, but to the freight and passenger rollers which have bumped this exquisite She into considerable fame and perhaps a bit of fortune. J. P. McCowan plays Smith in a wav that makes us sorry we have missed him all the months he has been chasing his Helenic wife over, under and through the locomotives. The end of the piece is a surprise — probably forecasting a sequel. COMEOXE asked me the other day: "What do you see in 'Gloria's Romance.' anyway? There's no plot to the darned thing !" And I answered, truthfully: "I don't know just what keeps me interested, unless it's because everybody in the play acts like a human being, from Billie Burke to the outermost extra." That must be it. for it"s the first ser'al on record in which human beings have participated. Having played "Sherlock Holmes" around the world. William Gillette has now made an imperishable though silent record of his famous character, for the Essanav company.