Photoplay (Jul - Dec 1919)

86 Photoplay Magazine "Th Spark Divine", features Alice Joyce in a portrayal both sincere and interesting. "Better Times" is a charming tale -with a most unusual selection of characters, featuriuj; Zasu Pitts and David Butler. 'Some Bride" is — well, when you have mentioned the star, Viola Dana, you have summarized the whole picture. the community from himself to further his vicarious matrimonial ends, their flight into the wilderness, the final end in the snow-shrouded mountain cabin . . . Well, having made this story accurately and factfully, Universal evidently grew frightened at its sombre motive, and tacked on a little parable, fore and aft, to lighten things up. The parable does not ring true, but in the fine depiction of the main event you can easily forget this. The two remarkable things in the picture are Harry Carey's rise to real acting power — he will remind you of Bill Hart at his very best — as gambler John Oakhurst; ano director Ford's marvellous river locations and absolutely incomparable photography upon them. This photography is an absolute optic symphony. In addition to striking a new note in location, it hits the new pace in perfection of photographic detail. In the same measure that this stuff is unusually good, his snowstorm, and his apparently unnecessary' miniatures of the bli?.zarded cabin are unusually bad. However, the credits in the scales bring up the debits with a bang. Gloria Hope is a perfectly typed young woman to play the quaintly clad juvenesses of Argonaut days. THE WOMAN THOU GAYEST ME— Artcraft Hall Caine's stor>' about a Scotch hate, a Scotch determination and love's finish to both the hate and the determination is pretty close to life; so close, in fact, that an incompetent production could make it easily both unclean and unpleasant, while a competent production — and the Artcraft offering is competent in every particular — only serves to emphasize the story's sincerity and reality. Katherine MacDonald plays Mary MacNeill, daughter of the stern Daniel, who, imposed upon by Lord Rea in his humble youth, determines to be revenged upon Rea's ghost in his prosperous later days by a union of their houses. Thus the unwilling Mary is married to the profligate young Rea, while her heart is really a passionate possession of Martin Conrad, an explorer of Arctic and .Antarctic. The break between Rea and his immaculate wife, the foreordained though unlicensed union of Mary and Martin, the apparent loss of Martin's ship in the frozen South, and the utter despair of Mary — which is ended, we must confess, a bit too opportunely are the mileposts of a sincere and enthralling story. But as we have indicated, so much depended upon the production! Hugh Ford, directing, has done another magnificent piece of work, and the cool but perfect beauty of Miss MacDonald is put against a perfect Rea. as played by Jack Holt; Milton Sills' very fine Martin Conrad; the implacable old MacNeill of Theodore Roberts, and Alma Lier, mistress of young Rea, finely shown by Fritzi Brunette. "The Woman Thou Gavest Me" is one of the clauses making the world safe for active photography. THE CRIMSON GARDENIA— Goldwyn At press-time last month I had a bare three lines or so to make a general comment on this Rex Beach story. Now let me say more in detail that the story is saved from the uttermost conventionalities of mere melodrama by a very fine twist exactly at its finish and the remarkably fine though highly eccentric characterization vouchsafed by Tully Marshall. If you have seen this play you will remember — and if you haven't this is to inform you — that at the moment hero Tom Moore is endangered in the old counterfeiter's house he slips a book under the telephone receiver, thereby opening the line, and begins to stress certain words for the hearing of anyone who may be listening in at Central. From that moment we have a four scene complex possible only to the motion picturenamely the surprise and ensuing fright of the at-first-irritated "nummer" young lady; the scene in the room of danger itself; the scene at the police station, which the telephone girl plugs in directly; and the scene of the raiding squad approaching in their automobile. And at the close, romantic little Central — a veritable Peeping Tom o' the ears — finally calling back, when she heard the honey words shut off, to ask quaintly: "What did she say?" Thus did Mr. Beach, or his scenarioist, or both of them, uplift and glorify a most ordinary little adventure. HEARTS AND FLOWERS— Sennetf .After walloping the unworthy "Yankee Doodle in Berlin," not exactly a pleasure but anyway a satisfaction, it is both a pleasure and a satisfaction to commend for your attention (Continued on pa^e ii6)