Picture-Play Magazine (Sep 1928 - Feb 1929)

Tke Screen in ReVie\\> 69 thoroughly his natural it is pleas now a worn subject, but which had the tang of novelty in 1910, when the underworld was something of a closed book, if you can conceive that. Too much cannot be said in praise of Mr. Haines expert and engaging performance. Even though voice has not been caught by the recording process ant and distinct. Vocally he is overshadowed by Lionel Barry more, as the detective, as indeed almost every player is who has been heard in the films. He gives a wonderful performance, judged either by silent or audible standards. Leila Hyams, Karl Dane, Tully Marshall, and Howard Hickman each contribute to the success of the picture and to Mr. Haines' lucky month. A Glamorous and Arresting Lady. Pola Negri gives beauty and dignity to "The Woman from Moscow," her last picture for Paramount. Those who have remained loyal throughout the fluctuations of her career in Hollywood will recognize this. Other, more casual filmgoers may find Pola's farewell heavy and the picture dull. I did neither. True, the story of "Fedora," on which the picture is based, was written in 1882 and is therefore not of this age ; but that does not make it less effective a medium for Pola's talent — a talent above and beyond that required by "Our Dancing Daughters," or any of the so-called modern stories. For five years the complaint most often heard, was the lack of stories suitable for the Negri talent, as she was seen in one role after another, while she herself is understood to have urged the production of "Fedora." Well, in return for the privilege of finally playing the role of the Russian princess, she gives a performance which, to ray mind, fully equals that of the Czarina, in "Forbidden Paradise," considered by many to be her most brilliant exhibition. The Princess Fedora is a more somber heroine by far, as indeed she should be. Her fiance is murdered, it is thought by Nihilists. Fedora takes the oath of vengeance and goes to Paris in search of the guilty man. She meets him at a reception, is attracted without knowing his identity, and when she learns that he is the murderer it is too late. She loves him. Fedora's struggle between love and duty is all very well for the modernists to scoff at, but we see it being done on the screen every night by players who don't know what it's all about. Pola 'On Trial. does it superbly, 'The Wind." 'The Woman from Moscow.'* "Show People." her hysterical gayety in the midst of impending doom being an unforgetable moment of histrionic lightning. Of course the outcome of all this is tragic, but it never ceases to be picturesque, thanks to a richly atmospheric production, vital direction, and capital acting on the part of every member of the cast. The period of the piece is vague, for Pola wears costumes that frou-frou through several decades of the nineteenth century, while other players are more up to date. It doesn't matter, for "The Woman From Moscow" is frankly not the woman of to-day. But Pola makes her glamorous, arresting and unique. Norman Kerry also responds to the dignity of the occasion by giving sincerity instead of physical exuberance, as usual, to Loris Ipanoff, the justified murderer ; and in the long cast one finds Paul Lukas, Lawrence Grant, Otto Matiesen, Maude George — minus her cigar — Bodil Rosing, and Jack Luden all in the spirit of the occasion. In the Cyclone Belt. Gloomy and even morbid, "The Wind," Lillian Gish's final_ picture for Metro-Goldwyn, is nevertheless a fine and dignified achievement. Its lack of lightness will stand in the way of its success with the many, but the enjoyment of thefew— presuming that serious moviegoers are in the minority — is assured. Continued on page 100