Screen Opinions (1923-24)

18 SCREEN OPINIONS TELLS THE TRUTH which Mr. Arliss is adept at interpreting. The play has been staged with beauty always the objective, and in the palace of the Rajah of Rukh, in which the eye passes from one magnificent setting to another as door after door, and panel after panel opens to disclose the richly appointed apartments of the palace, the spectator is held constantly in anticipation of surprises that are continually taking place. The gowns which the Rajah has in readiness for the beautiful stranger who becomes his guest by accident of an aeroplane, are shimmering additions to the scene, and those worn by Miss Joyce are most becoming. There is a stunning thrill in the bombing scene, but we question whether this will get across with the same terrific force in the smaller theatre, where the orchestral effects necessary to the best presentation of thrills are absent. However, there is a great deal to feed the eye in the way these particular scenes are produced, and there is sufficient suspense in the wireless scenes, for instance, in connection with which the Rajah shoots the woman’s husband in cold blood, to satisfy the average person. It may be supposed that “The Green Goddess” has gained much by its film adaptation, but we question that Mr. Arliss will gain as much satisfaction out of the screen version of the play as he did from the stage presentation in which the talent and subtle humor of this great artist is supplemented by his voice and masterful delivery of the lines of the play. We do not recommend “The Green Goddess” as a special, although with heavy and sensational billing, together with emphasis on the name of the star, good satisfaction may be obtained in certain localities. STORY OF THE PLAY In the kingdom of Rukh, an imaginary country in the Himalayas near the northern frontier of India, three prisoners have been condemned to death by the British. These prisoners happen to be brothers of the Rajah of Rukh, who finds an opportunity for vengeance when Major Craspin, a drunken officer, meets with an aeroplane accident near his palace, together with Mrs. Crespin and Dr. Basil Traherne. After entertaining them royally, the Rajah acquaints them with his intention to put them to death at dawn of a certain day set for the execution of his brothers. Major Crespin is shot by the Rajah just as he has succeeded in delivering a message over the wireless to British military headquarters, and the Rajah, enamoured of Mrs. Crespin, offers to restore her children on whose account the aeroplane journey was made, and also to free Traherne, whom she loves, if she will become mistress of his palace. The arrival of the British soldiers puts an end to the Rajah’s scheming, and he is obliged to let the lady go, at the same time asserting to himself while he nonchalantly lights a cigarette, that "She would have been a d nuisance anyway.” PROGRAM COPY — “The Green Goddess” — Featuring George Arliss If you haven’t had a chance to see the great stage star in his biggest stage success, don't miss the thrilling screen version in which Mr. Arliss plays his original role. Comedy, melodrama and thrills aplenty. “THREE AGES”— [Class B] 65% (Especially prepared for screen) Story: — Comedy, Romance and Adventures of a Man Pictured in Prehistoric, Mediaeval and Present Age VALUE Photography — Good — William McGann and Elgin Lessly. TYPE OF PICTURE— Humorous. Moral Standard — Average. Story — Average — Farce-comedy — Family. Star — Good — Buster Keaton. Authors — Average — Jean Haves, Joe Mitchell and Clyde Bruckham. Direction — Good — Buster Keaton. Adaptation — Good — John Haves, Joe Mitchell and Clyde Bruckham. Technique — Good. Spiritual Influence — Neutral. Producer — Joseph M. Schenck CAST Buster Keaton Buster Keaton Margaret Leahy Margaret Leahy Wallace Beery Wallace Beery Joe Roberts ...Joe Roberts Lillian Lawrence Lillian Lawrence Horace “Cupid” Morgan Horace “Cupid” Morgan September 15 to 30, 1923. Footage — 5,800 ft. Distributor— Metro Our Opinion MORAL O’THE PICTURE— None. Vague Plot Has Good Comedy in Spots — Buster Keaton Life of Picture It is a question whether the latest Buster Keaton comedy, “Three Ages,” will go across in the same satisfactory way in which many of his former screen efforts have done. Elaborate sets do not seem to make up for the lack of con (Continued on Next Page) No Advertising Support Accepted!