Screen Opinions (1923-24)

75 SCREEN OPINIONS TELLS THE TRUTH vulgarly termed “screen broke.” Dashes of vivid red, supposed to represent torchlight, have been applied to the film in an amateurish way does not help matters any. We believe the best results will be obtained in neighborhood houses in sections where the name of the author may be known. Bill the picture as an adaptation of the play by the famous author, Maurice Maeterlinck. STORY OF THE PLAY Monna Vanna, a poor girl, is desired by Gurlino, a great general of Pisa, Italy, who is already betrothed to a Florentine against his will. Monna Vanna is kidnaped and kept in sanctuary by Gurlino until such time as she will accept his love of her own accord. Later, to save him from himself, she marries him. When the Florentines, led by Vitelli, her lover, march on Pisa, he demands as a peace offering that Gurlino’s wife forsake her husband and come to him. This Monna Vanna does to save her people, and not until they meet face to face is each conscious of the identity of the other. Gurlino is killed in battle, and the story ends with Monna Vanna and Vitelli happily united. PROGRAM COPY — “Monna Vanna” — Featuring Lee Parry The self-sacrificing spirit of Monna Vanna saved her people from starvation, but caused her to be misunderstood. See this tragic tale of the ancient cities of Florence and Pisa, Italy, in which mediaeval romance and bloodshed, are featured. “BAD MAM”— [Class A] 80% (Adapted from story of same name) Story: — Mexican Bandit Plays Good Samaritan to Youth Who Befriended Him VALUE CAST Photography — Very good — Sol Polito. Panclio Lopez Holbrook Biinn TYPE OF PICTURE— Amusing. Gilbert Jones Jack Mulhall Moral Standard — Average. Morgan Pell Walter McGrail Mrs. Morgan Pell Enid Bennett Story — Very good — Comedy-drama — Adults. Red Giddings Harry Myers Star — Very good — Holbrook Blinn. Uncle Henry Charles A. Sellen Author — Very good — Porter Emerson Browne. Jaspar Hardy Stanton Heck Direction — Very good Edwin Carewe. Angela Hardy Teddy Sampson Adaptation — Very good — Adelaide Heilbron. Capt. Blake Thomas Delmar Technique — Very good. Indian Cook Frank Lanning Spiritual Influence — Neutral. Pedro Peter Venzuella November 1 to 15, 1923. Producer — Edwin Carewe Footage — 6,600 ft. Distributor — First National Our Opinion MORAL O'THE PICTURE— None. Good Audience Picture — Holbrook Blinn Gives Vigorous Performance as Comedy Bandit If comedy in the midst of bloodshed can be excused, then “The Bad Man” should go over big. The bandit of the story believes in killing off his prisoners to avoid the trouble of taking care of them. Then according to the philosophy of this character some folks are better dead than alive anyway. And so he considers the elimination of a certain wife-beating husband, and the theft of bank funds and a few choice cattle, a perfectly legitimate way of paying a debt to a friend. To thoroughly enjoy Holbrook Blinn’s portrayal of the character of Lopez, the scenes in which he appears should really be considered from the angle of farce. At any rate Mr. Blinn gives a masterful performance, and will succeed in getting a number of well-earned laughs. There is also a romantic, and exceedingly dramatic angle to the story that has been carefully developed. Jack Mulhall does well in the hero role, and Walter McGrail gives a good portrayal of the cruel husband. Enid Bennett is charming as Mrs. Pell, the misused wife in love with the man she believed to have died in France, and Harry Myers and Charles A. Sellen are indispensable to the comedy of the picture. We believe that this production will prove satisfactory in any locality. The up-todate exhibitor will want to book it. STORY OF THE PLAY Gilbert Jones comes back from France to find his sweetheart married to another man, believing him to be dead, and the mortgage on his Arizona ranch nearly due. While he is struggling with conditions at the ranch, the girl he loved and her husband meet with an accident crossing the desert, and seek shelter at Gilbert’s ranch house. While the husband. Pell, is mistreating his wife, and Hardy, the holder of the mortgage, is trying to collect, Pancho Lopez, a notorious Mexican bandit, appears on the scene, and recognizing Gilbert as the man who once (Continued on next page) Unbiased and Independent Reviews Only!