Screen Opinions (1923-24)

163 SCREEN OPINIONS TELLS THE TRUTH For Martin is in love with Mary and insanely jealous of John. Dave is shot by accident in the home of Mrs. Trevor, and John, believing himself unworthy of Mary, and with a desire to atone for the death of Dave, offers his service as a farm hand at the Heaths, an offer which is accepted, while his friendship is spurned. On Christmas day, Bob Heath, driving to town with his little twin brothers, is overtaken by a blizzard in which the sleigh is overturned and he and the children are lost in the snow. Mrs. Trevor, on her way to see her son, also becomes a victim of the storm. The rescue of all parties due to John breaks down the wall of hatred, and the close of the story shows a happy reunion of John and the Heaths, who also accept Mrs. Trevor as their friend. PROGRAM COPY — “Judgment of the Storm” — With an All-Star Cast John Trevor’s reaction to the discovery that his way through college was paid with the receipts of a gambling den, is an interesting point in the absorbing production, “Judgment of the Storm.” A wonderful cast including George Hackathorne, Lloyd Hughes, Lucille Rickson and Myrtle Stedman play the picture. “REHDEZV01S”— [Class A] 80% (Adapted from story of same name) Story: — Romance of Daughter of Russian Prince Reared as Siberian Peasant VALUE Photography — Very good — David Kesson. TYPE OF PICTURE— InterestingRomantic. Moral Standard — Average. Story — Very good— Drama — Family. Cast — Very good — With Conrad Nagel, Lucille Rickson, Richard Travers and Sydney Chaplin. Author — Very good— Madeleine Ruthven. Direction — Very good — Marshall Neilan. Adaptation — Very good — Josephine Lovett. Technique — Very good. Spiritual Influence — -Average. Producer — Marshall Neilan Footage CAST Walter Stanford Vera Prince Sergei Tamiroff. . . . Varvara Korenieva Vassily Leonidoff Juan Godunoff Winkie Harrington Mrs. Stanford Nichi Wandor Samuel Klein Nini Muskuin Czar . . . . Conrad Nagel ..Lucille Rickson .Richard Travers ....Kathleen Key Emmett Corrigan . . . . Elmo Lincoln ..Sydney Chaplin Kate Lester ....Cecil Holland .Lucien Littlefield .Eugenie Besserer . . . . R. O. Pennell February 1 to 15, 1924. ■7,415 ft. Distributor — Goldwyn-Cosmopolitan Our Opinion MORAL O’THE PICTURE— None. Pleasing Human Interest Touches in Story of American Soldier in Siberia We are not sure that “The Rendezvous” will prove a good box office attraction in every instance, in spite of the fact that it is the first moving picture based on the period of the American soldiers’ sojourn in Siberia. It moves slowly in the early part of the picture, and gains speed with the introduction of the brutal Godunoff to the scene, and the plot to make Vera his wife. The romance of Vera, daughter of Prince Sergei Tamiroff, who was reared in concealment for fear' of the reds, is delightfully told, and Conrad Nagel, as her American hero, is especially pleasing in the role. Sydney Chaplin, as Winkie, an English tommy and friend of the American, gets in some good comedy, and is also surprisingly up to the mark when the call for pathos arrives. Mr. Chaplin’s performance is one of the high marks of the picture. Lucille Rickson is an excellent type for the Russian girl, and is convincing and charming in her portrayal of the role. Elmo Lincoln plays Godunoff well, and Kathleen Key is effective as Varvara Karenieva. Emmett Corrigan gives a finished performance as Vassily Leonidoff, the faithful guardian of Vera. The cast is good throughout, and the settings, especially those in the early scenes in the palace of the prince, are notably artistic, or merely picturesque as the case may be. The picture gets its name from the shrine where Prince Godunoff buried his wife, mother of Vera. Here it is that Vera and her American lover pledged their vows, and here it is also that Vera, stone deaf from the beatings of Godunoff, who finally married her, locks him in untentionally as she is about to board the boat for America and freedom. Closer cutting would improve “The Rendezvous,” which has the advantage of being a picture that is different. STORY OF THE PLAY Prince Sergei Tamiroff, banished to Siberia for offending his father, takes his bride with him, and following her death and the birth of a baby, he is sent on a mission through which he loses his life. In the meantime, for fear of the reds, the child Vera has been reared as a peasant, daughter of Leonidoff, servant to her father. She loves Walter Stanford, an American (Continued on next page) Unbiased and Independent Reviews Only!