Screen Opinions (1923-24)

H* Advertising Support Accepted! lit “NEGLECTED WOMEN”— 65% (Adapted from “The Great Well”) Reviewed August, 1924 Thome — Wife’s love affair and betrayal of confidence cause of tragedy VALUE Photography — Average — Not credited. Moral standard — Average. Story — Good — Drama — Adults. Cast — Good — All-Star, Direction — Good — Henry Kolker. Technique — Good. Spiritual — Influence — Neutral. Moral — Straight road safest. CAST Camilla Challener Seena Owen Peter Starling Thurston Hall Major Arnold Darenth L. Davidson Annette Jean Morgan John Milford Cameron Carr Producer — Not credited. Footage — 6260 feet. Distributor — F. B. O. OUR OPINION Good audience picture, but story’s adaptation not satisfactory.. Tendency toward cheap development. Ineffective subtitles fail to point moral, and in one instance condones suicide as “best way out.” Seena Owen gives pleasing performance, Thurston Hall and Lawford Davidson also commendable. Joan Morgan does well in a minor role. Husband’s too close attention to business causes wife to turn to illegitimate lover for comfort. Lies in court to save husband from death sentence for supposed murder of lover. “BETWEEN WORLDS”— 95% (Especially prepared for the screen) Reviewed August. 1924 Theme— Girl learns through dream she must leave dead self to follow lover to higher plane VALUE CAST Photography — Excellent — Not credited. Moral standard — Superior. Story — Superior — Drama — Family. Cast — Superior — All-Star. Direction — Superior — Fritz Dang. Technique — Superior. Spiritual Influence — Superior. Moral — Selfish love kills loved one. The Rovers Lil Dagover, W. Janssen Stranger ..Bernard Goetzke Magician Paul Biensfeld Caliph Edward von Winterstein Producer — Not credited. Footage — 6408 feet. Distributor — Weiss Bros., Artel. P. Corp. THE OPINION Fascinating foreign spectacle takes form of allegory in four episodes, two of which are fantastical dreams, each with a definite purpose or moral. Chinese tale employs magic, with flying carpet and other miracles through wishing wand. Fantastic makeup and settings an attraction. An excellent cast and superior direction results in flawless technique. Editing and subtitling of the best quality. Throughout the picture a girl bereft of her lover by a stranger searches madly for him against a background of dreams. When she awakens the stranger tells her she must bring him one other life. She finally discovers this to mean the renouncing of her old self which allows her to join her sweetheart. Lil Dagover is beautiful and talented. Eccentric comedy is presented effectively in Chinese and Persian episodes. Production above heads of average audience but may win out as novelty. “BREAD”— 95% (Adapted from a novel of the same name) Reviewed August, 1924 Theme — Wife discovers sacrifice not independence true basis of home making VALUE Photography — Very good — Not credited Moral standard — Excellent. Story — Superior — Drama — Family. Cast — Excellent — All-Star. Direction — Superior — V. Schertzinger. Technique — Superior. Spiritual influence — Superior. Moral — Home place to live in. CAST Jeanette Sturgis Mae Busch Martin Devlin Robert Frazer Roy Beardsley Pat O’Malley Mr. Corey Robert Bosworth Producer — Metro-Goldwyn. Footage — About 7000 feet. Distributor — Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. THE OPINION Sets high mark in screen morals. Bristles with live detail and clean comedy. Seven reels leaves spectator wishing for more. This is a picture for any audience. It is different from the average in which the woman steps from the straight and narrow to seek bread. On the contrary driven to action by her family’s need she becomes a successful business woman, yields to the persistent coaxing of self-made youth and enters matrimony meaning to run home on business-like methods. She learns that a real home includes love, and sacrifice, and children. Robert Frazer unusually good.