The Film Renter and Moving Picture News (Jan-Feb 1923)

24 1HE FILM RENTER & MOVING PICTURE NEWS. February 17, 1923. REVIEW OF NEW PRODUCTIONS—Continued. Above All Law, Thrilling story of the East, magnificently mounted and finely acted. A real showman’s picture. RELEASED BY PHILLIPS FILM CO. N last week’s issue we reviewed the latest Phillips Film Company’s picture, ‘‘ Above All Law,’’ and upon reflection it is doubtful whether our reviewer quite conveyed the real showman’s value of this production. Anxious, therefore, that an injustice should not be done to a picture which, when I saw it twelve months ago, I described as one of the greatest German pictures I had seen, I again saw this photoplay this week. ‘* Above All Law ”’ is a picture that not only has a story that carries conviction and is superbly acted, but it has the additional merit of some of the finest settings I have ever seen in a motion picture. The scenes are supposed to be laid in India, and the sets used in this picture not only convey the necessary atmosphere, but you could almost defy anyone to say that they were not -actuaily produced in the Hast. Set after set has ‘lavish magnificence. that .makes the story intensely dramatic, and, aidéd by ‘an exceedingly capable cast, ‘‘ Above All Law’ makes @ magnificent photoplay. Briefly, the story is as follows: Prince Ayan discovers that an Englishman, a friend of his at Oxford, has becn making love to his wife. He plans a’ revéngée, and sends to Stwitzérland for another friend of his, an architect, to. come and build a tomb. The message he sends by a Yogi, who uses supernatural means to carry the message. No one knows of the architect’ 3 departure, but his fiancée finds a‘clue‘and follows him. ' Arrived in India; he‘discovers that the Rajah ’ ‘intends ‘to bury his wife alive and kill the Englishman. He refuses to work for him, and is kept prisoner. His fiancée arrives and i8 ‘also'held prisoner. She tries to escape,but gets into a tiger’s pit, from which she is saved by the Yogi, who has renounced his Master’ s policy. Finally, the Rajah decides to marry the architect's fiancée, but abandons the idea,’and, having caught the Englishman, inveigles him into the tiger’s den, where he is torn to pieces before his lover’s eyes. The architect, fiancée, and the princess manage to escape, and are followed by the Rajah. Finally, the princess dashes herself to death to prevent further bloodshed, and the Rajah, turning penitent, has a tomb built for her by the architect. When I saw this picture in Berlin it was fourteen reels in length. It has now been cut down to a seven-reel photoplay without in any way hurting the story. The picture abounds with numerous thrilling scenes, one, in particular, where the heroine passes through a tiger’s pit being wonderfully effective. This photoplay has all the mysticism of the East, and the Yogi who plays an important part in this picture is exceptionally well portrayed. The producer has succeeded in getting atmosphere in the film, and there is not a single person, character, or foot of this photoplay in which there is the slightest thing German. The acting of every member of the cast is worthy of the highest praise. ** Above All Law’’ is a real showman’s proposition, for its entertainment value is extraordinary and should be a very big winner.—E.W.F. Wonder Women of the World. Oameos from history with admirable settings and acting. RELEASED BY REGENT FILMS. Length, Two Reels Each. Release Date, Not Yet Fixed. R. EDWIN GREENWOOD) is to be congratulated upon M the artistic composition of his pictures in the examples from the ‘* Wonder Women of the World *’ series, made in the B, and C. studios and trade shown by Regent Films last week. Some first-rate photography made the best, too, of the settings and dresses employed, and emphasised their richness. The three pictures screened were ‘‘ Henrietta Maria,’’ ‘* Simonne Evrard,’’ and ‘‘ Lady Jane Grey,’ and in each one the niin was to bring out the courage or devotion—or both— of the main characters. The pathos of the last weeks of the life of the ‘‘ uncrowned queen of England ’’ has been familiar to us since childhood, and she is the prominent personality in the tragedy of her execution, but the same cannot be said of Henrietta Maria, whose husband was the much more prominent fivure, and overshadowed her; neither can Simonne Evrard, whose title to prominence was her devotion to Marat, be looked upon as an outstanding figure. Nothwithstanding this, however, the most has been made of these two latter characters. Janet Alexander interprets the part of Henrietta Maria as that of a wife devoted to her husband and his cause, and free from the ‘ frivolity and meddlesomeness ’’’ with which some historians have credited her. She emphasises, too, the tragedy of her widowhood after Charles’s execution, and makes of the historical character upon whom the world has spent very little attention an attractive, warm-hearted, and devoted wife. Russell Thorndike’s Charles I. is a fine figure, possessing both dignity and tragic self-composure. Laud, too, is a picturesque figure, his white ecclesiastical robes contrasting finely with the dark backgrounds. There are poignant little touches throughout which’ dre~the result of the correct amount of emphasis in the right way. Simonne Evrard suffers in a small. degree from the fact that it is some time before she enters the picture. The struggle between the friends and enemies of the Monarchy at the time of the French Revolution occupies the first few hundred feet, and really, Marat, the editor of the vigorous ‘‘ L’Ami du Peuple,"’ is the most prominent figure.in the film. This is as it should be, and Simonne’s devotion. to the doctor-scientisteditor-revolutionary is.the.theme of the play, Simonne’s part being naturally secondary to that.of Marat. Marjorie Hume plays Simonne interestingly if not with great distinction, Charles Barratt taking the part of Marat.. A brief though fascinating entrance is that of Charlotte Corday, played with great vigour by Mdlle. Dacia. Th+ medicated. bath in. which Marat is seated when he meets his death at the. hands of Charlotte Corday is not a very distinct: affair in the picture, and -will probably not be realised by audiences as. a bath. . The settings generally are well conceived, and quite a good effect is achieved by the passing of pikes under an open window, with here and there a guillotined head in a scene suggesting the worst phase of the Terror. The success of the ‘‘ Lady Jane Grey ”’ film is due in a great measure to the representation of the title character by Nina Vanna, and it will be interesting to see what this actress makes of Lucrezia Borgia in a forthcoming ‘‘ Wonder Women ”’ picture. As the tool of politicians in the English picture, Nina Vanna interpreted the part with just that suggestion of refinement and patience and pathos which is associated in the popular mind with the tragic figure of history. Except that a great part of the picture is occupied with showing her with her cousin, Edward VI., and so the events leading to her execution are delayed somewhat, the beholder feels the slow march of intrigue and the helplessness of the uncrowned queen. But it is a mistake to include at the close the grim figure of the executioner swinging his axe. A much better effect would have been gained by the picture finishing with the kneeling at the block, and the sudden averting of her head by her attendant maid. There should be a welcome for these adinirably compressed little stories, and if the sub-titling could be made more tense (the utterances of characters at tragic moments are very common place) the series should do well.