Variety (February 1917)

24 FILM R EVIEWS THE COURAGE OF SILENCE. Mercedes Alice Joyce Bradley Harry T. Morey Bobby Willie Johnson Baby Mildred May Aiiee • • -C«^ Ayr** Hammond Robert Gaillard Saunders Walter McOrall Alice Joyce and Harry T. Morey are the stars of this five reel Vltagraph' feature, which was written by Milton Nobles and directed by William P. S. Earle. The story Is a little slow in starting, but once underway holds the sustained interest of the audience. The lightings throughout are particularly good and the cast was well selected. The action of the story is laid in three countries. America. Eng- land and Prance. The Bradley family lire in America. There Is the husband, wife and two children. All are happy until Bradley is sent to England, where he meets and becomes Infatuated with the wife or the Spanish • Ambassador She returns his affection not knowing he Is married. After he has re- turned to America she sends blm a miniature of herself. This acta as a magnet to draw him back. Her husband Is frightfully jeal- ous and when he discovers her riding in the company of Bradley, he confronts her with the fact that she is in lore with the American and thrashes her with her riding crop. She leaves him and goes to Bradley and together they leave for the continent. While crossing the Channel he confesses the fact that he Is a married man, and when they reach Calais she eludes him, later entering a convent. He Is so Infatuated that he remains abroad look- ing for her. In America Mrs. Bradley receives a letter written by her husband, Informing her of his Intended elopement with the Spanish beauty. Later the Bradley family comes to Prance In company with the wife's father. The wife and the two children are taken ill the physician obtains a nun from & nearby convent to nurse them. Of course It la Mer- cedes (Alice Joyce) the girl who eloped with the father. She naturally effects a rseoncl-. llatlon without revealing her Identy and all ends happily. Bradley only discovering at the last minute* who was responsible for his re- tarn In good grace to the bosom of his family. The story Is one that might cause a lot of dis- cussion properly worked up In a publicity way. The role of the home wrecker, while not actually In accord with the general sym- £ tales of the audience at first, finally wins sm over at the finish of the picture. The feature Is worth while playing. Pre*. EASY~S?REET. In "Easy Street" Charlie Chaplin supplies the Mutual with the two reeler that is almost a month late in release, but, it Is said, from the fact that a lamp-poet fell and marred the nose of the comic, forcing him to "lay off" for two weeks. There Is a Tamp-post used in "Easy Street," and In the action it is bent and broken so that the alibi for the delay seems correct. Perhaps for the first time since he started with Mutual, Chaplin por- trays a policeman. He gets the job and is as- signed to "Easy Street, a narrow thorough- fare, which, from the daily routine, must be the place where ail the "rough-necks" are. trained. Leader of them Is Eric Campbell, whose burly bulk aptly lends Itself to Chap- lin's scenario. Before the new cop's advent Eric and his mob have cleaned up other po- licemen by the group. So when Charlie ap- pears with club and shield. It looks like pie to the chief mauler. Ox course, Charles manages to "tap" Eric on the head with his club but that makes no more impression than if be had hit him with a straw. To awe the new cop, Eric benda a lamp-post in half, but In that endeavor Charlie leaps on his back, shoves Eric's head through the lamp and turns on the gaa. Thus la the king of the roughs arrested. But he does not stay long in the station bouse,* simply breaking his handcuffs and starting In search of the new copper. The rough-house that results on that meeting Is pretty nearly "top class" with anything Charlie has yet effected. The resultant chaos and the several new stunts will be bound to bring the laughter and the star's display of agility and acrobatics ap- proaches some of the Doug Fairbanks' pranks. Chaplin has always been throwing things in his films, but when he "eases" a cook store out of the window onto the hesd of his ad- versary, on the street below, that pleaaant little bouquet adda a new act to his repertory. "Easy Btreet" certainly has some rough work In it—maybe a bit rougher than the others —but It Is the kind of stuff that Chaplin fans love. In fact, few who see "Easy Street" will fall to be furnished with hearty laughter. THE REDWOMAN. Maria Temosach Call Kane Morton Dean Mahlon Hamilton 8anoho Ed. P. Roseman Dors Wendell June Elvidge Her mother Charlotte Earlcott There seems to be a growing demand for a revival of "cowboy stuff" in program pic- tures, Judging by the number of them that have been produced lately. The latest of these Is "The Red Woman," a World release, story by H. R. Dursnt, starring Call Kane. The daughter of an Indian chief earns high honors at an eastern college, but she is not received socially and returns to her people, where she resumes her native garb and goes back to her old life. She is courted by the head of a band of cattle thieves, but repels his advances. Morton Dean goes to New Mexico to work a mine owned by his wealthy, father. She. saves h!» !k'o, Uuy teU-irir-lo'v-y,-!><:• i'XiVos Utr (c-gi* back east to attend to Home business, a child is born, he returns and they are married. The western Btuff Is admirably depicted, with plenty of at tluii, hat Ihe w«-ak point of the story Is In the birth of the child prior to the marriage ceremony. Jolo. THE GIRL WHO DIDNT THINK. Lucille Ryan Jane (Jail Mr. Ryan Wm. Mandevllle Mrs. Ryan Agnes Nielsen James Lambert Stanley Walpole May Cumbers .May SImuu Irene Helen Mlllholland Her Pather Wm. Butler "The Oirl Who Didn't Think" Is the very at- tractive title of a well produced, conventional, melodramatic photoplay, the story • being of the brand of "The Fatal Wedding." A work- ins girl, despite the wsrning of her mother and after giving her mother a nromlse not to fall for the regulation Wall Street man-about- town betrayal, deliberately enters Into a liaison with a broker. She meet* him originally while delivering a gown to the man's mis- tress, so there can be no question as to his cnar^cter. Nevertheless she leaves her poor but honest parents for a gorf/aoua apartment provided by the broker, and when the woman he discarded for her cornea to plead to get her "man" back, the girl orders her out, glories that she Is to become a mother and hopes for marriage with hsr betrayer. When she finds he has tired of her, ahe goes sway with her faithful maid, her baby Is born, she reads the anouncement of the broker's wedding, goes to the church with ner Infant and during the ceremony steps forwsrd (ta-ra, to Indicate confrontation music) and flashes "Exhibit A." Oall Kane plays effectively the hero- ine, and the cast throughout, with the exception of the woman playing the girl's mother, were well seleetsd- This "mother" portrays the wife of a poor working rosn with t?»e aire of a.q%**n» always snugly corseted, bowing deferentially to her daugh- ter, dlgntfledly kisses her child on the brow, etc. Every old-fashioned melodrsmatlo bit of business has been resorted to, such as leaving the lamp burning in the window every night awaiting the daughter's return, eta This elx- reeler, with its mawkish title appeal, would be a rare Joke In a 25-oent picture palace, but In the jitney and dime program houses, should prove absorbingly Interesting and, what la more Important, a good drawing card. Jolo. "JOAN THE WOMAN" is a great motion picture. That is established by the unanimous praise it has evoked from scores of critics and thousands who have seen it. GERALDINE FARRAFk —greatest of all screen stars;—CECIL B. DeMILLE —genius of shadows;—and JOAN OF A.RC, the most remarkable woman of history—these are the contributing factors. Study the adjoining box office statement. It is the truthful and incontrovertible indication that the public is responsive to superlative merit. "JOAN THE WOMAN" is now being presented by JESSE L. LASKY twice daily to capacity audiences in two cities—at the 44th Street Theatre, New York, and the Majestic Theatre, Los Angeles. Cardinal Film Corporation 485 FIFTH AVENUE NEW YORK, N. Y.