Variety (February 1918)

■ I -. MOVING PICTURES TARZAN OF THE APES. Tarsea the Boy .Gordon Ortmth His Father Truo Boardmau His Mother Kathloa Kinshasa Jane Porter Enid Marker Prof. Porter, her father Thorn eg Jeffereon ~hs Bar Maid Beeale Toner lone George Prenoh aptaln of the Fuwalda Jack Wlleon reyetoke'e Brother Colin Kenny reyatoke'B Father Colin Kenny Blmo Llnooln ; Edgar Rioo Burroughs' story, "Tanan of ,the Apes," as a ten-reel screen feature pro- need by the National Film Corporation lacks gsuch of the pep of the original. When Tar- Ka first appeared as a serial In the "Even- g World" there was no thought the story Mild hare so widespread an appeal, but ere was so- much of a Rider Haggard at- oaphere In the tale It attracted universal tion, and the "World" publication was lowed by Its re-publlcatlon In a popular ctlon magazine and later In book form. jTben followed several sequels, one of which jvas "The Return of Tanan." After looking kit the screen production and noting Its end- ms It looks as though the producers are pre- pared to shoot the sequel to this story, pro- Tiding the Initial Tanan release "gets over." The chances are that It will do that, not be- cause It Is a great picture but mainly be- cause It Is an unusual feature. It Is one of those pictures where the mlpor details will go a great way toward attracting an audi- ence by word of mouth advertising. The oc- casional touches of the extraordinary are Its greatest asset, and listed among these, not as the least, will have to be the work of Cordon Griffith, as Tanan, a 10-year-old-boy. "Tar- san" In film Is divided Into three chapters, now being shown at the Broadway. The In- termission occurs after the first two chapters. The running time Is two hours and ten min- utes, exclusive of the five minutes wait be- tween the second and third chapters. The first and second chapters consumed approxi- mately one hour and 20 minutes, with only the final 20 minutes holding anything like real action. The early sections are almost wholly devoted to planting the underlying theme of the story, which In the original was Of a secondary nature. Much time Is de- Hd to the reason for the parents of Tarzan ig to South Africa, alao a tremendous age Is held by the succeeding holder of the title of Lord Grey stroke, his escapades, marriage to a bar maid and subsequent heir, while In the story the greater part of the action was devoted to Tanan himself. It was "Tanan of the Apes" in the original, but In the film It might well be called "The Missing Heir" or something equally com- monplace. All of the mystery, suspense, etc., conceived by placing this remarkable creature among the wild animals In the Jungle and making him the conqueror of them because of his human brain and coupled with It the outdoor physical development of a Jungled creature reared as an ape. Is lacking. The reason Is too much explanatory detail In the earlier portion of the film version. The story Itself is generally known. As the screen tells it Lord and Lady Greystoke are In England la 1897, and all South Africa Is In an uproar over the slave trade. Greystoke Is delegated by Her Majesty to ferret out the Inside of the slave trade and the secret diplomatic reasons for the African unrest. The final stage of bis Journey Is on a sailing vessel, ruled by three brutal offlcen. Then a mutiny and the final disposition of the Oreystokes by the crew. This is followed by their Robinson Crusoe existence; the birth of their child; the death of the parents and the adoption of Tanan, the baby, by an ape who had lost her offspring. The film Jumps ten years and it Is 1D07. Tanan is 10 years of age. This is the second chapter, about equally divided between showing the development of the ape boy and the rearing of the son of the successor to the title In England. Then there ,1s another leap, and Tarzan Is 20. He Is "some" giant and has become King of the apes, while in Eng- land the heir apparent Is a dissipated youth who likes to mess around with mother's maid Prvants. But here Is where the love Interest Introduced. An American girl worth mil- lions and fairly good looking comes on the scene. Mother says marry her, and he de- cides he will. But there is an expose. That a son of the Greystoke, who went to Africa, Is living. It comes from an old sailor. An ex- pedition is organized and then In Africa Tar- Ran Is brought on the scene again. He Is the hero, rescues the girl and all that sort of thing. Finally he and the girl are shown seated on a tree trunk with he kissing her* hand because she has called him down in per- fectly proper English and he understood her (that Is according to the subtitle), and then there Is fade out. None of the real mystery Is cleared up, at least the mystery fostered In the picture. The audience is left In the dark as to whether or not he has come into his birthright, whether he has won the girl or not, or. If he has, did he keep her In the Jungle wilds and how he learned English. Thpse are four points In the dark. From a pro- duction standpoint the picture was evidently padded early through the medium of cut-ins of animal stuff. The ape family has been achieved by the medium of a flock of acrobats In skins and very foolishly a number of close- ups are shown which kill the Illusion. Other- wise fr«m a production sn^le the picture is pasesble. As to cast, Elmo Lincoln as Tar- can at 20 is all that could be asked for, while Oordon Griffith as the boy Is wonderful. Tt is admitted the producers must have bad trouble In getting some one for the role of the ape- man, and In this particular they must be given full credit. But against that there is no one in the cast with the exception of Geo. French who really does much worthy of com- ment. The cast Is heralded as an "All Star" affair. Enid Markey Is In It but she fails to register effectively. As for the others, Bessie Toner Is not as young as when she was In "The College Widow" for the youthful bar maid and young wife. As the mother of a youth of 20 she was more at home. Special credit Is given on the program to Isldor Bern- stain for cutting and editing the picture. He should ask that it be removed, ft won't get him anything. "Tanan of the Apes" Is a freak picture that'will cause talk, but needs cutting In the first hour and a half. When It Is chopped for more speed and action and can be shown In an hour and a half It will be more worth while than at present. Fred, THE STUDIO GIRL Cella Laird Constance Talmadge Fraser Ordway flarle Foxe Adrlana Per on 1 Edna Earle Rachel Farnum Grace Barton Dr. Walter Grlerspn Ferd Tldmarsh The third of Select's releases of features with Constance Talmadge was taken from the French play, "La Gamine" (never played In this country). Authorship lies with Pierre Veber and Henry de Gorsse. The adaption was made by Paul West. The story possesses nothing of the unusual as stage stories go, and therefore a great deal counts on a pretty face, an asset of this girlish star. Charles Giblyn has done his direction quite well and the casting was exoallent. Instead of any attempt to make the picture of foreign set- ting which wasn't necessary, a good deal of the exteriors are presumably In a little New England coast village, Cliff Haven. To the village goes Freer Ordway, a successful young artist, whose friend and physician, Dr. Orlerson, has ordered a change of surround- ings. Fraser la engaged to Adrlana Peronl. but the change of scene brings a change or heart when he meets Cella Laird, guarded by two old maldlsh aunts. Cella stln up the old gala by her wilful meetings with Fraser, for the aunts had fully set their hearts on mar- rying Obedlaa Daw, a youthful rich swain of their choelng. Fraser, realising It is danger- ous to his own affections to see Cella any more, decides to pull up stakes, and at the same time the old maids decide on the Imme- diate marriage of Obed and Cella. But Cella secrets herself In the toneau of Eraser's car and Is not discovered until when hslf way to New York a rain storm comes up and he starts to put up the auto top. Fraser seem- ingly sends Cella home by train, but Instead she gets aboard a New York bound train, and though bedraggled and very wet Fraser finds her curled up In his easy chair next to the radiator when he arrives at his apartment. He hies himself to the doctor's home for the night Adrlana discovers the presence of Cells, calls off her engagement, much to the doctor's satisfaction, and thus when the 014 maids arrive to "rescue" their ward they tad Cella and Fraser wedded. Then as old ladles must do when a marriage has Just bean con- summated, they gave a good cry for them- selves. The rain storm Is very real and there la little doubt but that It was "shot" In the downpour. Hal Young has obtained effective photography, especially la the night scenes. The close-ups of Miss Talmadge where the tinting Is blue makes vary pretty pic- tures—oonsl lerably better than where the plain film or sepia was used. The blue tints stand out so much better that It Is surprising the other night effects were not also of thai tint John HInes as Obedlah Daw makes humorous, the "important" near bridegroom. Gertrude Norman and Isabel O'Medlgea took faithful as ths old maids. Ferd Tldmarsh Is the doctor, a not important role. Miss Tal- madge always gives the wilful Cella an ap- peal and lively interest aided by the clever work of Earle Foxe as Fraser. Bdne Mario does Adrlana. A detail seemingly missed conoerned the auto used. When Fraser da- parted on his trip there was no extra tiro hi the rear, a fact brought to attention by the flapping strap of the tiro holder. Joes* -»* FREEDOMS the WOULD 1 . Ira M.Lowryjr Nationally Successful Patriotic /pecbefe y Caph Edwin Bower UessQr This picture is a big, sensational, gripping "thriller." It has a rushing, wonderful melodrama and a big love story. It is the greatest production made thus far about the World War. It sends thrills along the spine. It appeals to everyone's love of and loyalty to their country. It shows mothers, fathers, sisters, sweethearts how their missing ones battle for the glory of the nation. To date all of the thousand and more exhibitors who have played this in their houses have made a profit and in most cases it has broken every existing house record for attendance. You can book "For the Freedom of the World" only through the branch off ices of (5 oX&myn Distributing Corporation 16 Eut 42d Street NewYoffcQty • * * • * *