Variety (April 1920)

^'^^V^W-*"-:^'^ :-'^^' *T^i'^.^r'^;?ir''^^'''?' ?r^ :fr,;M',jf .•.^.. ,■ i;':.ni'- MOVING PICTURES 9S lUHUND or umL mtbr «nMl« HMllw If tlite B«««fa Mt cffMifv* atv«»tb«l«M dMplM Itt ffUBUlBC •«< nany IneonslcteaelMk AfUr «l«ifM0 til* 9ro<luotloa on* mitM •rtMS* bafif miMUB th« •t&r'a utatvaMS » atMoptlaf • role tltot i» u oiwnnp*' tli«lto Mtf UiftnkI«M u tht«, Atttr All, •a viwut* Antricao audlMK* ta not ▼try dtMornlns «na k1t«d to tb« auly* •is of a foaturo. Tlsay ar« prone to ac> e«pt matters on their face valne and If tfea bero 4o«a some «na tblat a Uttle oat of the beateo patb of the accepted hero* l«il that opinion of the hero in the ptay<>- wbo beeomes • (alien idol to aexae ea> ' teat—la bound to react In a elmllar laab* Toa when tba perfonaer ia Btvea • aert<- oua tbougbt aa an indtvldual. & Rlebard Schayer atipplled tba atory from which J. Qrubb Alozaoder adapted the continuity. Joaeph de Orasea trolled the meaaptaone. Hia end of It is com- mendable, oonaiderlng the acenarlo. Rob- ertson-Cole releaaei. - • The star has varied bio character por- trayal and ia doing a Spanlah role, and la aulte acceptable aa such. Bis awartb- Incaa leads Itaelf well towards the per- aonatloa. although the Oriental oenlar alaat la a trlOe Incongruous. Aa Vaaco L«pes, matador and Idol of Seville, ba la Inntuated with the coquettish Lola Cas- tillo of the Opera Co., who la much smit- ten with tba luaty toreador to tha axtaat < that they become aecretly betrothed. Tha aenorlta'a madre will have nothing of the common bull flshter, although the betrothal develops into marriage after Vaaco discovers I«oIa'B infldellly In en- tertalnlnjr aerloualy the affeotloaa of a Captain Fancho, a childhood sweetheart, and her mother's favored choice for the band of the coquette. Vaaco branda hla betroth'a back with tats cigarette to eatabllsh her identity aa hla property. Marriage (ollowa the next day, but be la apurned by bis wife'* mother. In time Vasco. llhe all Idols, is dethroned, having literally "bulled*' In the ring. Dlacouraged and foraakcn. Vaaco turns outlaw and Is known to the eager police as the much-wanted "Black Devil" for wboto body such large rewards are ottered. The yarn rambling- ly continues to where he has bis depu- tlea on their way to kidnap his faithleas wife, but who bungle the Job and bring Instead Lola's younger slater. Marie, who was Introduced In the flrat reel Marie la miauaed and the town prleat calls oa' Vaaco' the folIowlnK year for the pur- pose of marrying nlm to the dying mother of bis baby boy and tbua atnns to some, extent the outlaWi evIL In due time the climax arrives where Vasco is killed defendlDK hla own child. He expires, the cynosure of all eyes, In the centre of a two-minute circle vignette fade out ;- _ For all that, Mr. Hayakawa has Blade the most of a rather vague role. His support Is capably taken care of. The role of liola Is good, aa la that of Marie, the younger alater, who Is a classy In- genue and should make herself heard from In the near future. The role of the matron—Lola's mother—la titled as . Sersonated by Sugene Beaaerer. Whether is is a misprint Intended for "Eugenie" or "Bugenia,'' or som» such feminine . name, la doubtful, but If Mr. BeSserer has been doing an, Eltinge with that role be should be highly congratnlated. To all appearances the matron is as- stately and Imposing as any screen dowager that baa ever screened. Mary Jane Irving also gives a convincing per- formance as the outlaw*a child, grown . to the age of four, as does the man do- ing the role of Capt. Pancbo. The chief fault with the production Is.that the sympathy Is.not made dis- tinct.'One. certainly cannot sympathise * with the fickle Lola and her crew and on the other hand, Vasco Lopes refutes all clalma to sympathy with the excel- lent screening of his mouqtaln atrong- feet and Ita Inhabitants, the trandlts and their reapectlve "loose" women. The rape of the Ingenue Marie eevera.the last chord of sympathy. Withal, it's ffreat box oillce stuff. It's aa excellent program feature. ' - One word else would not ba amiss. The star la reported to be at swords' golnts with hla producers and baa stated e win head hla own independent com- pany; will eachew program feature mak- ing and will go In for apeclal stuff strong. Let's hope be will confine him- self to native roles and sldeatep crude ueller of a type set forth above. The director of this filature must be taken to task for trying to tack on a meanlnglesa lot of continuity by the Ini- troduotion of Oriental atmosphere. This neither belghtena Interest nor makes the picture unusual, which was probably the intention, results fall flat. For example, - we are asked to believe the occurrences are foreseen through the crystal by an Oriental sage. -When a director takes out a license to show us the unusual. Unking prophecy with the present theme in ci ook melo- drama, then It Is alas essential to bal- ance this viewpoint with a better and more consistent method than ebown. OlarlDg tb# kH^Vmt tvto all dlsfeoUM to 1SSLV*f**'^^^ •* *•«• OrlenUl scene. tb«ltai^ aaldens at his feet And these wMunt to nothing more than a number 2L.!*S^ wrbed in Oriental costumoe. zi^Jf "!•?*«*<! 'MonoMo with a plctars Sf. **l *^\ O'Ko*- Yo". cannot take a £il'-5*2«'>*?.'' 0' the North, tell her to £2StJ her lips, mascar tha eyebrows, jMt her ia silk trousers and then have **5l"^* *» ««» tt Oriental atmosphere. On tbe other hand there are genuine flaabes of artistic purpose In this feat- vra* A close-up of a silk stocking sug- '!*VL * 'i^^ client to the stenograbper «.,**•,atwggllng lawyer. Black and waits tlllag on Ihe floor of tbe rich uneleCs mansion suggest wealth. The Interior of a gambling honss with slide doors and secret psssave* sabaaes the mystery of the feature Warren Kerrigan In the title role rep- resents a strusfllng lawyer suddenly entrusted with 110,000 as a retsiner for a valuable necklace which he is to de- liver to an unknown person tbe next day. The subsequent disappearanes of the ftO.OOO, the meeting between the bero and the heroine, who Is to redeem tha Jewels, the raid on the gambling bouse, all lends itself to a atory that Is highly Improbable, but very absorbing at times, even.to the individual whose business It Is to determine the "real" worth of tbe feature offerings. Mr. Kerrigan's work in tbs star role affords him excellent opportunitlea Hla work at times approaches the unusual. A grsat deal of explanatory substance Is eliminated, and much' more Is conveyed by the lifting of an eyebrow. There Is nothing unusual about the rest of the cast possibly due to their not being in tha picture long enough to Judge, except for the leading lady. In the last mo- ments she arrives In time for a sympa- tbstlo bit The picture has been offered on tbe circuit theatres for some time, and Is diatrlbuted through Pathe. In tbe Inde- pendent houses It might draw a fair: average^ 0t«f. "?!':■; ■■■(:.: $ ..li>.: MAURICE TOURNEUR PRESENTS "TREASURE ISLAND" BY ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON J^rp\REASURE ISLAND" is bound to be I one of the biggest money-makers of the season. Romance means more than reality to nine ont of ten people. Deep in their hearts they air ibve adventure and excitement MAURICE TOURNEUR has produced the world's greatest adventure stbiy so wonderfully that ij^s appeal is to all ages and all classes. \ It will hold you breathless from the first flash to the last. It will send the people out of the theatre with their eyes gleaming with happiness. jiiQammountjiirlcraftQicture Get Your Share of the Treasure! rJQtfBfr; FAMOUS PLAITERS'-IASKr CORPORATION ZUKDRIV>i:JISSBL.USKriK»JVi»CEai&nBHnU£ffMrO *mmm